Lean Production Engineer: Process Excellence & Kaizen

Vestas; Windsor (CO); On-site; USD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits coverage within your first 30

Training Program

Paid Time Off (PTO)

401(k) Plan

Annual bonus

Job summary

Vestas Windsor Blades Factory is seeking a Team Leader - Lean Engineer to drive factory improvements using Lean tools, VSM, takt, kanban, and 5S. The role includes Kaizen events, PFMEA support, and NPI ramp-up activities.

Collaboration with HQ and cross-functional teams is essential to achieve stable serial production. Ideal candidates have a 3–5+ year background in Lean/manufacturing engineering, strong data analysis skills, and Green Belt or higher.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 3–5+ years in Lean, continuous improvement, or manufacturing engineering.
• Strong knowledge of Lean tools: VSM, takt, kanban, 5S, kaizen, SMED, standard work.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher preferred; use of Six Sigma tools to reduce variation.
• Experience with PFMEA, Control Plans, and structured problem solving.
• Proficiency in data analysis, time studies, and capacity modeling.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive factory improvements with Lean assessments and actions.
• Maintain Daily Management System, leader standard work, and KPI boards.
• Engineer flow and stability with VSM, takt time, line balancing, and kanban.
• Facilitate kaizen events, 5S activities, and problem-solving workshops.
• Support PFMEA development and alignment with controls and testing.
• Support NPI and ramp-up for stable serial production.
• Collaborate with HQ and cross-functional teams on NPI/TT deliverables.
• Share best practices across factories for global standardization.
• Conduct time studies, capacity analyses, and labor/equipment reviews.
• Implement poka-yoke, confirmations, layered audits, and audits.
• Ensure compliance with QBD, ECM, ToCI, and controlled docs.
• Participate in improvement projects and layout optimization.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Value Stream Mapping

Takt time

Kanban systems

5S

Kaizen

SMED

Data analysis

Time studies

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelors in Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

PFMEA

Control Plans

CAD

AutoCAD

Excel

Job description

Vestas Windsor Blades Factory is seeking a Team Leader - Lean Engineer to drive factory improvements using Lean tools, VSM, takt, kanban, and 5S. The role includes Kaizen events, PFMEA support, and NPI ramp-up activities.

Collaboration with HQ and cross-functional teams is essential to achieve stable serial production. Ideal candidates have a 3–5+ year background in Lean/manufacturing engineering, strong data analysis skills, and Green Belt or higher.