Operational Excellence Engineer

Abbott•Lake Forest, CA

2d•$61,300 - $122,700

About The Position

Operational Excellence Engineer Working at Abbott At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to: Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of. Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year. An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree. A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune. A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists. The Opportunity Our location in Abbott Park, IL currently has an opportunity for an Operational Excellence Engineer. The Operational Excellence Engineer will support and advance the TM site’s continuous improvement strategy by leading moderate‑complexity OpEx/Lean initiatives, coaching employees in Lean tools, and supporting operational performance improvement across the plant. This role strengthens operational capability by establishing and sustaining visual management systems, improving data understanding, and engaging employees in Lean techniques, tools, and problem-solving behaviors. The position leverages data analytics, automation, and applied AI solutions to improve productivity, quality, cost, planning accuracy, and operational stability while maintaining compliance and quality standards.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, Computer Science, Data/ Analytics, Business, Operations or a closely related technical or business discipline.
2-5 years demonstrated success in applying continuous improvement/lean/Six Sigma tools in a manufacturing or operations environment.
Project management and team leadership experience essential.
Experience using data analytics, performance metrics, and automated reporting to support operational decision making.
Demonstrated ability to build or leverage Power BI, Power Apps, SQL, Python, or similar tools to improve visibility, consistency, or efficiency.
Highly motivated, structured problem solver with a customer‑focused mindset.

Nice To Haves

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt preferred (not mandated)

Responsibilities

Serve as a Continuous Improvement Champion, fostering a culture of transformational change and continuous improvement across Operations while maintaining or improving quality and compliance.
Drive improvements in productivity, quality, cost, and operational reliability by identifying, leading, and executing OpEx and continuous improvement projects.
Actively deploy the OpEx strategy using Lean, Six Sigma, standard work, and structured, data‑driven problem‑solving methodologies.
Lead end‑to‑end process improvement initiatives, applying OpEx/Lean tools and analytics to deliver measurable and sustainable results.
Support the technical deployment of OpEx initiatives, including digital, analytics‑driven, and automation‑enabled solutions.
Establish, sustain, and continuously improve visual management systems, including Power BI dashboards, automated reports, and KPI tracking to enable teams to understand and act on plant performance (OpEx, TPM, yield, throughput, exceptions, and cost).
Partner cross‑functionally with Operations, Engineering, Planning, Supply Chain, and Quality to translate operational challenges into data-supported improvement and automation opportunities.
Apply data analysis and trend evaluation to support root cause analysis and ensure durable corrective and preventive actions.
Influence and motivate teams to adopt and sustain Lean techniques such as standard work, RCS, 5S, Kaizen, and visual management.
Act as a change agent, coaching teams to learn, adopt, and sustain continuous improvement behaviors.
Deliver Lean / OpEx training and mentor Yellow Belt candidates to ensure proper application of tools and methodologies.
Lead and support Kaizen events, ensuring defined metrics, benefits realization, and timeline commitments are accurately tracked and reported.
Identify, collect, monitor, and report critical OpEx performance metrics, leveraging digital and automated tools wherever possible.

Benefits

Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution
Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

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