Industrial Engineer I — Lean Process Improvement

Vermeer Corporation; Pella (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Vermeer Corporation is seeking an Engineer I – Industrial in Iowa to support manufacturing and product development initiatives that strengthen operational performance and promote continuous improvement.

You will help drive workflow improvements, support lean activities, conduct time studies, and contribute to cost-reduction and productivity initiatives while creating and maintaining standard work documentation across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field.
• Foundational knowledge of lean manufacturing and process-improvement methodologies, with the ability to define, analyze, and improve value stream maps.
• Experience or exposure to continuous improvement tools such as 5S, Kaizen, waste identification, and basic root cause analysis.
• Familiarity with plant, line, or workstation layout concepts including ergonomics, safety, material flow, and space utilization.
• Exposure to CAD tools such as AutoCAD, DraftSight, or SOLIDWORKS, and awareness of ECNs or formal change-management processes.
• Experience collaborating on cross-functional projects supporting manufacturing, engineering, quality, or operations teams.
• Ability to create or maintain manufacturing documentation such as SOP, SOS, or DI.

Responsibilities

• Support development, analysis, and improvement of value stream maps to identify waste and enhance operational flow, identifying inefficiencies and proposing early-stage improvement ideas.
• Assist with plant, line, and workstation layout design including material flow, ergonomics, safety, and space utilization by creating or updating basic CAD drawings using tools such as AutoCAD, DraftSight, or SOLIDWORKS.
• Participate in continuous improvement activities such as 5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain), Kaizen events, waste identification, and fundamental root cause analysis.
• Contribute to cost-reduction and productivity-improvement initiatives through supporting data collection, workflow observation, and documentation accuracy.
• Create, update, and maintain standard work documentation, including SOP, SOS, and Digital Instructions (DI), ensuring clarity and alignment with process changes.
• Support Engineering Change Notice (ECN) updates by gathering documentation, revising standard work elements, and helping ensure accurate implementation.
• Assist with time studies, cycle-time observations, and exposure to basic takt-time and capacity concepts to help strengthen analytical skills and support process improvements.

Skills

Value stream mapping

Lean manufacturing

5S

Kaizen

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

SOP/SOS/DI documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

DraftSight

SOLIDWORKS

Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) awareness

Job description

Vermeer Corporation is seeking an Engineer I – Industrial in Iowa to support manufacturing and product development initiatives that strengthen operational performance and promote continuous improvement.

You will help drive workflow improvements, support lean activities, conduct time studies, and contribute to cost-reduction and productivity initiatives while creating and maintaining standard work documentation across the organization.