Operational Excellence Engineer
About The Position
Hera Technologies is seeking a dedicated, hands-on OPEX Engineer (Operational Excellence Engineer) to support factory flow optimization and drive continuous improvement across our manufacturing facility. Reporting to the Operational Excellence Lead, this role serves as an engineering engine to advance our site’s continuous improvement (CI) strategy, directly supporting our mission to deliver superior quality, high-precision aerospace solutions on time while fostering a culture grounded in operational excellence, integrity, safety, and teamwork. The ideal candidate brings a solid foundation in industrial or manufacturing engineering principles, practical knowledge of the Toyota Production System (TPS), and a true passion for shop-floor execution. You will spend significant time on the floor conducting time and motion studies, validating process maturity, gathering data, and authoring standard work that drives throughput, quality, cost reduction, and continuous value for our customers.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field.
- 1–4 years of practical experience in a continuous improvement, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, or operational excellence role.
- Solid understanding of Toyota Production System (TPS) principles, Kaizen methodologies, and foundational Lean tools (Value Stream Mapping, 5S, DMAIC).
- Hands-on experience performing Time & Motion Studies, authoring comprehensive Standard Work, and utilizing process mapping to identify process waste and automation opportunities.
- High attention to detail when collecting, validating, and interpreting shop-floor data, with a strong personal commitment to quality and accountability. Proficient in MS Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
- Willingness and desire to spend most of the workday on the production floor observing processes, listening to frontline feedback, and executing practical solutions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams, engage operators constructively, and align with Hera’s collaborative culture.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in a high-mix, low-to-medium volume aerospace or defense manufacturing environment
- Familiarity with AS9100 quality standards and regulated manufacturing environments
- Exposure to ERP systems and shop floor data integration
- Lean Six Sigma certification (Yellow or Green Belt)
Responsibilities
- Conduct rigorous time studies, cycle time evaluations, and process observations to establish accurate baseline metrics, track labor routing, and identify production bottlenecks.
- Author, optimize, and maintain highly detailed Standard Work, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and work instructions, ensuring they promote strict quality compliance, repeatability, and operator safety.
- Serve as a shop-floor focal for Hera’s continuous improvement initiatives. Assist in conducting process analysis, shop-floor evaluations, and workflow validations to identify waste, improve throughput, and elevate site-wide process maturity.
- Act as a tactical driver for Kaizen events, CI workshops, and root-cause problem solving initiatives (DMAIC / 8D / 5-Why). Perform comprehensive pre-event data collection, analyze current state workflows, and execute ground-level implementations.
- Apply core principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS) daily to identify and eliminate waste in processes, cellular layout configurations, and manufacturing methods.
- Support the physical rollout and daily maintenance of visual management systems (kanban, production tracking boards) and strictly enforce 5S methodologies across all production work centers to maintain a clean, organized, and safe workplace.
- Meticulously collect, validate, and analyze operational data (routing, labor tracking, yield) to support project selection, root-cause analysis, and project validation. Assist in tracking and reporting out site productivity project funnels to leadership.
- Partner closely with operators, Production, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to ensure smooth rollouts of new standards. Coach frontline employees in basic CI methodologies to strengthen overall site competency, build trust, and drive a proactive continuous improvement culture
Benefits
- Company paid employee medical, dental and vision insurance.
- 401K company match (eligibility required)
- paid sick leave
- paid vacation
- paid holidays
- discretionary bonuses
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
