What are the responsibilities and job description for the Continuous Improvement Engineer position at PlayPower, Inc.?
THE ROLE
The Lean Engineer, in conjunction with the Director of CI, site leadership and functional organizations, has responsibility for the continued development, promotion and tactical implementation of a lean operating methodology designed to consistently improve on-time delivery, lead-times, efficiencies, and ultimately operating financial performance.
It is expected the candidate will successfully complete the PlayPower Continuous Improvement Leader certification program within 12 months of hire. The certification program will be conducted at the Monett campus but may include some travel.
The successful candidate will be a hands-on leader to assist Operations in understanding and improving processes.
REPORTING STRUCTURE
The Lean Engineer will report into the Director of Continuous Improvement of the Monett campus. Key working relationships include plant staff, functional leaders across departments and Operators.
EXPECTATIONS
1. The Lean Engineer will inspire management thinking by challenging current practices and methods through the deployment of Lean methodology at all levels of the site operations. This will be accomplished by establishing internal business partnerships to effectively execute strategic planning, value stream mapping, creating gaps analyses, identifying / prioritizing kaizen events, implementing tracking methods to measure results, and leading root cause / countermeasure analysis for misses.
2. An evaluation of the business through “current state” mapping and the development of a Monett Action Plan.
3. Implementation of Lean System principles across the sites, focusing on the basics of takt, flow, pull and level production.
4. Teaching Lean Concepts and tools including : Daily Management, disciplined problem-solving, standardized work, job instruction, material pull systems, value stream mapping, lean scheduling methods, Kaizen activities, variation reduction, 5S, and Six Sigma related initiatives
5. Administer training materials to facilitate the understanding of Lean Manufacturing improvement concepts and techniques to all levels of associates.
6. Train and develop Kaizen leaders across the business.
7. Developing the daily management plan and Gemba, through dialogue and communication with peers, to establish protocols and cadences for next-level efficiency practices; highlighted and evidenced through standard operating reviews.
8. Promote and facilitate diagnosis of workflow impediments and other wastes throughout the business and provide expert counsel on appropriate tools to eliminate them.
9. Promote and facilitate associate development in various tools, lean production, and Kaizen leadership. Facilitate networking and best practice sharing.
10. Develop, track and report on all metrics quarterly associated with Lean and Continuous Improvement activities, including financial impact to Executive leadership; this is a “high visibility” role.
THE REQUIREMENTS
- A bachelor’s degree, highly preferred.
- 3 years or more of operations / engineering experience, utilizing Lean improvement concepts.
- SME / AME Lean Certification is a plus.
- Demonstrated capability or participation of a variety of Lean tools including but not limited to : Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Pull Systems & Kanban, Daily Management, 5S / Visual Management, SMED, TPM, Kaizen is a plus.
- Experience creating Lean practices that empower employees, accelerate change, and enable personal and team development.
- Possesses a high sense of urgency.
- Driven by very high expectations and delivers results, not “activity”.
- Low-Ego / High-Confidence / Humility.
- Is highly autonomous and self-directed.
- Loyal and honest; integrity will be the essential characteristic of the successful finalist candidate.
- A team player who is comfortable with consensus building in a mid-sized company environment.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
PlayPower, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of outdoor recreational products and is the world’s largest, fully integrated manufacturer of commercial playground equipment, surfacing solutions, floating dock systems and lifts for boats and personal watercraft, shade solutions and site furnishings. The company is headquartered in Dallas Texas. with offices and manufacturing facilities in Monett, Missouri; Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Englewood, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; Nogales, Mexico; Selby, England; Perth, Scotland; Sosnowiec, Poland; and Aneby, Sweden. PlayPower’s goal is to lead the market in all areas in which it competes and to continue to bring innovation and fun to the marketplace. The Company’s website is .
At PlayPower we firmly believe the Lean or Continuous Improvement thinking is key to growing and financially successful companies. You will find this philosophy embedded throughout the organizations of successful companies.
We are building a Continuous Improvement culture and which serves as the leadership bench here in Monett. If your goal is to eventually be a clear thinking, successful leader with a growing company, please give PlayPower your consideration.
PLAYPOWER MANUFACTURING CAPABLITIES
Our manufacturing facilities in the United States encompass more than 1 million square feet. In addition, we have 65,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Mexico, and 290,000 square feet in Europe. Within these spaces, PlayPower brands deliver full manufacturing capabilities in rotational molding, metal fabrication, finishing, woodworking, soft goods assembly, fiberglass molding, rope design and engineering.
