Lead Process Engineer

Kimberly-Clark USA; United States; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Kimberly-Clark USA is seeking a Lead Process Engineer to provide technical leadership for the design, development, optimization, and operation of assigned assets. You will ensure safety and performance, lead reliability programs, and drive continuous improvement across process lines.

This role collaborates with maintenance, digital teams, and operations to drive KPI reporting, centerlining, root cause analysis, and use of Power BI, MES, OSI/PI.

Job description

Lead Process Engineer

Job Description

You're not the person who will settle for just any role. Neither are we. Because we're out to create Better Care for a Better World, and that takes a certain kind of person and teams who care about making a difference. Here, you'll bring your professional expertise, talent, and drive to building and managing our portfolio of iconic, ground-breaking brands. In this role, you'll help us deliver better care for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU.

The Lead Process Engineer role provides technical leadership and innovative solutions for the design, development, optimization, and operation of assigned assets and supporting processes. This position is responsible for ensuring safety and operational performance standards are met, leading programs that sustain asset reliability, and driving continuous improvement. The role also leads troubleshooting and problem‑solving initiatives to enhance process efficiency and asset performance.

Scope:

The objective of a Process Engineer is to provide process expertise within the defined scope of responsibility, ensuring that the processes proactively enable the achievement of business objectives.

• Owns machine and process health/effectiveness
• Drives Center lining on the asset - identifying key parameters and ensuring adherence to centerlines, and leading root cause analysis if a shift runs out of centerline for any critical-to-quality or critical-to-process parameter. (CTPs / CTQs)
• Champion Clean-Inspect-Lubricate on the line and ensure health check and effectiveness of CIL execution by the shift teams.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) of breakdowns working with the asset team (repeat/chronic issues, pareto of minor stops, pareto of unplanned stops)
• Drives execution of maintenance plan for the line working closely with the maintenance planner,
• Custodian for all reporting - ensuring that all the KPIs are calculated as per KC global standards and reported accurately in the system
• Work with the Digital and DTS teams to drive use of Power BI reports, MES, OSI/PI and other digital tools as appropriate.

In this role, you will:

Adherence to Process Standards and Continuous Improvement

Drive implementation of process standards and programs to sustain asset performance and enable continuous improvement. Ensure strong adherence to critical process parameters and operational best practices. Support strategies for efficient changeovers and material quality management. Lead trials and establish optimal run settings. Apply engineering principles, problem‑solving, and continuous improvement methodologies to resolve complex issues and identify opportunities. Develop and maintain processes and standards that meet safety requirements and promote a safe work environment. Lead initiatives to identify and mitigate safety risks.

Innovation and Asset Support

Manage initiatives to improve asset performance and deliver cost savings. Provide technical support for operations and maintenance, including input to expense and capital planning. Collaborate on projects from design through commissioning and ensure alignment with long‑term objectives.

Coaching, Mentorship, and Collaboration

Share expertise and provide coaching to build team capability. Support training and development plans for process roles. Foster collaboration and uphold organizational values and ways of working.

About Us

Huggies®. Kleenex®. Cottonelle®. Scott®. Kotex®. Poise®. Depend®. Kimberly-Clark Professional®. You already know our legendary brands-and so does the rest of the world. In fact, millions of people use Kimberly-Clark products every day. We know these amazing Kimberly-Clark products wouldn't exist without talented professionals, like you.

At Kimberly-Clark, you'll be part of the best team committed to driving innovation, growth and impact. We're founded on more than 150 years of market leadership, and we're always looking for new and better ways to perform - so there's your open door of opportunity. It's all here for you at Kimberly-Clark.

Led by Purpose. Driven by You.

About You

You perform at the highest level possible, and you appreciate a performance culture fueled by authentic caring. You want to be part of a company actively dedicated to sustainability, inclusion, wellbeing, and career development.

You love what you do, especially when the work you do makes a difference. At Kimberly-Clark, we're constantly exploring new ideas on how, when, and where we can best achieve results. When you join our team, you'll experience Flex That Works: flexible (hybrid) work arrangements that empower you to have purposeful time in the office and partner with your leader to make flexibility work for both you and the business.

In one of our professional roles, you'll focus on winning with consumers and the market, while putting safety, mutual respect, and human dignity at the center.

To succeed in this role, you will need the following qualifications:

Requires a Bachelor o