Continuous Improvement Engineer

Location: Chicago, IL, USA_IA_Cedar Rapids_5555 16th Ave SW, Chesterfield, MI, USA_IL_University Park_611 Commerce Center Drive, USA_MI_Wixom_48282 Frank St, USA_IL_Murphysboro_1117 North 2nd Street, USA_OH_Wooster_3201 W. Old Lincoln Way, USA_KY_Louisville_7070 International Drive, Charlotte, NC, USA_PA_Meadville_1045 French Street, Charleston, SC, USA_NC_Laurinburg_18000 Dana Drive, Cary, NC, MEX_Matamoros_Tamaulipas_Av. Uniones 2200 Industrial Del Norte H., USA_TX_Laredo_15617 U.S. Highway 83 N Unit B, USA_VA_Weyers Cave_300 Triangle Drive, USA_IN_Tell City_9840 W SR 66, USA_AR_Siloam Springs_4055 Country Club Road, MEX_Monterrey_Nuevo León_No. 312, Col. Del Norte, C.P., USA_MI_Shelby Township_50609 Sabrina Dr, Cullman, AL, USA_MI_Hamtramck_6500 East Davison St, USA_VT_Bellows Falls_10 Spencer Drive, USA_TX_Harlingen_2901 North Expressway 77, USA_NC_Statesville_2718 Salisbury Highway, USA_MN_White Bear Lake_4221 Otter Lake Road, USA_SC_Easley_2930 Greenville Hwy, USA_AL_Haleyville_430 Letson Road, USA_AL_Springville_5398 Us Highway 11, USA_NC_Harrisburg_7301 Caldwell Road, USA_NC_GOLDSBORO_300 DIXIE TRAIL, USA_TN_Springfield_784 Bill Jones Industrial Drive, USA_PA_Dubois_200 East Maloney Road, USA_PA_W. LANGHORNE_2151 CABOT BLVD., USA_AL_Jasper_3110 Industrial Pkwy, USA_VA_Dublin_5135 Cougar Trail Road, USA_IN_HOBART_4410 WEST 37TH AVENUE

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

About the Role 

Join the fast-growing Marmon Transportation Products Group — a dynamic team of 30+ companies and 5,000+ employees focused on advancing industrial excellence. We are seeking a Continuous Improvement (CI) Engineer to lead transformational improvement efforts through a powerful combination of Lean, process engineering, and industrial automation. 

This is an individual contributor role with leadership influence, leading initiatives, and setting the bar for technical excellence. You will work hands-on with our plants to identify opportunities, scope solutions, and implement real, physical improvements to support growth and drive bottom-line impact.  

As an individual contributor in a team atmosphere the drive to simultaneously be self-directed and feedback oriented, consistently seeking feedback, and ways to improve is a required attribute.  

You will act as a technical leader and project driver across multiple business units, leveraging your CI expertise to identify improvement opportunities, implement sustainable solutions, and build Lean capability at all levels of the organization. This role also has a heavy team component including supporting corporate CI rollouts, facilitating webinars, leading shop floor kaizens, and delivering training to scale best practices across Marmon Transportation.  

Team

The Marmon Transportation CI team drives growth across transportation business units through process improvements and automation. Many units face daily operational challenges, limiting future improvement planning. The CI team offers support by implementing “quick lean wins” with no capital investment and preparing for sustainable growth through automation. Our strategy includes identifying waste, conducting root cause analysis, and hosting lean Kaizen events. After stabilizing processes, we focus on innovation and automation projects. As our team grows, we aim to enhance our capacity to meet each unit's needs, improving safety, quality, and cost. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lean Leadership & Continuous Improvement 

• Lead 3 or more cross-functional projects to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost 
• Facilitate and execute Lean tools including Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen/Impact Events, A3 problem solving, and standard work development 
• Partner with site leadership and process owners to identify process gaps and implement sustainable solutions 
• Coach and mentor employees at all levels — from shop floor to leadership — in Lean thinking and sustainable operational practices 
• Develop plant-level continuous improvement plans based on assessments and key business needs 
• Track and report KPIs and CI progress; establish effective Management Review systems 
• Assist in identifying metrics, creating dashboards, and reporting on progress toward plant and corporate CI targets 
• Help lead Management Review and follow-up routines to drive accountability and sustainment 
• Understand each business unit and locations place in the lean journey and guide them culturally and technically to the next step 
   

Process Engineering & Automation 

• Analyze and map existing manufacturing processes; identify bottlenecks and design future states aligned with business growth goals 
• Scope and implement automation solutions, including in-house and vendor-built systems 
• Lead feasibility studies, cost-benefit analyses, and ROI modeling to support capital requests 
• Collaborate with engineers, vendors, and integrators to prototype and deploy technologies 
• Support IIoT initiatives, system connectivity, and data collection for performance tracking 
• Support Business Units 8020 efforts and guide them through implementing 8020 at a business and shop floor level  

Mentorship & Technical Guidance 

• Act as the project technical lead and mentor junior engineers in Lean and automation problem-solving 
• Share expertise across multiple locations with diverse stakeholder teams 
• Help improve internal automation processes and contribute to standardization efforts 

Team Culture 

Work Ethic 

• Team passionate about driving improvements for BUs 
• Fun, collaborative environment 

Mentorship & Collaboration 

• Senior mentors with years of operational and technical experience 
• Emphasize helping teammates and BUs 

People Centric Team 

• Success of individuals and team matters 
• Proud of strong relationship 

Qualifications Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Industrial, Automation Engineering, or related fields 
• Experience in manufacturing operations, Lean, CI, and/or automation engineering 
• Deep understanding of Lean principles and a track record of leading impactful CI projects 
• Demonstrated success leading Lean initiatives and delivering automation solutions 
• Strong communication, organizational, and leadership skills 
• Comfort working in factories and in ambiguous environments where scope evolves 

Preferred 

• Hands-on experience with shop floor improvement projects 
• Exposure to CAD software (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, AutoCAD, etc.) 
• Working knowledge of IIoT and data systems integration 
• Familiarity with automation implementation in a Lean context 
• Familiarity and/or a drive to learn/utilize AI and industrial simulation software 

What We Offer 

• Influence across a large industrial network of 30+ companies 
• Opportunities to attend industry trade shows and research state-of-the-art technologies 
• Career development through hands-on projects and leadership coaching 
• Flexibility to shape your role — leadership tracks available if desired 
• Mentorship and professional development pathways — including future leadership roles if desired 

Come join our team!  

Pay Range:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that may include medical, dental, vision, 401k matching, and more!

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [email protected], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.