Lead Process Engineer
Position Summary
The Lead Process Engineer is responsible for leading a team of Process Engineers focused on improving manufacturing performance, supporting plant operations, solving complex technical problems, and executing new product development (NPD) and defensive projects. This role partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and Engineering leadership to improve safety, quality, productivity, reliability, and cost performance across the manufacturing network.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
Lead, coach, and develop a team of Process Engineers.
Establish team priorities and allocate resources across multiple plants and projects.
Set performance objectives and provide ongoing feedback and development opportunities.
Promote a culture of safety, accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
Develop engineering competencies, tools, and standard work across the organization.
Identify and implement process improvements that increase productivity, reduce waste, improve quality, and lower manufacturing costs.
Identify areas for Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives.
Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure process capability and operational effectiveness.
Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and statistical methods to drive sustainable improvements.
Support achievement of annual cost savings and operational excellence objectives.
Provide technical support to manufacturing facilities to resolve process-related issues impacting safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Partner with plant leadership to improve process stability and operational performance.
Monitor manufacturing performance and proactively identify improvement opportunities.
Support startup, commissioning, and optimization of production equipment and processes.
Develop operating procedures, process documentation, and best practices.
Lead investigation of significant quality, reliability, and production issues.
Facilitate structured root cause analysis.
Develop and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
Verify effectiveness and sustainability of implemented solutions.
Drive a data-based approach to problem solving across manufacturing operations.
Lead engineering efforts in bringing new products to market.
Drive raw material change validation across all plants.
Ensure projects are delivered safely, on schedule, and within budget.
Required Skills & Qualifications
Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field.
Specialized Skills and Experience: Minimum of 10+ years’ engineering experience in a process manufacturing environment. Strong leadership skills. Experience leading other engineers and professionals. Self-starter, able to work alone with limited supervision. Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills. Team player - maintain a positive, cooperative attitude with all employees of LATICRETE and all customers. Handles up to high complexity issues and problems and refers only the most difficult and complex issues to higher-level staff. Assists other team members on up to high complexity issues. Highly organized in scheduling, executing responsibilities and prioritizing in a multitask environment. Computer skills: Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Outlook. Mini-Tab or other similar software.
Physical Requirements: Lift: Must be able to lift and/or carry a minimum of 50 pounds. Push/Pull: Must be able to push/pull 25 pounds. Standing: Must be able to stand at least 50-75% of the day. Sitting: Must be able to sit 25-50% of the day. Twisting/Bending: Must be able to Twist/bend 50-75% of the day. Squatting, Climbing and/or Crawling: Must be able to squat/climb/crawl 20% of the day.