Operational Excellence Engineer

External•Sedro-Woolley, WA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Janicki Industries is seeking an Operational Excellence Engineer to join their growing team. This role is crucial for driving improved documentation, training, and standardization within engineering and manufacturing processes. The Operational Excellence (OE) team identifies inefficiencies, builds scalable solutions, and supports teams across the organization. This position will serve as the technical backbone for capturing, standardizing, and scaling operational knowledge, working hands-on with engineers, technicians, and operators to translate technical expertise into clear, usable standards. It involves spending time on the shop floor, in design reviews, and collaborating with subject matter experts to create SOPs, work instructions, and training materials. The role also involves identifying and addressing gaps in current standards and training, with a clear growth path into continuous improvement, process engineering, or program management within the OE organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline (mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, quality, or related) — or equivalent technical experience in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
Minimum 3 years of experience in a manufacturing, engineering, or technical operations environment.
Demonstrated ability to write clear technical documentation — SOPs, work instructions, training materials, or equivalent.
Comfort presenting and delivering training to technical audiences, including engineers, operators, and technicians.
Strong analytical skills and the ability to identify root causes, patterns, and systemic gaps.
Applicants must be a US Citizen or of Legal Permanent Resident Status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b (a) (3) due to ITAR and EAR regulations.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing controlled documents in a regulated environment (ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, GMP, or similar).
Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or above).
Experience leading or participating in kaizen events, value stream mapping, or 5S/standard work rollouts.
Background in quality engineering, process engineering, or manufacturing engineering.
Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI), new line launches, or major process changes.
Experience designing or delivering technical training programs.
Familiarity with document control systems, knowledge management platforms, or learning management systems (LMS).

Responsibilities

Partner with engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to develop and maintain standard operating procedures, work instructions, and process documentation.
Translate tacit knowledge from subject matter experts into clear, repeatable standards that hold up on the shop floor.
Own the lifecycle of internal training programs: maintain existing content, develop new materials, and facilitate training with technical audiences.
Identify gaps in documentation and training by analyzing quality data, audit findings, support requests, and direct observation of operations.
Partner with stakeholders to author and refine requirements for documentation, training, and process improvement work; sequence that work against competing priorities; and validate at implementation that the requirements have been met and the intended outcomes delivered.
Lead initiatives to close those gaps — scoping the work, partnering with the right SMEs, and validating that improvements actually moved the needle.
Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and process change activities by ensuring documentation and training are in place before launch.
Contribute to continuous improvement projects, kaizen events, and root cause analyses as part of the broader OE team.
Champion documentation and training as strategic tools for quality, safety, and operational performance — not as administrative overhead.