Engineering Co-op

Marmon Holdings, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 29,000 - 35,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401k matching

Job summary

The Marmon Group is offering a Lean Continuous Improvement Engineering Co-op to support deployment, evaluation, and implementation of Lean across Marmon Transportation Group. You’ll promote continuous improvement methods, work directly with various levels of employees, and contribute to safety, quality, and cost reductions.

This development role invites students to grow leadership skills, with 20.70–25.30 USD/hour pay, and multi-site opportunities in the Detroit/Chicagoland area and beyond.

Qualifications

• Energy, enthusiasm, and initiative to create programs and drive outcomes.
• Ability to lead and influence others without formal control to achieve results.
• Willingness to travel 20–50% to other facilities and relocate for multi-term co-ops.
• Independent, self-starter with the ability to build relationships and earn trust.
• Ability to prioritize work based on impact, business needs, and schedules.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word, SharePoint, and Smartsheets.

Responsibilities

• Identify process gaps with the local team and implement improvements to key metrics (safety, quality, delivery, cost).
• Manage lean transformation activities and projects at a plant.
• Collaborate with automation teams to optimize before automation and justify projects.
• Facilitate Value Stream Maps and Kaizen/Impact Events from ideation to sustainment.
• Lead regular follow-ups to ensure accountability on action items.
• Provide training, coaching, and mentoring to employees for sustainable improvements.
• Coach process owners to use lean methods for operational excellence.
• Establish and report progress against plant objectives using performance measures.
• Partner with site leadership to assess needs and align with business priorities.
• Participate actively in Management Review meetings and coordinate travel plans.

Skills

Leadership

Influence without authority

Travel 20-50%

MS Office

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

CAD software

Job description

The Marmon Group LLC

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

Lean

The Continuous Improvement Engineering Co-op will report to the Regional Lean Specialist and support the deployment, evaluation, and implementation of Lean at the Marmon Transportation Group. The individual will actively promote and facilitate the use of continuous improvement methods (e.g., LEAN tools, root cause analysis, waste reduction, etc.) to improve performance in safety, quality, performance, and cost every day. This position is responsible for working directly with and influencing all levels of employees within the plant.

Requirements

• Energy, enthusiasm, and initiative to create programs and drive outcomes, balancing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to lead and influence others without formal control to achieve desired results.
• Ability to travel 20-50% to other facilities/shops as well as relocation to different business units for different co-op terms.
• Independent, self-starter, ability to build relationships and earn trust.
• Ability to prioritize work based on factors such as potential impact, business, personal schedule, and coworkers’ schedules.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, specifically Excel, Word, SharePoint and Smartsheets.

Preferred Assets

• Previous experience with Lean/Automation – including jobs, internships, co-op assignments, class projects, and extracurricular groups.
• Working knowledge of SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or other CAD packages
• Preference to work multiple semesters as previous interns have completed.
• Desire/motivated to work 4-12 hours a week during the school year pre and post co-op with a multi-term commitment.

What You’ll Do:

• Collaborate with local team to identify process gaps and implement process improvement activities to achieve dramatic improvement in the key business metrics of safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee development.
• Management of the lean transformational activities and projects at a plant.
• Collaborate with automation team to optimize process before automating and help build the justification for automation projects.
• Effective facilitation and execution of Value Stream Maps and Kaizen/Impact Events through all stages (A3 charter ideation / creation, pre-work identification and completion, delivery of results in Kaizen/Impact week, regular follow up, and follow through on sustainment).
• Facilitate conversations with local team to ensure team stays focused and kept accountable on action items.
• Provide formal and informal training, coaching, and mentoring to employees: must be able to translate concepts to local situations and help individuals and teams progress in understanding and correct application for sustainable business improvements.
• Coach process owners how to use engineering and Lean methods to achieve operational excellence.
• Establish and implement performance measures. Provide regular reports of data and actions to measure progress against the plant objectives.
• Work with site leadership to conduct assessments of critical sites and business needs. Actively partnering with process owners to ensure results delivered / future state achieved and ability to connect the dots in the Operations function and ensure business priorities come first.
• Establish agenda and frequency and be an active participant in regular Management Review meetings.
• Manage personal business travel plans, prioritization of current projects, and communicate efforts to direct leadership.
• Develop personal and plant competency plans in the application of continuous improvement methods and Lean tools.

Additional Information:

This role is a development role for individuals aspiring to grow their skills and leadership.

Location:

Preferred Metropolitan Detroit, Chicagoland area. In addition, other Marmon locations-multi-city in the Carolinas, Midwest, Southeast & Virginia.

Pay Range:

20.70 - 25.30

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that may include medical, dental, vision, 401k matching, and more!

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [e-mail], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.