Continuous Improvement Engineer (Charlotte, NC)

Ruggable•Charlotte, NC

4d•$85,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Ruggable is seeking a hands-on Continuous Improvement (CI) Engineer to support and advance manufacturing operations at our Charlotte, NC facility. This role is deeply embedded on the production floor and requires a candidate who is comfortable designing, building, modifying, and troubleshooting equipment and processes—not just documenting improvements or facilitating workshops. This position sits at the intersection of continuous improvement, manufacturing engineering, and equipment reliability. The ideal candidate has real experience turning tools, diagnosing mechanical and electrical issues, implementing physical fixes, and driving measurable improvements in safety, quality, throughput, and uptime. As our Charlotte operation continues to scale, this role is critical to strengthening technical depth within the plant. You will partner closely with Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering teams to design repeatable systems, eliminate chronic issues, reduce defects, and improve equipment performance across Print, Production, and Fulfillment. This is not a desk-only role. Expect to spend significant time on the floor, at machines, testing solutions, validating results, and coaching teams through change.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related field
1–3 years of hands-on experience in a manufacturing or plant environment, with direct involvement in equipment or process improvement
Demonstrated experience physically designing, modifying, or troubleshooting equipment (not just coordinating projects)
Working knowledge of: Mechanical systems (drives, bearings, fixtures, guarding, pneumatics) Electrical fundamentals (sensors, motors, wiring, basic controls)
Strong working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles including OEE, 5S, SMED, VSM, KPIs, and Kaizen
Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret manufacturing data to drive decisions
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Local to Charlotte, NC

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting print, production, fulfillment, or automated/semi-automated manufacturing environments
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (or equivalent demonstrated experience)
Conversational Spanish (spoken and written)

Responsibilities

Lead hands-on equipment improvements to drive Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), uptime, throughput, and defect reduction
Design, prototype, and implement mechanical and electrical modifications, fixtures, guards, tooling, and poka-yokes
Troubleshoot equipment issues involving mechanical systems, sensors, motors, drives, basic controls, pneumatics, and electrical components
Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to identify and permanently eliminate chronic equipment failures
Support equipment commissioning, retrofits, and process changes through testing, validation, and standardization
Apply Lean Manufacturing and CI tools (OEE, 5S, SMED, VSM, Kaizen, Standard Work, Line Balancing, One-Piece Flow) with a bias for physical, measurable change
Lead CI projects from concept through implementation, verification, and sustainment
Conduct time studies, motion studies, and capacity analyses to establish steady-state processes
Develop and deploy standard work that reflects real operating conditions, not theoretical models
Lead and facilitate cross-functional teams focused on quality, delivery, cost, and safety improvements
Train and coach operators, leads, and supervisors on new equipment changes, standards, and best practices
Act as a technical bridge between Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering
Use data to identify problems, validate root cause, and confirm improvement sustainability
Build and maintain simple, effective tracking using tools such as Looker and Google Sheets
Support annual operating targets through structured CI roadmaps and execution plans