Lean Technician: Kaizen & Gemba Champion

Dakota Bodies, LLC; Watertown (SD); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Dakota Bodies, LLC is seeking a Lean/Continuous Improvement professional to support the implementation of Lean manufacturing principles including 5S, Standard Work, Kaizen, and Visual Management on the shop floor. You will identify waste, participate in Kaizen events, and help develop daily management systems.

Responsibilities include time studies, line balancing, Gemba walks, bottleneck analysis, and SOP/PFEP documentation.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; associate degree or technical training preferred in Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or Engineering Technology.
• 1–3+ years experience in manufacturing, production, or industrial environment.
• Basic understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles (5S, Kaizen, Standard Work).
• Strong mechanical aptitude and problem‑solving ability.
• Ability to read technical drawings or work instructions preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and basic data tracking tools.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work on the production floor.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of Lean manufacturing principles including 5S, Standard Work, Kaizen, and Visual Management.
• Identify waste in production processes (motion, waiting, defects, overproduction, transport, inventory, overprocessing).
• Participate in and facilitate Kaizen events and rapid improvement activities.
• Assist in developing and maintaining Lean daily management systems.
• Conduct time studies, cycle time analysis, and line balancing activities.
• Support identification of bottlenecks and assist in improving throughput.
• Analyze production data to identify trends, losses, and improvement opportunities.
• Assist in validating takt time alignment and standard work adherence.
• Perform daily Gemba walks to observe processes and engage with operators and supervisors.
• Collaborate with production teams to solve real-time operational issues.
• Support implementation of corrective actions and ensure sustainment of improvements.
• Assist in developing and updating SOPs.
• Support creation of visual work instructions and process documentation.
• Help maintain PFEP and material flow improvements.
• Promote a strong safety culture and support safety improvement initiatives.
• Assist in root cause analysis (5 Why, Fishbone, etc.) for quality and process issues.
• Support training efforts for operators on Lean concepts and new processes.
• Help drive employee engagement in continuous improvement activities.
• Work closely with Engineering, Production, Maintenance, and Quality teams.
• Support new product introductions, pilot builds, and process changes.
• Assist leadership in tracking CI metrics and reporting improvement results.
• Reduce waste and improve process efficiency.
• Improve safety and quality performance through proactive observation.
• Support sustainable improvements (not one-time fixes).
• Increase operator engagement in CI activities.
• Help drive measurable improvements in productivity and flow.

Skills

Lean mindset

Problem solving

Data collection & analysis

Communication & teamwork

Time study

Gemba engagement

Standard work development

Education

Associate degree or technical training in Manufacturing/Industrial Technology/Engineering Technology

High school diploma or GED

Tools

MS Excel

Job description

Dakota Bodies, LLC is seeking a Lean/Continuous Improvement professional to support the implementation of Lean manufacturing principles including 5S, Standard Work, Kaizen, and Visual Management on the shop floor. You will identify waste, participate in Kaizen events, and help develop daily management systems.

Responsibilities include time studies, line balancing, Gemba walks, bottleneck analysis, and SOP/PFEP documentation.