Manufacturing Process Engineer - Lean & Capital Projects

Confident Search Consultants; Decorah (IA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Confident Search Consultants in Decorah, IA is seeking a Manufacturing/Process Engineer to support and improve production processes, emphasizing stability and continuous improvement. The role collaborates with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to deliver safe, efficient, and repeatable manufacturing, including capital projects and hands-on process optimization.

Travel up to 15% may be required; a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 4–7 years of experience in manufacturing are

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required (Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, or related).
• 4–7 years of hands-on manufacturing or process engineering experience.
• Demonstrated ability to independently analyze, improve, and sustain manufacturing processes.
• Experience in lean manufacturing.
• Experience with capital projects.
• Strong knowledge of process capability, cycle time analysis, scrap reduction, and efficiency metrics.
• Proven experience developing and maintaining detailed work instructions, standard work, and process documentation.
• Experience supporting capital equipment installation, commissioning, and validation.
• Hands-on with production teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 15%.

Responsibilities

• Support daily operations by monitoring process performance and addressing issues.
• Develop, document, and maintain work instructions, process flows, routings, and standard work.
• Analyze production data to identify process improvements.
• Implement changes to improve safety, quality, and throughput.
• Assist with process setup, trials, and documentation for new products.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, and related methods.
• Lead root cause analyses and implement corrective/preventive actions.
• Identify waste reduction and labor/material cost improvements.
• Oversee capital projects from equipment selection to startup.
• Prepare ROI analyses and technical specs for capital requests.
• Coordinate with vendors, Maintenance and Operations for installation and commissioning.
• Support process validation, capability studies, and acceptance testing.
• Maintain documentation and train operators on new processes.
• Ensure alignment with internal quality systems and customer requirements.
• Support audits and documentation reviews.
• Champion quality, safety, and continuous improvement on the shop floor.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Capital projects

Root cause analysis

Process capability

Hands-on problem solving

Cross-functional teamwork

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

Confident Search Consultants in Decorah, IA is seeking a Manufacturing/Process Engineer to support and improve production processes, emphasizing stability and continuous improvement. The role collaborates with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to deliver safe, efficient, and repeatable manufacturing, including capital projects and hands-on process optimization.

Travel up to 15% may be required; a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 4–7 years of experience in manufacturing are