What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lean Technician position at Fresh & Ready Foods?
Ready to turn good processes into great ones?
Fresh & Ready Food Group is looking for a Lean Technician to join our Charlotte team and help bring continuous improvement to life on the production floor.
This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys solving problems, spotting opportunities, working alongside frontline teams, and turning ideas into practical improvements that stick.
You will partner with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Safety, Warehouse, and other teams to support Lean Manufacturing initiatives across our Charlotte commissary. The goal is simple: make our processes safer, more consistent, more efficient, and easier for our teams to execute every day.
What You’ll Do
- Support Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives throughout the facility
- Participate in Kaizen events, Rapid Improvement Workshops, and process improvement projects
- Identify waste, bottlenecks, and opportunities to improve workflow and operational efficiency
- Support 5S workplace organization and visual management initiatives
- Help develop and sustain standard work and visual work instructions
- Conduct time studies, workflow observations, and process analysis
- Support root cause analysis using tools such as 5 Why, Fishbone, A3, and PDCA
- Assist with corrective and preventive action implementation
- Spend significant time on the production floor working with supervisors and frontline employees
- Participate in Gemba walks and tier meetings
- Coach employees on Lean fundamentals and problem-solving methods
- Track improvement projects, productivity gains, savings, and operational performance
- Help develop visual management boards and KPI dashboards
- Partner across Operations, Food Safety & Quality, Maintenance, Warehouse, HR, and Safety
- Help ensure Lean improvements are sustained and become part of the site's daily operating rhythm
What We’re Looking For
Required
- Associate degree or equivalent work experience in Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Operations, or a related field
- 2 to 5 years of manufacturing experience
- Experience supporting Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement initiatives
- Working knowledge of Lean concepts such as 5S, standard work, root cause analysis, and visual management
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with employees at all levels
- Ability to influence and drive improvement without direct authority
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
Preferred
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field
- Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt or Green Belt certification
- Food manufacturing experience
- Experience in Ready-to-Eat, USDA, or FDA-regulated environments
- Experience with Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, SMED, TPM, or visual management systems
Work Environment
This is a hands-on position that will spend significant time throughout the manufacturing facility. Candidates should be comfortable standing and walking for extended periods, occasionally lifting up to 25 pounds, working in refrigerated production environments, and wearing required PPE.
If you enjoy being on the floor, solving real operational problems, and helping teams find better ways to work, we’d love to hear from you.
Pay: $28.00 - $34.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Screening Question Type Knockout?
How many years of experience do you have working in a manufacturing environment? Experience Yes. Require 2 years
Do you have professional experience supporting Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement initiatives?
- Are you able to work in a refrigerated production environment and wear required PPE?
- Do you have hands-on experience with 5S, standard work, root cause analysis, or similar Lean methodologies?
Experience:
- Manufacturing: 2 years (Required)
Work Location: In person
Salary : $28 - $34