Apical Manufacturing Engineer

Kaneka Americas Holding

$88K — $105K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in process and equipment reliability roles.
  • Proficiency in Lean, Six Sigma, and other process improvement methodologies.
  • Strong technical background in process safety management and risk assessment.
  • Experience coordinating cross-functional teams in a manufacturing environment.
  • Familiarity with CMMS, data analytics tools, and process historians.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence aptitude in a team setting.

Responsibilities

  • Monitor and analyze process and equipment performance to find improvement opportunities.
  • Lead troubleshooting efforts and implement corrective actions for safety and efficiency.
  • Coordinate maintenance tasks, prioritizing work and managing spare parts effectively.
  • Provide technical support during various operational scenarios to ensure safety.
  • Collaborate with multiple departments to enhance performance and quality.
  • Utilize analytical tools to guide decision-making and promote continuous improvement.
  • Optimize manufacturing processes for better safety, quality, and cost management.

Benefits

  • Health and wellness programs to support employee well-being.
  • Professional development opportunities, including continued education and certifications.
  • Flexible work arrangements to promote work-life balance.
  • Employee support programs, including mental health resources.
  • Engagement in a culture that emphasizes safety and compliance.
Full Job Description
Process & Equipment Reliability
  • Monitor process, equipment, and production performance using key operational metrics to identify improvement opportunities and support business objectives.
  • Lead troubleshooting and root cause investigations for process, quality, and equipment issues; implement corrective actions to improve safety, reliability, and productivity.
  • Coordinate maintenance activities within the process unit, including work prioritization, outage planning, work order management, spare parts coordination, and maintenance backlog reduction.
  • Provide technical support during operational upsets, startups, shutdowns, and rate changes to maintain safe and efficient operations.
  • Collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and HSSE to improve equipment performance, process capability, product quality, and plant effectiveness.
  • Utilize CMMS, process historians, and data analytics tools to support decision-making, identify performance trends, and drive continuous improvement.
  • Optimize manufacturing processes, material handling systems, coating, laminating, slitting, and converting operations to improve safety, quality, throughput, and cost performance.
  • Partner with controls and automation personnel to troubleshoot and improve process control systems, instrumentation, drives, and equipment functionality.

Continuous Improvement & Project Execution
  • Execute and lead process improvement initiatives, applying structured methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, DOE, SPC) to optimize yield, throughput, quality, and process capability while reducing variability and waste.
  • Develop, scope, and implement process modifications through the Management of Change (MOC) system, ensuring technical rigor, risk identification, documentation integrity, and alignment with design intent and site standards.
  • Support and actively participate in Process Hazard Analysis (PHA/HAZOP) and Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR), providing detailed process knowledge, identifying hazards and safeguards, and ensuring all action items are resolved prior to startup.
  • Lead and coordinate process trials, including defining objectives, success criteria, experimental design, risk mitigation, and post-trial data analysis to validate improvements and drive standardization.
  • Coordinate cross-functional execution of capital and small-project initiatives across engineering, operations, maintenance, and contractors to meet scope, schedule, and budget objectives, capturing lessons learned and embedding improvements into standard work.

Safety & Compliance
  • Ensure full compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), LOTO, and applicable regulatory requirements (OSHA, EPA, and site-specific standards), embedding these requirements into daily operations, maintenance, and project execution.
  • Identify, assess, and mitigate process safety risks, utilizing structured risk assessment methodologies (PHA, LOPA, What-If analysis) to evaluate hazards, define safeguards, and reduce risk to acceptable levels.
  • Maintain the integrity of safety-critical systems and layers of protection, ensuring proper design, functionality, testing, and documentation of interlocks, alarms, relief systems, and engineered safeguards.
  • Lead and contribute to incident investigations, applying root cause analysis methodologies (e.g., TapRooT, Apollo, 5-Why) to identify systemic causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.
  • Promote a strong process safety culture, reinforcing ownership, accountability, and proactive hazard recognition at all levels of the operation.
  • Must demonstrate the following emotional intelligence skills:
    • Emotional Empathy
    • Positive Attitude
    • Excellent Communication Skills
    • Flexibility / Adaptability
    • Interpersonal Skills


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