Job Description:
Continuous Improvement Engineer
The Continuous Improvement Engineer leads continuous improvement initiatives in a regulated food or consumer packaged goods manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for driving improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and compliance by applying Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving methodologies, while ensuring adherence to standards.
What are we looking for?
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, Chemical, or related) preferred
- 3–5+ years of experience in food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing
- Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies
- Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher
- Familiarity with metric & quality management systems
- Experience in high-speed processing or packaging environments
Work Environment
- Frequent presence on the manufacturing floor, minimum 70% floor
- Compliance with food safety, hygiene, and PPE requirements
- Ability to stand, walk, and occasionally lift in a production environment
What will be your key responsibilities?
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives supporting Q&FS, Safety, and VLiC objectives
- Apply Lean tools including 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, and SMED
- Inclusion & participation in MSE activities, including but not limited to FI Pillar
- Drive improvements in OEE, throughput, yield, downtime reduction, and changeover performance
- Identify and eliminate waste related to scrap, rework, overproduction, and material losses
- Develop, update, and sustain SOPs, visual management, and standard work documentation
- Ensure CI projects include risk assessments and change management controls
- Designated to provide leadership coverage for the Value Stream Manager
- Ensure all process improvements comply with GMPs, HACCP plans, and Preventive Controls
- Support site compliance and continuous audit readiness, including driving 5S area ownership
- Participate in internal, customer, and third-party audits as a CI subject matter resource
- Lead or support root cause analysis for food safety incidents, quality deviations, and customer complaints
- Partner with Q&FS teams to develop and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
- Ensure equipment, process, and layout changes follow validation and approval protocols
- Analyze manufacturing data to identify improvement opportunities
- Track KPIs including OEE, yield, scrap, downtime, labor efficiency, and cost savings
- Prepare reports and presentations for plant leadership and corporate stakeholders
Collaboration & Training
- Builds departmental capability by serving & coaching as a system subject matter expert
- Train and coach employees on Lean tools, standard work, and CI principles
- Promote employee engagement and a culture of continuous improvement on the shop floor
What can you expect from Mars?
Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
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Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
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What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
