Industrial Engineer, Lean Manufacturing

Slate Auto • Warsaw, IN

1d

About The Position

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them. We are seeking an experienced Industrial Engineer, Lean Manufacturing to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Lean Manufacturing principles, experience in an automotive and/or manufacturing industry, excellent problem-solving skills, and the ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives. The Industrial Engineer, Lean Manufacturing will play a critical role in optimizing processes, reducing waste, improving efficiency, and supporting new product launches, while ensuring safety, quality, and cost targets are consistently met. Above all, we want someone who is passionate about driving process, excellence, building capability in others, and shaping the culture of a new manufacturing organization. This role is a unique opportunity to help build and refine world-class manufacturing. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Requirements

• 8+ years related experience with Bachelor's degree, 6 years with Master's degree, 3 years with PhD or equivalent experience preferably in an automotive and/or manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record in Lean Manufacturing implementation, process optimization, and plant launch activities.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, root cause analysis, and problem-solving methodologies.
• Certification in Lean Manufacturing is required.
• Ability to align maps with KPI dashboards for tracking.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced automotive development environment.
• Excellent communication and cross functional collaboration skills, with the ability to effectively influence teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Nice To Haves

• Certified Six Sigma Green Belt is preferred.
• Start-up experience is desirable, but not required.
• Proficiency with VISIO and Minitab is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Analyze, design, and improve manufacturing processes to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance quality.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing tools (e.g., Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Kanban, etc.) to streamline operations.
• Conduct time studies, line balancing, and capacity analysis to optimize labor and equipment utilization.
• Lead or support continuous improvement projects focused on cost reduction, productivity, and quality enhancements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Quality, Production, Supply Chain) to ensure alignment on manufacturing strategies.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) and launch readiness activities, including process flow design, workstation setup, PFMEA, and control plans.
• Monitor and report KPI performance, developing dashboards and action plans for improvement.
• Provide training and mentoring to operators and team members on Lean practices and continuous improvement culture.

Benefits

• The compensation for this position is the range Slate reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including job-related knowledge; skillset; experience, education and training; certifications; work location; and other relevant business and organizational factors.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior