Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement Engineer - Food

Talent Wave Associates; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Wave Associates seeks a seasoned Continuous Improvement leader to drive Lean Six Sigma programs across our food manufacturing operations in Kentucky. You will lead CI initiatives, mentor teams, and partner with operations, maintenance, and quality to raise safety, quality, throughput and cost efficiency.

The role focuses on ramping up new equipment, building a sustainable CI culture, and delivering measurable improvements via DMAIC, TPM, value stream mapping and standard work.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Food Science, Industrial Engineering, or related field (or equivalent).
• 5 years of experience in manufacturing CI or operations leadership, preferably in food industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate plant-wide Continuous Improvement initiatives aligned with Safety, Quality, Reliability, Delivery, and Cost.
• Utilize Lean, Six Sigma (DMAIC), TPM, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, 5S/Visual Management, Standard Work, SMED, and root-cause analysis to identify and eliminate waste.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, quality, and leadership to develop CI roadmaps, project charters, and improvement plans.
• Analyze production data and KPIs to prioritize opportunities and track results.
• Coach, train, and mentor operators, supervisors, and cross-functional teams to build CI capability and ownership.
• Lead structured problem-solving events and sustain gains through control plans and standard work.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and change management in a high-growth, PE-backed environment.
• Participate in daily/weekly performance reviews to ensure actions deliver productivity, efficiency, and cost improvements.

Skills

Lean methodology

Six Sigma

Continuous improvement

Data analysis

Coaching & training

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Food Science

Tools

DMAIC

Value Stream Mapping

Kaizen

5S / Visual Management

SMED

Job description

Talent Wave Associates seeks a seasoned Continuous Improvement leader to drive Lean Six Sigma programs across our food manufacturing operations in Kentucky. You will lead CI initiatives, mentor teams, and partner with operations, maintenance, and quality to raise safety, quality, throughput and cost efficiency.

The role focuses on ramping up new equipment, building a sustainable CI culture, and delivering measurable improvements via DMAIC, TPM, value stream mapping and standard work.