Industrial Engineer: Lean & Process Improvement

Gradian Thermal Solutions; Osseo (MN); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, and dental plans

Disability insurance

Group term life insurance

HSA, FSA, and Dependent Care plans

Job summary

Gradian Thermal Solutions is seeking an Industrial Engineer to elevate manufacturing efficiency in our HVAC production environment. You will analyze processes, establish labor standards, and partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to drive continuous improvement across layout, material flow, and production metrics.

You will lead lean initiatives, perform time studies, and help optimize staffing, throughput, and safety while ensuring quality and on-time delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field.
• 2–5 years of experience in a manufacturing environment (HVAC, heavy equipment, or engineered products preferred).
• Experience supporting assembly lines, fabrication, or configurable products.
• Familiarity with ERP/MES systems and manufacturing data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Analyze manufacturing processes to identify waste, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead Lean initiatives including Kaizen events, value stream mapping, and 5S.
• Implement standardized work to improve consistency, safety, and productivity.
• Support continuous improvement projects focused on throughput, labor utilization, and cost reduction.
• Conduct time studies and work measurement analysis.
• Establish and maintain labor standards for production and assembly operations.
• Support capacity planning and staffing models based on demand and seasonal fluctuations.
• Partner with Operations to balance production lines and optimize labor deployment.
• Design and improve plant layouts to optimize material flow and minimize handling.
• Support point-of-use material strategies and warehouse-to-line replenishment.
• Evaluate ergonomics and workstation design to improve safety and productivity.
• Analyze production data to identify trends in efficiency, scrap, rework, and downtime.
• Develop and maintain KPIs such as labor efficiency, cycle time, takt time, and throughput.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for production issues.
• Assist in ramp-ups, new product introductions (NPI), and process changes.
• Ensure process changes align with quality standards and safety requirements.
• Support PFMEA, control plans, and SOPs.
• Partner with EHS and Quality teams to drive injury reduction and defect prevention.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, Design Engineering, Supply Chain, and Maintenance.
• Support engineering change implementation with minimal production disruption.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to leadership.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Time studies

Labor standards

Data analysis

Excel

Change management

Cross-functional collaboration

Manufacturing engineering basics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

ERP/MES systems

Job description

Gradian Thermal Solutions is seeking an Industrial Engineer to elevate manufacturing efficiency in our HVAC production environment. You will analyze processes, establish labor standards, and partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to drive continuous improvement across layout, material flow, and production metrics.

You will lead lean initiatives, perform time studies, and help optimize staffing, throughput, and safety while ensuring quality and on-time delivery.