Job Description & Details
This is a hands-on Industrial Engineer contract role focused heavily on shop floor optimization and LEAN manufacturing principles. If you enjoy getting your hands dirty analyzing time standards, streamlining material flow, and solving real physical bottlenecks rather than just sitting behind a desk, this is a solid gig with potential to convert full-time.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
You'll spend your days knee-deep in plant layouts, conducting time studies, and figuring out why material flow is stalling. Expect to map value streams, build out Plan for Every Part (PFEP) frameworks, and write up standard work documentation that actual operators will follow. You will be actively redesigning workstation layouts and equipment placement to squeeze every bit of waste out of the production line.
The Core Tech Stack
Your toolkit here revolves entirely around LEAN manufacturing methodologies, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and robust time-and-motion studies. You need to know how to spot operational inefficiencies instantly and back up your layout optimization proposals with hard data on labor standards and material flow.
Interview Expectations
They are going to ask you to walk through a specific time a plant was bottlenecked and how you isolated the root cause using process mapping. The hiring manager is secretly looking for your ability to communicate changes to resistant floor operators, so make sure you emphasize your change management and collaboration skills alongside your technical math. You should also be ready to explain how you construct a future-state VSM from scratch under tight operational constraints.
Application Advice
Skip the generic project summaries and explicitly list terms like Value Stream Mapping, PFEP, time studies, and standard work documentation right at the top of your resume. This role requires specific, tactical LEAN experience, so if you've led layout optimizations or reduced waste on a factory floor, quantify those achievements with percentages and hours saved to easily clear the ATS.