Operational Excellence Engineer

RAM Aerospace is a leader in aerospace innovation, powering flight and space exploration with precision solenoids, valves, and actuators. Since 1975, we've supported missions like the Space Shuttle and continue to deliver mission-critical components for commercial, defense, and satellite systems. As one of Southern Utah's largest employers, we drive economic growth and offer high-skilled careers in engineering and manufacturing. From our advanced facility in St. George, we build the future of aerospace—on time, with excellence, and as a team. Join us to work on groundbreaking technology and help shape the future of flight and space exploration. Your career takes off here!

At RAM Aerospace, the Operational Excellence Engineer drives the Lean and continuous improvement initiatives that keep our manufacturing operations sharp, efficient, and built to scale. This role partners across engineering, production, and quality teams to identify waste, redesign processes, and embed a culture of continuous improvement into how RAM operates. We are especially interested in candidates, including current RAM employees, who bring a strong understanding of RAM's processes, systems, products, and culture. That internal knowledge is difficult to replicate and allows the right person to become effective in this role quickly. While a technical background is valuable, we place equal weight on demonstrated problem-solving ability, project ownership, leadership potential, and the drive to turn ideas into measurable results. This role also offers real career growth: you will gain exposure to multiple departments and disciplines, build a broader understanding of how RAM operates end to end, and gain high visibility with leadership by presenting ideas and communicating project progress on initiatives with organization-wide impact.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Cross-Functional Project Management: Lead and manage projects that span multiple departments and stakeholders, keeping teams aligned and moving toward a common goal. Build strong working relationships across departments, even when priorities or perspectives differ.
• Ownership & Execution: Take ownership of projects from start to finish with minimal need for direction or follow-up. Stay organized and task-oriented, establishing priorities, tracking action items, and keeping timelines and commitments on track.
• Communication & Escalation: Recognize early when a project or task is getting off track, and communicate and escalate obstacles, delays, or resource issues proactively rather than letting them go unaddressed. Communicate effectively with both leadership and shop floor employees, translating ideas into measurable improvements.
• Lean Process Improvement: Apply Lean methodologies, including value stream mapping, 5S, kaizen, and standard work, to identify waste and inefficiencies across production workflows. Identify opportunities for improvement and follow them through to completion, not just identify problems.
• Training & Culture Development: Build Lean capability across the organization through training and coaching, helping shift the culture from reactive problem-solving to proactive process ownership.
• Metrics & Reporting: Develop and maintain operational KPIs and visual management systems. Track improvement project performance and report progress to leadership with data that shows real impact.