Manufacturing Excellence Engineer

CACI; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

CACI seeks a Manufacturing Excellence Engineer to deploy and sustain the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence framework at our site. You will translate strategy into hands-on execution by leading Kaizen and Rapid Improvement Events and coaching teams in Lean and Six Sigma on the production floor.

This senior individual contributor role requires 10+ years in manufacturing/continuous improvement, and hands-on experience with DMAIC projects, 5S, VSM, standard work, and visual management.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of manufacturing engineering or continuous improvement experience.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification with DMAIC project leadership.
• Hands-on Kaizen/RIE planning and facilitation on a production floor.
• Working knowledge of Lean tools: 5S, VSM, standard work, visual management, SMED, poka-yoke.

Responsibilities

• Deploy and sustain the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence framework at the site.
• Lead Kaizen and Rapid Improvement Events; drive measurable results.
• Coach supervisors and hourly teams in Lean and Six Sigma methods.
• Support smart factory pilots and integrate new tech into standard work.
• Provide rapid response for problem solving and corrective actions.

Job description

Job Title: Manufacturing Excellence Engineer

Job Category: Engineering

Time Type: Full time

Minimum Clearance Required to Start: None

Employee Type: Regular

Percentage of Travel Required: Up to 25%

Type of Travel: Local

* * *

The Opportunity:

The Manufacturing Excellence Engineer is the site-level practitioner responsible for deploying and sustaining the enterprise Operational Excellence (Manufacturing Excellence) framework at their assigned manufacturing facility. This role translates enterprise Manufacturing Excellence strategy - set by the VP, Manufacturing Excellence and corporate Manufacturing Excellence team - into hands-on execution: running Kaizen and Rapid Improvement Events, leading Lean and Six Sigma projects, and coaching site personnel and supervisors in daily continuous improvement practice.

This is a senior level individual contributor role (more than 10 years of relevant experience) who is comfortable working directly on the production floor, facilitating improvement events with hourly and salaried teams, and serving as the site's go-to resource for Lean, Six Sigma, and event-based improvement methodology.

This role is the execution backbone of the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence organization - the practitioner who turns framework and strategy into results on a specific production floor. It is well suited to a mid-career Lean/Six Sigma professional who wants to build deep, hands-on site expertise as a path toward future Manufacturing Excellence leadership roles.

Responsibilities:

Manufacturing Excellence Framework Execution

Deploy the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence framework at the site level, following corporate standard work, assessment methodology, and maturity model rather than developing a site-specific approach.

Support site leadership in preparing for and responding to Manufacturing Excellence maturity assessments and audits, ensuring the site's standard work and visual management are current and defensible.

Maintain site-level Manufacturing Excellence metrics and report progress to site leadership and the corporate Manufacturing Excellence team on a regular cadence.

Serve as the primary liaison between the site and the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence organization, escalating barriers to deployment and sharing site-level lessons learned back to the broader network.

Lean, Six Sigma & Event-Based Improvement

Plan, facilitate, and close out Kaizen events and Rapid Improvement Events at the site, from chartering through results tracking and sustainment.

Lead Six Sigma (DMAIC) improvement projects addressing site-level quality, cost, and delivery gaps, applying appropriate statistical tools and rigor.

Apply core Lean tools - value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, visual management, error-proofing (poka-yoke), SMED - to specific production lines and processes.

Coach and develop site supervisors, engineers, and hourly team members in Lean and Six Sigma fundamentals, building local capability rather than creating dependency on the Manufacturing Excellence function.

Manufacturing Technology & Smart Factory Support

Support site-level pilots of smart factory and digital manufacturing tools (MES/MOM, digital work instructions, IIoT-connected equipment) as directed by the enterprise technology roadmap.

Partner with site engineering and IT/OT resources to ensure new technology deployments are integrated into standard work rather than operating as standalone tools.

Provide floor-level feedback on the practical usability and adoption of new manufacturing technology, informing the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence team's broader rollout decisions.

Rapid Response Support

Serve as a site-level resource for structured problem-solving (e.g., 8D, containment/root cause/corrective action) when urgent manufacturing issues arise, working under the direction of site leadership and the enterprise Manufacturing Excellence team.

Support root cause investigation and corrective action closure for significant quality escapes, capacity shortfalls, or delivery risks affecting the site.

Qualifications:

Required:

10+ years of manufacturing engineering, continuous improvement, or operations experience, including direct experience in the aerospace and defense industry or a comparably regulated manufacturing environment.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification required; demonstrated experience leading DMAIC projects to completion with measurable results.

Hands-on experience planning and facilitating Kaizen or Rapid Improvement Events, including with cross-functional and hourly production teams.

Working knowledge of core Lean tools (5S, value stream mapping, standard work, visual management, SMED, error-proofing) with direct application experience on a production floor.

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience.

Comfortable working directly on the production floor and facilit