Manufacturing Process Engineer

Peet's Coffee • Brooklyn Center, MN

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Process Engineer will support Peets’ Minneapolis Manufacturing Site and report to the VP of Coffee Operations. This role will play a key part in driving operational excellence by identifying and eliminating waste, improving process efficiency, and reducing variability across manufacturing operations. The ideal candidate is a hands-on problem solver with a passion for continuous improvement. This role will leverage lean methodologies, structured problem-solving, process optimization, and change management to implement sustainable improvements and foster a culture of engagement and operational excellence in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Engineering or a related technical field preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Proven experience using structured problem-solving tools and methodologies to identify root causes and implement sustainable process improvements that positively impact manufacturing operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate complex issues, develop solutions, and drive effective implementation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, collaborate with, and engage teams at all levels of the organization.
• Proactive and self-motivated, with a demonstrated ability to take ownership of projects and responsibilities, work independently, anticipate needs, and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Hands-on, results-oriented approach with a strong bias for action and a track record of driving projects through to completion.
• Basic knowledge or hands-on experience with mechanical and/or electrical systems is a plus.

Nice To Haves

• Green Belt and Black Belt certification preferred
• Prior experience in the Food & Beverage or CPG industry
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365), SAP, and Microsoft Office Suite, including advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with Power BI and AutoCAD is also preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and eliminate the eight sources of waste (e.g., downtime, defects, overproduction, motion, inventory, waiting, transportation, and underutilized talent)
• Identify, quantify, and prioritize opportunities to reduce manufacturing and operating costs.
• Analyze process performance, material usage, labor, energy, scrap, downtime, and other cost drivers.
• Develop and implement process improvements that reduce waste, improve productivity, and optimize resource utilization.
• Establish project baselines and measure financial impact to ensure savings are sustainable and accurately documented.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functions to implement improvements.
• Investigate process losses and develop data-driven corrective actions.
• Standardize successful improvements and develop processes to sustain gains.
• Lead and support structured problem-solving activities (e.g., RCCMs, A3s, DMAIC projects) and change management initiatives to drive root cause analysis and implement sustainable solutions
• Partner with operations, maintenance, and quality teams to implement process changes that enhance safety, quality, and throughput
• Facilitate and support kaizen events, problem solving workshops, and project team meetings to solve operational and financial problems
• Monitor and analyze process performance data to identify trends and improvement opportunities
• Support the development and implementation of standard work and visual management tools
• Provide leadership to operational functions to drive productivity with a focus on efficiencies, yield, people capability building and waste elimination opportunities.
• Lead Lean/Kaizen events across the roasting plant to provide recommendations and implementation of enhancements to existing workflows and processes to increase throughput, reduce costs, and improve quality of our products.
• Assist in training frontline teams on problem solving tools and lean daily management
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement throughout the plant
• Coordinates efforts to deliver projects to meet annual cost savings goal for the roasting plant.
• Develop and lead routines to drive the measurement of downtime and plans to improve up time via industrial engineering time studies, standard work, and labor standard targets for operations.
• Analyze existing processes and identify opportunities for improvement in throughput, quality, cost, safety, and reliability.
• Develop process flows, specifications, layouts, standard work, and engineering documentation.
• Conduct root-cause analysis and develop sustainable solutions to recurring process issues.
• Use data and statistical analysis to evaluate process capability and performance.
• Support implementation of new products, equipment, technologies, and manufacturing processes.

Benefits

• Recharge Time – Paid vacation, holidays, and sick days.
• Health & Wellness – Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Future You – 401(k) plan with generous match program to help you save.
• Peace of Mind – Life insurance, disability, and options for HSAs and FSAs.
• Everyday Perks – Free coffee and discounts.
• Growth & Support – Career development and an Employee Assistance Program when you need it.

What This Job Offers

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