Pay Range: $96,100 - $120,120 per year
The Operational Excellence Engineer I supports operational excellence engineering initiatives and continuous improvement across poultry processing operations. Reporting to the Complex Manager, this engineering role partners with live production, processing operations, maintenance, quality assurance, food safety, environmental, animal welfare and safety teams to identify, analyze, and implement data-driven improvements to enhance throughput, yield, cost control, compliance, and overall operational performance.
This industrial engineering position applies Lean, Six Sigma, and audit-based methodologies to strengthen executional discipline, standardize processes, reduce variability, and ensure compliance with regulatory, food safety, animal welfare, and internal operating standards. The OE Engineer plays a key role in supporting plant strategy by improving foundational processes, driving operational efficiencies, and delivering measurable value to internal and external customers.
Essential Functions
- Collect and analyze operational, yield, labor, downtime, and quality data to assess current-state performance and identify process improvement opportunities across poultry processing operations.
- Conduct analysis and process mapping, time studies, value stream mapping, and root cause analysis (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone) to identify bottlenecks and sources of variability.
- Collaborate on and design Lean and continuous improvement initiatives, including waste reduction, line efficiency, yield improvement, labor optimization, and cost reduction.
- Develop internal audits, operational assessments, and compliance reviews related to food safety, quality, animal welfare, safety, and operational standards.
- Design, coordinate and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) and ensure sustained compliance.
- Drive process, equipment, and work-instruction standardization across departments and facilities to improve consistency and executional discipline.
- Collaborate on and design improvement projects end-to-end, including scoping, planning, testing, implementation, training, and post-implementation validation.
- Develop and enhance project documentation, including project plans, timelines, SOPs, workflow maps, standard work, transition plans, and hand-off documentation.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration across processing, live operations, maintenance, engineering, QA, and safety teams with competing priorities.
- Collect, validate, and analyze performance metrics; develop dashboards and reports to track KPIs such as yield, efficiency, labor, safety, quality, and downtime.
- Plan implementation and optimization of operational systems, ensuring data integrity and effective reporting.
- Identify and implement initiatives that improve food safety, employee safety, animal welfare outcomes, and reduce operational risk.
- Analyze and develop solutions relating to sustainability of improvements through audits, performance reviews, and management routines.
- Serve as an active member of the organization’s cross-functional Operational Excellence team.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field.
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience in poultry, meat processing, food manufacturing, high-volume labor-intensive operations or a related operations environment.
- Strong data analysis, database management, and business operations experience.
- Working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies; Lean Six Sigma certification (Green or Black Belt) preferred.
- Experience supporting or participating in internal audits, operational assessments, or compliance programs.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, with advanced Excel skills preferred.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
- Excellent facilitation, training, and communication skills with an end-user and operations-focused mindset.
- Proven ability to identify root causes, develop corrective actions, and drive sustainable results.
- High attention to detail and strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse teams, perspectives, and backgrounds in a fast-paced production environment.
- Ability to build strong relationships and influence change across all levels of the organization.
