Continuous Improvement Engineer — Lean, OEE & Kaizen Lead

Ascentria Search Partners; Chino (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascentria Search Partners client seeks a Continuous Improvement Engineer to support two manufacturing facilities in a high‑mix, low‑volume setting in Chino, CA, with ~30% travel to Wisconsin. 80% on the floor, 20% in the office, building a structured CI program using Lean tools and QAD Redzone.

Lead SOPs, standard work, and problem‑solving, own OEE reporting by line, and drive savings through setup reductions and operator training, partnering across functions to sustain gains.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years in CI, process engineering, or manufacturing with measurable improvements.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher; experience with QAD Redzone.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Operations Management or related field.
• Experience with cGMP, FDA and ISO quality systems and change control.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to build financial justifications for projects.

Responsibilities

• Establish the CI program with SOPs, repeatable processes, and Kaizen events.
• Apply Lean tools (VSM, 5S, SMED, standard work, poka-yoke, visual mgmt) and A3/DMAIC.
• Own Redzone OEE reporting and loss analysis by line, shift, and SKU.
• Reduce setup and changeover times; standardize checklists and run sizes.
• Build and maintain inspections, sign-offs, and change control documentation.
• Formalize operator training with Redzone, matrices, and SOPs.
• Develop business cases, run trials, and report savings to leadership.
• Collaborate with production, quality, maintenance, EHS, supply chain, R&D, and finance.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

OEE analysis

Data analysis

Excel skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

QAD Redzone

Power BI

Dynamics NAV/Business Central

Excel

Job description

Ascentria Search Partners client seeks a Continuous Improvement Engineer to support two manufacturing facilities in a high‑mix, low‑volume setting in Chino, CA, with ~30% travel to Wisconsin. 80% on the floor, 20% in the office, building a structured CI program using Lean tools and QAD Redzone.

Lead SOPs, standard work, and problem‑solving, own OEE reporting by line, and drive savings through setup reductions and operator training, partnering across functions to sustain gains.