Continuous Improvement Engineer, IEM

About IEM

Industrial Electric Mfg. (IEM) is the largest independent full‑line manufacturer of custom power distribution systems in North America. Founded more than 75 years ago in Fremont, California, IEM grew alongside Silicon Valley and today operates over 1.7 million square feet of manufacturing capacity. With $1B+ in annual sales and 10,000+ commissioned projects across technology, data centers, commercial, energy, utilities, healthcare, industrial, and infrastructure markets, IEM continues to deliver exceptional product quality, dependable service, and the flexibility to meet complex technical requirements at scale.

The purpose of the Continuous Improvement Engineer, IEM
360 role is to provide high‑impact support responsible for deploying and sustaining our enterprise‑wide operating system across functions and sites. Modeled on world‑class systems such as the Danaher Business System and Crane Business System, IEM
360 is IEM’s framework for driving continuous improvement, lean enterprise transformation, and strategic execution. The IEM
360 CI Engineer partners with functional and plant leaders to drive measurable improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Growth.

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.
• The position requires collaboration with other roles to drive measurable improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Growth.

• Lead IEM
  360 Deployment:
  Drive the implementation of IEM Business System tools and processes across operations, supply chain, engineering, and commercial functions, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Kaizen Facilitation:
  Plan, lead, and coach cross‑functional kaizen events focused on lean fundamentals, standard work, visual management, flow, problem‑solving, and strategic growth/capacity initiatives.
• Capability Building:
  Develop internal capability by training and coaching team members and leaders at all levels in lean thinking, daily management, and continuous improvement practices.
• Business System Maturity:
  Assess business system maturity across plants and functions; create and execute improvement roadmaps using tools such as maturity models, Hoshin Kanri, tiered daily management, and KPI dashboards.
• Change Leadership:
  Act as a catalyst for cultural transformation, enabling teams to embrace standardization, accountability, and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Performance Management:
  Partner with site leadership to embed IEM
  360 into key processes such as policy deployment (Hoshin), S&OP, new product introduction, and operational reviews.
• Best Practice Sharing:
  Identify, document, and disseminate internal best practices. Benchmark against external best‑in‑class organizations and adapt appropriately for IEM.

• Proven ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage responsibilities with minimal supervision.
• Hands‑on leader and coach; thrives on the shop floor and in frontline engagement.
• High emotional intelligence with the ability to influence without authority.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and building structure in evolving organizations.
• Results‑driven, with a bias for action and accountability.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills and attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field; MBA or Master’s preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or continuous improvement, preferably in a multi‑site or matrixed industrial environment.
• Deep understanding of Lean principles (e.g., 5S, value stream mapping, standard work, visual management, PDCA, SMED, A3 problem‑solving).
• Demonstrated success leading cross‑functional kaizen events and system‑wide CI initiatives.
• Understanding of basic ops finance, including P&L impact, cost drivers, and fixed vs. variable costs.
• Strong facilitation, project management, and communication skills.
• Experience working in or…