Senior Process Improvement Engineer

GE Appliances’ Camden plant is looking for a Senior Process Improvement Engineer (PIE) who drives operational excellence within a production area by owning equipment performance, leading continuous improvement initiatives and ensuring world-class standards in safety, quality, delivery and cost. This role serves as a key technical and leadership resource within the production area, partnering with cross-functional teams to optimize processes, enhance equipment reliability and champion a culture of continuous improvement. Position Senior Process Improvement Engineer Location USA, Camden, SC How You'll Create Possibilities Equipment & Process Ownership • Own and optimize all equipment and tooling in the assigned production area, ensuring reliable operation and compliance with specifications. • Lead troubleshooting efforts, collaborating with maintenance and engineering teams to improve Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE). • Develop and maintain robust Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Preventive Maintenance (PM) plans to maximize uptime and minimize unplanned downtime. • Evaluate, recommend and justify equipment or tooling upgrades and capital projects to improve performance and safety. • Ensure calibration and process control compliance within assigned manufacturing areas. Continuous Improvement • Lead root cause analysis and problem-solving to eliminate waste, reduce variation and enhance throughput. • Facilitate Kaizen events, implement Poka-Yoke and other lean methodologies and drive standard work implementation. • Champion the principles of the Appliance Production System, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and accountability. • Collaborate cross-functionally to identify, document and share best practices across the organization. Quality & Safety • Maintain process and product quality by proactively identifying and addressing potential defects and process deviations. • Partner with Quality and Operations teams to lead defect tracking, corrective actions and process audits. • Promote a safety-first culture by ensuring compliance with all PPE, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) and environmental health and safety (EHS) standards. • Support and lead accident investigations, ergonomic assessments and safety improvements. Leadership & Collaboration • Provide technical leadership to production teams, fostering collaboration between hourly and salaried personnel. • Partner with operations, maintenance and manufacturing engineering on long-term equipment and process improvement projects. • Support the training and development of team leaders, operators and maintenance staff on new processes, standards and performance expectations. • Contribute to positive employee relations by promoting fairness, inclusion and open communication. New Product Introductions (NPI) • Represent manufacturing during new product launches, providing feedback on manufacturability, capacity and process design. • Coordinate equipment qualification, installation and process validation for new models or technologies. • Partner with vendors and cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of new products into production. What You'll Bring to Our Team Requirements: • Bachelor’s degree, or in pursuit of, in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, Electrical) or related field or equivalent experience. • 5+ years’ experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Operations or Quality support roles. • Flexibility to adjust working hours to support production demands (including early starts, extended shifts or occasional weekend work). Preferred: • Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams in a high-volume manufacturing environment, working effectively with both salaried and union hourly employees. • Six Sigma certification with strong knowledge of Lean, DMAIC and other improvement methodologies. • Technical expertise in manufacturing processes such as thermoforming, extrusion, metal fabrication and automated equipment operations. • Hands-on experience with PLC controls, robotics (including Fanuc and end-of-arm tooling), servo systems and preventive maintenance of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. • Experience applying Lean Manufacturing principles, standard work and time studies to improve safety, quality, delivery and cost performance. • Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and optimize high-volume manufacturing equipment and material flow. • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel) with the ability to learn new systems quickly. • Strong verbal and written communication skills, coupled with excellent interpersonal and leadership abilities. Working Conditions: • Working conditions are normal for both an office and manufacturing environment. • Work may involve lifting materials and products up to 25 pounds. • Working in the manufacturing environment requires the use of safety equipment to include but not limited to: safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, work shoes/boots.