Operational Excellence Engineer

Job Description

COMPANY OVERVIEW Balchem is committed to making the world a healthier place by delivering trusted innovative and science based solutions for the health and nutritional needs of the world Balchem employs approximately 1400 employees worldwide who provide the service quality and technology that enables our customers to win with their customers We have built a reputation for delivering results to all of our stakeholders Founded in 1967 Balchem a Maryland corporation became a publicly traded company in 1970 and is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol BCPC Our corporate headquarters is located in Montvale New Jersey and we have a broad network of sales offices manufacturing sites and R\&D centers primarily located in the US and Europe The Company consists of three business segments Human Nutrition and Health Animal Nutrition and Health and Specialty Products POSITION SUMMARY The Operational Excellence Engineer is responsible for driving measurable improvements in safety quality cost productivity reliability and waste reduction across food manufacturing operations with a focus on chemical processes This role partners with site leadership operations quality maintenance engineering and technical teams to identify process losses standardize best practices improve process capability and implement Lean Manufacturing methodologies The position supports continuous improvement initiatives using tools such as value stream mapping root cause analysis 5S standard work visual management Kaizen SMED and daily management systems to improve throughput reduce variation and strengthen operational discipline The Operational Excellence Engineer also supports data driven decision making through performance metrics process monitoring and improvement project tracking while coaching teams to build and sustain a culture of continuous improvement food safety and operational excellence ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Establish maintain and continually improve plant performance through a Lean mindset Improvement focus areas includeCost reduction and waste eliminationThroughput improvements or debottleneckingProcess flow improvements increasing overall plant productivityIncreased process reliability through improved processes procedures and practicesEnsure the use of CAPA and accelerated continuous improvement processes to track and capture value initiativesFacilitate generation of initiatives and prioritization maintain standards for tracking and ensure accountability processes are in placeAssist manufacturing leadership in establishment of metrics and key performance indicators as well as best practice performance dialog processesOccasionally provide updates to senior leadership regarding overall or specific plant progressDevelop continually improve and promote usability of data visualization tools such as Power BI and Pi Data Historian as it relates to improvement initiativesLead specific site high speed turn around effortsFoster a team oriented culture of coordination cooperation and communication cross functionally throughout the companyBuild and maintain a high performance environment and coach others in effective team interaction and functionMust understand the company vision and mission and maintain alignment accordinglyMust be familiar with and comply with company policies and procedures including those of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA Environmental Protection Agency EPA Equal Employment Opportunity EEO and Federal Food and Drug Administration FDA regulationsAbility and willingness to learn understand follow and promote documented work procedures REQUIREMENTS Bachelors degree in Industrial Manufacturing Engineering or related field from an accredited universitycollege and significant applicable work experience5 years of operational excellence experience; proven direct leadership experience; minimum of 5 years leadership experience in a manufacturing environment preferredProven application of skill set delivering tangible business resultsFood or pharmaceutical experience is a plusProficient computer skills Microsoft Office suite especially Excel and PowerPointExperience with the function of ERP systems such as SAP MS Dynamics or similar softwareKnowledge of data visualization tools and distributive control systems is a plusKnowledge of food GMPs a plusSpecific knowledge of Lean Manufacturing Six Sigma and TPM systemsClear sense of urgency and ability to manage priorities to meet immediate needs and long term goalsAbility to manage time and workload efficiently and the ability to prioritize and modify priorities accordinglyStrong safety orientationSelf motivation and ability to work independently given a scope of work or missionDemonstrated ability to work and develop others at all levels in an organizationSensitive to other culturesbackgrounds able to work in a multi cultural workplaceDemonstrated ability to function in a fast paced environment while moving multiple simultaneous projects forwardStrong verbal and written communication skills to discuss develop and implement plansHigh sensitivity to quality and on time delivery of commitmentsAbility to lead and develop othersWillingness and ability to respectfully hold team and peers accountable for execution and overall reliability performanceWillingness to travel up to 50 of the timeIND123 Balchem is committed to a workplace culture that values and promotes diversity inclusion equal employment opportunities and a work environment free of harassment and hostility