Continuous Improvement & Manufacturing Engineer Manager

Location: Southeast Kansas
Work Arrangement: Fully onsite
Compensation: Approximately $115,000-$135,000 base salary, depending on experience
Bonus: Annual performance-based bonus
Relocation Assistance: Available

A well-established manufacturing organization is seeking a Continuous Improvement & Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead the plant's Manufacturing Engineering team and serve as the facility's primary Lean leader.

This highly visible position will oversee manufacturing engineering priorities, lead cross-functional improvement initiatives, develop technical talent, and deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, capacity, and inventory.

The facility has an established Lean foundation. The successful candidate will be responsible for strengthening, expanding, and sustaining existing continuous improvement systems while identifying additional opportunities to enhance operational performance.

Reporting directly to the Plant Manager, this role requires a hands-on leadership approach and a consistent presence on the production floor.

• Lead, coach, and develop the plant Manufacturing Engineering team.
• Establish performance expectations, prioritize departmental workloads, provide ongoing feedback, and address performance gaps.
• Manage the manufacturing engineering and continuous improvement project portfolio, balancing immediate operational needs with long-term improvement initiatives.
• Serve as the facility's primary Lean facilitator and personally lead Kaizen events, Gemba reviews, and structured problem-solving activities.
• Coach managers, supervisors, engineers, and production employees in the practical application of Lean principles and tools.
• Design, implement, and sustain visual management systems, including performance boards, tiered meetings, action tracking, escalation processes, and leader standard work.
• Lead root-cause investigations from initial containment through verified root cause, permanent corrective action, and sustained prevention.
• Improve manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, workflow, labor utilization, ergonomics, process capability, and documentation.
• Partner with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Design Engineering, Process Engineering, and plant leadership to resolve operational challenges.
• Establish project scope, ownership, milestones, expected benefits, and measures of success.
• Monitor project progress and verify that operational and financial improvements are sustained.
• Support new-product launches, production transfers, manufacturability reviews, production readiness, and post-launch stabilization.
• Promote a culture of accountability, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the facility.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a closely related technical field.
• Seven or more years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, continuous improvement, or manufacturing operations.
• At least three years of direct people-management experience, preferably leading engineers or other technical professionals.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional improvement initiatives with measurable results.
• Hands-on experience personally facilitating structured problem-solving activities.
• Experience developing and sustaining Lean daily management and visual management systems.
• Strong working knowledge of:
  
  
  
  • Lean manufacturing
  • Kaizen facilitation
  • A3 problem solving
  • Root-cause analysis
  • 5 Why analysis
  • Fishbone diagrams
  • Pareto analysis
  • Process mapping
  • Standard work
  • Leader standard work
  • Gemba routines
  • Mistake-proofing
  • Basic statistical analysis
  
  
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills for analysis, reporting, and project tracking.
• Strong project-management, analytical, organizational, communication, and leadership capabilities.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Willingness to spend significant time working directly on the production floor.

• Experience in automotive, high-mix, or similarly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with IATF 16949, PPAP, or related customer quality-system requirements.
• Lean Six Sigma certification.
• Experience with Minitab or similar statistical software.
• Working knowledge of ERP or MES systems.
• Experience with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or similar CAD software.
• Experience supporting new-product launches or production line transfers.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader, coach, and problem solver who is comfortable working directly with employees on the plant floor. This individual should be able to challenge existing processes constructively, establish clear accountability, and build credibility with both hourly employees and senior leadership.

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership presence
• A collaborative and solutions-oriented approach
• Clear expectations and consistent accountability
• A high degree of ownership for results
• The ability to develop and mentor technical teams
• The ability to influence without direct authority
• A data-driven decision-making style
• The ability to balance urgent production needs with longer-term strategic priorities

#LP