Enterprise Process Improvement Engineer

Amy's Kitchen•Petaluma, CA

11d•$111,200 - $166,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The Process Improvement Engineer, Enterprise supports plant leadership and functional teams in delivering scoped improvement initiatives across Amy’s manufacturing network. The role applies structured problem-solving methods to improve Safety, Employee Engagement, Delivery, Cost, Capacity, and commercialization performance. The engineer connects strategy to day-to-day execution by developing quantified business cases, using plant systems and data to identify opportunities, producing repeatable project deliverables, and working with Finance to validate results. The role also strengthens plant capability by coaching teams, documenting standard work, and facilitating proven “gold standard” processes are established across locations. Success requires effective execution within an environment of ambiguity and changing priorities, with assignments flexing to support plant cost savings, CI resources, functional initiatives, and commercialization needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (BS) in technical field from four-year college or university; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Minimum three years related manufacturing experience and/or training.
Excellent teaching/coaching skills
Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with people at all organizational levels, from the shop floor up to and including senior-level leadership
Demonstrates the ability to lead through influence and collaboration, not authority
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Excellent project management skills
Detailed knowledge of lean manufacturing techniques – i.e., value stream mapping, one piece flow, problem solving, etc.
Detailed knowledge of Six Sigma concepts and tools as they relate to minimizing process/product variability
Thorough understanding of problem-solving methodologies used in determining root cause and formulating corrective action(s)
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to add, apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret various graphic formats.
Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems
Ability to define problems, collect data establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading MOS implementations would be a distinct advantage
Bilingual, English/Spanish preferred.
Certification in Lean and Six Sigma preferred

Responsibilities

Lead plantwide projects that will create high impact. Projects will focus on improvement in Safety, Employee Engagement, Delivery, Cost, and/or Capacity.
Partner with CI Manager, plant leadership, and the Plant Controller to identify and be assigned projects. Provides updates regularly to Director, CI. Escalates project barriers to Director, CI as necessary. Consistently delivers target savings on projects.
Demonstrate a year-over-year continuous savings mindset. Attend regular reviews with plant and company leadership to measure savings generated and align on forecasted savings on future projects.
Demonstrate proficiency in continuous improvement tools/methodologies in leading projects. Teaches and mentors other team members on the tools/methodologies.
Participate in the accountability process through the Management Operating System.
Become a leadership example through Gemba walks and front-line engagement.
Collaborate and partners with other team members and plant leaders to share best practices, maintain standards and assist corporate initiatives.
Build and maintain cross-plant information sharing of “gold standard” processes by identifying proven practices, documenting standard methods and results, and facilitating knowledge transfer and adoption across plants; measure impact through the number of practices shared, plants adopting them, and verified performance improvements.
Support multi-plant cost savings initiatives, translating enterprise priorities into executable plant-level projects that deliver validated savings against approved targets and are reported through established and measurable financial tracking processes results.
Engage plant teams to assess performance, apply established cost savings levers, and maintain a prioritized pipeline of new initiatives with defined owners, timing, expected benefits, and progress that improve cost, capacity, productivity, and operational effectiveness.
Partner cross-functionally with Maintenance, Sanitation, Finance, Engineering, Operations, Quality, and other departments to identify opportunities, secure documented actions and ownership, validate financial and operational benefits, and confirm improvements are sustained through follow-up performance reviews.
Operate effectively in an environment of ambiguity and changing priorities, flexing support based on plant and business needs across cost savings, deployment of CI resources, department-specific improvement efforts, and commercialization activities while meeting agreed milestones, communicating risks and changes, and delivering documented outcomes.
Uphold the mission of the Amy’s Food Safety and Quality Policy. This includes following all Food Safety and Sustainability programs and participating in all required training.