Lean Manufacturing Engineer: Lead Continuous Improvement

Placements24; Mtubatuba Local Municipality; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Annual bonus

Health & life insurance

Disability insurance

Retirement plan

Paid vacation & sick leave

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a highly skilled Lean Manufacturing Engineer to join their Richards Bay operations. You will drive continuous improvement initiatives, optimize production processes, and embed Lean principles across manufacturing teams to sustain peak performance.

With 5+ years in manufacturing and a strong Lean toolkit (SMED, Poka-Yoke, Kanban, JIT), you will train staff, lead cross-functional projects, and collaborate with quality and production to deliver tangible efficiency gains and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a manufacturing environment with a strong Lean Manufacturing focus.
• Proven track record of leading continuous improvement projects with measurable results.
• Expertise in Lean tools such as SMED, Poka-Yoke, Kanban, and JIT.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical thinking and leadership skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities to influence change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and sustainment of Lean Manufacturing principles across production areas (5S, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping).
• Analyze processes to identify waste, bottlenecks, and opportunities for efficiency improvements.
• Develop and execute continuous improvement projects with clear objectives, timelines and measurable results.
• Train and mentor production staff and supervisors on Lean methodologies.
• Collaborate with engineering, quality, and production teams to implement process enhancements.
• Standardize work processes and develop visual management tools to support operational excellence.

Skills

Lean implementation

Continuous improvement

Leadership

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

SMED

Poka-Yoke

Kanban

JIT

Job description

Placements24 seeks a highly skilled Lean Manufacturing Engineer to join their Richards Bay operations. You will drive continuous improvement initiatives, optimize production processes, and embed Lean principles across manufacturing teams to sustain peak performance.

With 5+ years in manufacturing and a strong Lean toolkit (SMED, Poka-Yoke, Kanban, JIT), you will train staff, lead cross-functional projects, and collaborate with quality and production to deliver tangible efficiency gains and