Quality/Mechanical Engineer (Lean Focused)

JA Riggs Tractor Company•Little Rock, AR

About The Position

This role is responsible for driving efficiency, quality, and first-principles problem solving across the rebuild center, while also helping apply a Lean manufacturing mindset to Riggs Cat’s branch parts and service operations. The person in this role will partner closely with rebuild, service, parts, and branch leadership to imp rove flow, reduce waste, increase technician productivity, strengthen quality, and scale best practices across the business. WHAT YOU'LL DO Lean Leadership & Continuous Improvement Champion Lean methodologies across the rebuild center and branch parts and service operations to improve workflow, reduce waste, and enhance value delivery to customers. Apply first-principles thinking to identify process constraints, uncover root causes, and improve throughput, cycle time, and operating efficiency. Facilitate Kaizen events, 5S initiatives, value stream mapping sessions, and other structured continuous improvement activities. Develop and implement standard work procedures, visual management tools, daily management routines, and practical KPI dashboards. Partner with rebuild center leaders, branch service managers, and parts teams to improve technician productivity, job flow, parts availability, work-in-process control, and turnaround time. Mentor team members and leaders on Lean thinking, problem solving, and sustaining improvements over time. Track, report, and communicate Lean project outcomes, business impact, and ROI. Work hand in hand with outside vendors, suppliers, and partners to ensure we are continuously improving processes, quality, and performance. Quality Engineering & Process Control Analyze operational data to identify trends, bottlenecks, root causes, and opportunities for improvement across rebuild, service, and parts operations. Lead corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes for internal and customer-facing issues, with a strong focus on recurrence prevention and process discipline. Drive efforts to reduce rework, improve first-time quality, and strengthen consistency across locations. Collaborate with service and parts teams to ensure quality standards are met, documented, sustained, and scalable across branches. Support ISO compliance, internal audits, and continuous improvement of quality systems. Develop and maintain quality documentation, including control plans, inspection criteria, standard operating procedures, and visual work instructions. Build practical reporting tools and scorecards that help leaders make faster, better operating decisions. Cross-Functional Operational Excellence Serve as a key partner to operations leadership in identifying and prioritizing improvement projects with measurable business impact. Lead projects that improve rebuild flow, branch service efficiency, parts staging, scheduling, job closeout, and overall customer responsiveness. Help establish repeatable processes that can be piloted, refined, and deployed across Riggs Cat locations. Spend meaningful time in the shop, rebuild center, branches, and parts operations to observe work firsthand and build solutions that are practical, durable, and supported by the people doing the work.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
Lean, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement training or certification required; equivalent demonstrated experience leading Lean initiatives may also be considered.
5+ years of experience in quality engineering, process engineering, manufacturing engineering, operations engineering, or continuous improvement roles.
Strong facilitation, communication, coaching, and change leadership skills.
Proficiency in Lean tools and problem-solving methods, including A3, Fishbone, 5 Whys, PDCA, standard work, 5S, and value stream mapping.
Experience using operational data to drive decisions and measure results.
Ability to work effectively across functions and influence outcomes at all levels of the organization.
Willingness to travel to branch locations as needed to support projects and implementation.
A passion for continuous improvement and customer-focused service.
A first-principles mindset and the ability to simplify complex operational problems.
A hands-on approach to problem solving, with comfort working in shop, branch, and field support environments.
The ability to influence change, build cross-functional alignment, and gain trust with frontline teams and leaders.
Strong analytical thinking, paired with the practical judgment to turn insight into action.
A commitment to Riggs Cat’s values and the ability to implement and model those values company wide.

Nice To Haves

Experience in heavy equipment, manufacturing, rebuild/remanufacturing, MRO, or service operations preferred.

Responsibilities

Champion Lean methodologies across the rebuild center and branch parts and service operations to improve workflow, reduce waste, and enhance value delivery to customers.
Apply first-principles thinking to identify process constraints, uncover root causes, and improve throughput, cycle time, and operating efficiency.
Facilitate Kaizen events, 5S initiatives, value stream mapping sessions, and other structured continuous improvement activities.
Develop and implement standard work procedures, visual management tools, daily management routines, and practical KPI dashboards.
Partner with rebuild center leaders, branch service managers, and parts teams to improve technician productivity, job flow, parts availability, work-in-process control, and turnaround time.
Mentor team members and leaders on Lean thinking, problem solving, and sustaining improvements over time.
Track, report, and communicate Lean project outcomes, business impact, and ROI.
Work hand in hand with outside vendors, suppliers, and partners to ensure we are continuously improving processes, quality, and performance.
Analyze operational data to identify trends, bottlenecks, root causes, and opportunities for improvement across rebuild, service, and parts operations.
Lead corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes for internal and customer-facing issues, with a strong focus on recurrence prevention and process discipline.
Drive efforts to reduce rework, improve first-time quality, and strengthen consistency across locations.
Collaborate with service and parts teams to ensure quality standards are met, documented, sustained, and scalable across branches.
Support ISO compliance, internal audits, and continuous improvement of quality systems.
Develop and maintain quality documentation, including control plans, inspection criteria, standard operating procedures, and visual work instructions.
Build practical reporting tools and scorecards that help leaders make faster, better operating decisions.
Serve as a key partner to operations leadership in identifying and prioritizing improvement projects with measurable business impact.
Lead projects that improve rebuild flow, branch service efficiency, parts staging, scheduling, job closeout, and overall customer responsiveness.
Help establish repeatable processes that can be piloted, refined, and deployed across Riggs Cat locations.
Spend meaningful time in the shop, rebuild center, branches, and parts operations to observe work firsthand and build solutions that are practical, durable, and supported by the people doing the work.
Improve rebuild center throughput, flow, and quality performance.
Reduce waste, delays, and rework across parts and service operations.
Improve branch-to-branch consistency through standard work and visual management.
Increase technician productivity and improve work-order flow.
Strengthen parts staging, parts availability, and coordination between parts and service teams.
Build repeatable operating rhythms, KPI reporting, and accountability mechanisms that sustain gains over time.