Continuous Improvement Engineer

Joining King’s Hawaiian makes you part of our `ohana (family). We are a family-owned business for over seventy years, respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our `ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate, pursue learning through curiosity, and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that, we are also passionate about supporting the long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families. If you’re excited to rise with our team, come and join our `ohana!

Working under the Continuous Improvement Manager, the Continuous Improvement (“CI”) Engineer will provide engineering, technical, and problem-solving support for Manufacturing, primarily at the Georgia Operations in Flowery Branch, GA. The CI Engineer will lead process improvement initiatives, collaborating with Production, Maintenance, Engineering, and other functions to identify opportunities and drive resolutions that improve employee safety, product quality, and production efficiency. This role will act as a change agent, helping to drive alignment and improvement across multiple functions within and adjacent to Manufacturing. Employees in this position will regularly interact with a broad range of colleagues – from front-line team members to company executives and must be able to communicate effectively with different groups at varying degrees of technical complexity. Employees will need to be able to work independently as well as collaboratively, often leading small project teams.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partner with and lead cross-functional project teams across Manufacturing and supporting functions to identify, prioritize, and deliver multiple projects simultaneously, utilizing Kings Hawaiian Continuous Improvement Methodologies that improve overall performance
• Develop and maintain performance enhancement roadmaps for Manufacturing to prioritize and communicate expected results that inform Long Range Planning
• Be accountable for performance improvement initiatives that measurably impact safety, quality, production (OEE, yield, etc.), and product costs.
• Maintain reports on initiative and roadmap progression and regularly provide updates and requests for assistance as needed
• Foster an improvement-focused culture across the Manufacturing team
• Drive process excellence through providing decision making frameworks to Manufacturing teams
• Lead root cause analysis for Production interruptions and collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement corrective actions
• Work with Manufacturing Teams as a mentor and educator of King’s Hawaiian Continuous Improvement principals and problem-solving skills
• With the support of Data Science and Operations Analysts, conduct rigorous analysis of performance metrics and process variables to identify opportunities for improvement and verify solution effectiveness
• Participate as a technical resource representing Manufacturing in research, design, and implementation of new processes, new production capabilities, and introduction of new products as needed by the company
• Support operations and engineering in the development of capital spending plans and project development
• Foster a positive working environment for all team members
• Upholding King’s Hawaiian’s safety & compliance regulations and standards as a leader
• Perform other duties as required which are reasonably within scope of this role

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE)

• Required – Bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year college in Engineering, Data Science, or Business (Operations) - or equivalent relevant experience
• Required – 2 years in a high-speed manufacturing environment, preferably Food & Beverage or CPG
• Required – Minimum 2 years of experience leading project teams
• Required – Demonstrated success implementing measurable results from improvement project work
• Required – High proficiency with all MS Office Applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Preferred – Exposure to data analysis languages (Python, R, SQL) and visualization tools (Tableau, PowerBI, Alteryx) 

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (JOB SKILLS, ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE)

• Strong verbal and written communication skills – ability to communicate effectively at all levels of an organization and with outside vendors
• Strong emotional intelligence and ability to build consensus and gain support from others
• Strong sense of curiosity and motivated problem solver
• Self-starter with a bias for action; able to make independent and sound decisions

Physical Demands

The employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to climb, balance, taste, or smell. Must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 - 25 pounds, and occasionally more than 50 pounds with assistance from co-worker and/or mechanic devices. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, employee is regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts. Occasional exposure to wet and/or humid conditions. The employee will be handling items that may be very hot. Noise level is usually moderate. Must be available to work occasional overtime, nights, and weekends. May be asked to travel up to 10% of the time.

King's Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana.