Continuous Improvement Engineer

Rangen Group; Saint Joseph (MO); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Rangen Group is seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineer to drive operational excellence across feed facilities, partnering with plant leadership and cross-functional teams to identify waste, stabilize processes, and standardize best practices using Lean methods and data-driven problem solving.

You will lead on-floor improvement efforts, conduct time studies, and support SQDCP boards while traveling to multiple sites to implement CI projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering or equivalent experience.
• Lean and data-driven problem-solving experience.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Comfort working on the production floor with operators and supervisors.
• Willingness to travel up to 50–70%.

Responsibilities

• Spend significant time on the production floor engaging operators and identifying improvement opportunities.
• Participate in daily Gemba walks with plant leadership to assess performance and drive countermeasures.
• Model Lean behaviors and coach teams on problem solving.
• Lead kaizen events focused on SMED, waste elimination, and equipment reliability.
• Drive 5S, Standard Work, PDCA and root cause analysis.
• Analyze production data including downtime and throughput performance.
• Travel to support multi-site improvement initiatives.

Skills

Lean methodology

Data-driven problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Production floor coaching

Education

Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering

Tools

ERP/MES familiarity

Job description

Why Join the Rangen Group? As a newly formed independent global company with a 100-year legacy, we are poised for significant growth and opportunity. You will play a role in shaping our future, strengthening customer trust, and unlocking unlimited growth potential. We are a safety-first organization, and we make our customers and employees priority.

Description Why Join the Rangen Group? As a newly formed independent global company with a 100-year legacy, we are poised for significant growth and opportunity. You will play a role in shaping our future, strengthening customer trust, and unlocking unlimited growth potential. We are a safety-first organization, and we make our customers and employees priority. The formal job description is below but first let me ask you a few questions:

• Are you looking to build your career with a rapidly growing pet, livestock & aquaculture nutrient manufacturer where your ideas and contributions can make a real impact from day one? We are a proud American Manufacturer.
• Do you want endless growth opportunities, clear career pathways, and the chance to advance as the company continues to expand? We offer attractive market wages and top tier benefits!
• Are you excited by joining a business on a fast track to becoming an employer of choice, where innovation and ambition are encouraged?
• Would you value working in an environment where passion for quality products, and continuous improvement drive everything we do?
• Are you ready to be part of a dynamic team? In this role, you will have full access and exposure to senior and executive leadership!

If this sounds like a place that motivates you, we welcome you to apply! With our new leadership team onboard, we are reshaping the landscape and invite you to join an exciting ground floor opportunity. You will help us shape our future.

Position Summary The Continuous Improvement Engineer is responsible for driving operational excellence across Rangen Group’s feed production facilities by improving safety, quality, throughput, and manufacturing efficiency. This role partners with plant & senior leadership, operators, and cross-functional teams to identify waste, stabilize processes, and standardize best practices using data-driven problem solving and Lean methodologies. The role serves as a facilitator and coach—enabling teams to solve problems, sustain improvements, and strengthen Rangen’s culture of continuous improvement across livestock, pet, and aquaculture feed operations.

Requirements What You\'ll Do:

• Spend significant time on the production floor engaging operators and identifying improvement opportunities at the source
• Participate in daily Gemba walks with plant leadership to assess SQDCP performance and drive immediate countermeasures
• Model Lean behaviors and drive cultural adoption through hands-on presence, enthusiasm, and coaching
• Lead and facilitate kaizen events focused on SMED, waste elimination, material flow, and equipment reliability
• Reinforce and support 5S, Standard Work, Problem Solving, Leader Standard Work, and Daily Management routines
• Conduct time studies, process mapping, and bottleneck analysis across feed manufacturing processes
• Drive improvements in throughput, labor utilization, equipment uptime and cost performance
• Support implementation and follow-up on daily SQDCP boards
• Identify top SQDCP gaps and convert them into structured CI projects using PDCA, A3s, and root cause analysis
• Integrate safety and feed quality into all improvement activities
• Support Quality Engineering, CAPA, and deviation investigations
• Analyze production data including downtime, scrap trends, production variance, and throughput performance
• Track CI actions, verify cost savings, and maintain accurate project documentation
• Facilitate CI workshops, process improvement events, and on-site operator training sessions
• Participate periodically in cross-plant kaizens and best practices sharing
• Serve as a local technical resource for feed manufacturing processes
• Document processes and support standardization efforts
• Travel to support multi-site improvement initiatives
• Other role responsibilities and projects assigned

What You\'ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering or equivalent experience
• Lean and data-driven problem-solving experience
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills
• Comfort working on the production floor with operators and supervisors
• Willingness to travel up to 50–70%
• Travel required up to 75% in the beginning, will get to a 50% level

What Makes You a Great Fit

• Feed manufacturing or industrial operations experience
• Lean certification preferred
• ERP/MES familiarity
• Servant-leader mindset and strong coaching ability
• Advanced analytical skills: ability to collect and analyze data and problem-solve
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite Products (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, etc.)