Continuous Improvement Engineer

Eaton; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 82,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Eaton’s Electrical Sector in Santa Ana, CA is seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineer to lead lean deployments and improve operations, boosting customer satisfaction through the Eaton Lean System, OpA and CIF.

You will develop business cases, mentor teams, analyze data, and drive CI projects across the plant while collaborating with manufacturing engineers to implement new concepts and processes. This role emphasizes training and sustaining improvements in a dynamic manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
• At least 1 year of CI related working experience, preferably within a manufacturing environment
• U.S. immigration sponsorship is not provided for this position (CPT/OPT/STEM OPT etc. not supported)
• Preferred: Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and 2+ years of manufacturing experience
• Knowledge of Kaizen-based training for Lean tools is a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate Continuous Improvement initiatives to eliminate waste through lean principle deployment
• Assist in developing and executing strategic plans for CI activities
• Develop business cases and executive summaries for CI projects
• Drive implementation of Eaton’s CI Framework, Lean tools, Six Sigma, I4.0 solutions and Digitalization
• Mentor and train personnel at various levels on CI projects
• Assemble, verify and analyze CI data and present findings
• Contribute to plant cost-out objectives through labor productivity improvements
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineers to design and implement new concepts and processes
• Participate in committees and councils to advance technology and business strategy
• Coordinate OPEX self-assessments

Skills

Problem solving

Lean principles

Project management

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Industrial Engineering

Tools

Power BI

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

Requisition ID75552-Posted10/21/2026

Eaton’s Electrical Sector is currently seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineer to join our team. This position is based at our Santa Ana, CA location.

The Continuous Improvement Engineer will report to the Continuous Improvement Manager supporting the development and execution of the continuous improvement strategy, which includes deployment and training on the Eaton Lean System, Operations Assessment (OpA) and Continuous Improvement Framework (CIF).

The expected annual salary range for this role is $82,000 - $120,000 a year.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and facilitate Continuous Improvement initiatives to eliminate waste through lean principle deployment to enhance the overall effectiveness of operations and customer satisfaction.
• Assist in the development and execution of strategic plans for implementation of continuous improvement activities.
• Develop business cases and executive summaries for continuous improvement projects that support the priorities established by the Annual Operating Plan.
• Drive implementation and utilization of Eaton’s Continuous Improvement Framework, Lean Tools, Six Sigma methodology, I4.0 Solutions and Digitalization.
• Assist in training and development of personnel by mentoring team members, team leads, and facilitators for projects. Additionally, maintain role as mentor to other Manufacturing members.
• Assemble, verify, and analyze the data and results from CI initiatives, prepare reports and present findings.
• Contribute to plant cost out objectives, particularly through labor productivity improvements.
• Investigate and develop understanding of new technologies and processes to be able to assess these from a broad perspective in terms of the impact to the total business.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineers to design, develop, justify and guide the installation of new engineering concepts, equipment, tooling, processes and systems through procedures so that optimum manufacturing cost can be achieved and maintained.
• Participate in local and divisional committees, teams, and councils that function to improve current technologies and business practices and develop a vision for future technologies and business strategy.
• Facilitate the Continuous Improvement Council to communicate implementation status, provide projects updates, and prioritize projects and resources.
• Coordinate OPEX related self-assessments.

Qualifications:

Required (Basic) Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
• At least 1 year of CI related working experience, preferably within a manufacturing environment
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from accredited institution
• 2+ years of manufacturing experience
• Trained through Kaizen-based training courses for all the Lean tools

Skills:

• Excellent knowledge of engineering problem solving and quality techniques as well as sound understanding of production, inventory, financial principles
• Excellent working knowledge of lean manufacturing and JIT
• Demonstrated project management experience
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and PowerBi

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process.All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

This posting will remain open until filled.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability-related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements. #LI-NG1