Operational Excellence Engineer: Lean & Six Sigma

Talent Wave Associates; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Wave Associates seeks a passionate Continuous Improvement leader to drive Lean Six Sigma initiatives across a growing food manufacturing operation. You will lead, coach, and deploy structured problem-solving methods to improve safety, quality, throughput, yield, and OEE while enabling cost reductions.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, data-driven decision making, and skills development for plant teams, with a focus on scalable processes and equation-based improvements in

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Food Science, Industrial Engineering, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 5 years of experience in manufacturing continuous improvement or operations leadership, preferably in food industry.
• Proven track record applying Lean and Six Sigma tools to achieve measurable results (Green Belt or Black Belt preferred).
• Hands-on experience in high-growth or scaling manufacturing operations, ideally with new equipment commissioning or capacity expansion.

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate plant-wide Continuous Improvement initiatives aligned with business goals for 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 tools to identify and eliminate waste.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, quality, and leadership to develop and execute 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 at all levels.
• 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 Six Sigma

DMAIC

Data analysis

Coaching & mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

5S/Visual Management

SMED

Value Stream Mapping

Job description

Talent Wave Associates seeks a passionate Continuous Improvement leader to drive Lean Six Sigma initiatives across a growing food manufacturing operation. You will lead, coach, and deploy structured problem-solving methods to improve safety, quality, throughput, yield, and OEE while enabling cost reductions.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, data-driven decision making, and skills development for plant teams, with a focus on scalable processes and equation-based improvements in