We are seeking a Principal, Manufacturing Process Excellence to serve as the organization's lead problem assessor and solution architect. This role is deployed to investigate operational issues, scope problems, ascertain requirements, and work with functional leadership to hypothesize and define minimum viable solutions (MVS). Once scoped, the role hands off to the PMO team for planning and execution. This is a diagnostic and prescriptive role - you assess what is happening, determine why, define what the solution needs to accomplish, and produce a structured handoff. You move on to the next problem. This role complements the Senior Manager, Business Process Excellence who owns Design Authority governance, the delivery organization, and execution. The principal focuses upstream: finding problems, framing them, and defining the right solution before resources are committed Key job responsibilities Problem Assessment and Root Cause Analysis • Investigate operational issues reported by manufacturing floor leaders, warehouse managers, logistics planners, and supply chain managers. • Conduct structured root cause analysis using process observation, data analysis, system tracing, and stakeholder interviews. • Assess business impact: quantify cost, throughput, quality, and compliance implications of identified problems. Problem Scoping and Requirements Definition • Define clear problem boundaries: what is in scope, what is adjacent (and may be affected), and what is explicitly out of scope. • Elicit business and functional requirements through structured workshops, interviews, and process walkthroughs with functional leadership. • Document requirements with sufficient specificity for the PMO team to translate into backlog items: business context, functional specifications, acceptance criteria, constraints, and dependencies. Solution Hypothesis and MVS Definition • Partner with functional leadership (Manufacturing Ops, Warehouse Ops, Transportation, Supply Chain, Finance) to generate candidate solution approaches. • Define the Minimum Viable Solution: the smallest implementation scope that resolves the core problem and delivers measurable value. • Produce acceptance criteria that enable unambiguous validation of solution delivery. Structured Handoff to PMO • Produce a complete handoff package for each scoped solution containing problem statement, root cause analysis, stakeholder map, requirements specification, MVS definition, acceptance criteria, risk register, and recommended priority rationale. • Brief the PMO team (Senior Manager and delivery leads) on the problem, solution, and key context needed for planning. Stakeholder Engagement and Functional Collaboration • Build trusted relationships with manufacturing operations, supply chain, warehouse, and transportation leadership to ensure early visibility into emerging issues. • Provide process domain expertise to the Senior Manager to inform Design Authority decisions and roadmap prioritization. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree or above in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or Business Administration, or Master's degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or Business Administration - • 10+ years in manufacturing or supply chain operations, process consulting, or business process architecture. - • 7+ years in discrete manufacturing environments with direct experience diagnosing operational problems and designing solutions. - • 5+ years conducting structured problem assessment, root cause analysis, and requirements definition across complex enterprise environments. - • 5+ years in consulting, advisory, or internal diagnostic roles where the primary deliverable was problem framing, requirements, and solution recommendations (not ongoing execution). - • Demonstrated ability to enter ambiguous situations, rapidly identify root causes, and produce structured problem statements and solution specifications. - • Experience facilitating cross-functional workshops and stakeholder interviews to elicit requirements from diverse operational and technical audiences. - • Experience with ERP-enabled manufacturing processes (SAP PP, QM, MM, EWM, TM or Oracle equivalent) sufficient to assess feasibility of proposed solutions. - • Experience with structured problem-solving methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, A3, 8D, Theory of Constraints, or equivalent). PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - • Master's degree in industrial engineering, operations management, supply chain. - • Management consulting background (McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte, Accenture, or equivalent) with manufacturing/supply chain practice experience. - • Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and MES-to-ERP integration process design. - • Aerospace, defense, satellite, semiconductor, automotive, or other high-rate discrete manufacturing environments. - • Experience with subcontracting, consignment inventory, and vendor-managed inventory processes at scale. - • Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Master, or Theory of Constraints certification with demonstrated application to complex diagnostic engagements. - • Process mining tools (Celonis, SAP Signavio) or digital twin experience applied to root cause analysis and process diagnostics. - • Experience producing business cases, feasibility assessments, and investment recommendations for executive audiences. - • Track record of rapid problem-to-solution cycle times in high-pressure manufacturing environments where diagnostic speed directly impacts throughput. - • SAP or Equivalent Experience in two or more of: Production Planning (PP), Quality Management (QM), Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), Transportation Management (TM), or Materials Management (MM). The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits. USA, WA, Bellevue - 179,900.00 - 243,400.00 USD annually