Manufacturing Systems Improvement Engineer

Chicago, IL / Tempe, AZ / Boulder, CO / Cincinnati, OH / Detroit, MI / Gastonia, NCUSA – Operations - Engineering /Full Time /Hybrid Who are we looking for…?

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Manufacturing Systems Improvement Engineer to improve the safety, reliability, throughput, maintainability, and operational consistency of medical waste treatment facilities across the United States.

This is a field-oriented engineering role. The successful candidate will spend more than 50% of their working time in operating facilities, partnering directly with operations and maintenance personnel to understand equipment limitations, identify improvement opportunities, develop practical solutions, and verify results after implementation.

The ideal candidate combines mechanical design, industrial equipment knowledge, process improvement, electrical and controls awareness, and strong project-execution skills. They are comfortable working on the plant floor, translating operational issues into engineered solutions, coordinating vendors and internal stakeholders, and traveling to support deployment of successful improvements across multiple facilities.

Travel within the United States is required to support site assessments, equipment installations, commissioning, troubleshooting, training, and network-wide rollout of standardized improvements.

Role Overview :

The Manufacturing Systems Improvement Engineer owns the development and execution of engineered improvements to plant equipment, material flow, operating processes, and supporting facility systems.

The role is responsible for turning frontline operational observations, downtime data, maintenance feedback, safety concerns, and capacity constraints into practical, scalable solutions. These solutions may include equipment redesigns, new equipment additions, modifications to material-handling systems, improved controls and automation, plant-layout changes, process standardization, and upgrades to utilities or supporting infrastructure.

This position works from concept through implementation: observing operations in the field; defining requirements; developing designs and business cases; coordinating fabrication, vendors, contractors, and internal teams; supporting installation and commissioning; and measuring sustained performance after deployment.

Success in this role is measured by demonstrable, site-level improvements in equipment reliability, safety, capacity, labor efficiency, operating consistency, and reduction of recurring maintenance or process issues.

What you will do:

Spend more than 50% of working time in operating facilities, observing processes, engaging with operators and maintenance personnel, assessing equipment condition, identifying and implementing improvement opportunities.

Identify and prioritize opportunities to improve equipment reliability, safety, throughput, ergonomics, maintainability, material flow, labor efficiency, and regulatory compliance.

Develop practical equipment redesigns, retrofits, fixtures, guarding, material-handling improvements, automation concepts, and equipment additions to address recurring operational challenges.

Lead engineering work from concept through field implementation, including site assessments, requirements development, preliminary design, detailed design, cost estimates, vendor coordination, installation support, commissioning, and post-implementation verification.

Analyze production constraints, operating practices, and process data to identify root causes and develop permanent corrective actions.

Partner closely with operations, maintenance, and safety teams to ensure proposed solutions are safe, practical to operate, maintainable, and aligned with site needs.

Support improvements to autoclaves,…