Job Description:
Leipsic, OH
Join Our Team as a Continuous Improvement (CI) Engineer! Find your future career at Mars Incorporated!Are you a dynamic problem-solver who thrives on the fast-paced energy of a manufacturing floor? Do you love turning data into action, coaching teams to reach their full potential, and being the mastermind behind cutting-edge technical systems?
As our Continuous Improvement (CI) Engineer, you will be the driving force behind the operational excellence of your Production Area. This isn't a desk job—you will own the 24-hour process results of your department, serving as the technical champion and strategic partner to our Shift Managers. From the front lines to the leadership table, you will empower our Associates, streamline our operations, and directly shape the future of our manufacturing success.
What are we looking for?Minimum:
- 3+ years of hands-on experience driving operational excellence within a continuous improvement manufacturing environment
- 5+ years manufacturing experience Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), LOTO (Lockout/Tagout) within food manufacturing
- 5+ years leading, influencing, and engag cing ross-functional teams using situational leadership to drive sustainable behavioral and cultural change.
- 3+ years connecting, communicating, and building trust with Associates at all levels of the organization—from frontline shop floor operators to plant leadership.
- 2+ years driving OEE improvements, downtime reduction, root cause analysis, and 5S deployment
- 2+ years mentoring CI Specialists and operations leads on Lean principles and project management best practices
- Outstanding analytical and data-driven problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex manufacturing data into actionable process improvements utilizing data visualization tools
- Prior tulization of SAP, ERP systems
- Project Management experience and leading continuous improvement initiatives
Preferred:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply or technical field of study
- Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives in food, beverage, or fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification (or equivalent TPM / Kaizen practitioner credentials)
- Professional Project Management certification (e.g., PMP, CAPM, Project Management fundamentals)
- Proven success in coaching and mentoring frontline Associates and local leaders through a structured continuous improvement journey
- Owns all Daily Management Systems (DMS) execution and leads the Changeover (CO), Centerlines (CL), Clean, Inspect, and
Lubricate (CIL), and AbnormalityHandling (AH) DMS - Conducts detailed analysis on performance data and integrates into Factory Mars Operating System (FMOS)
- Drives loss elimination for assigned area to include Line Loss Analysis and development of 90-day action plans to address
losses and build associate capability - Leads Autonomous Maintenance (AM) process improvement teams focused on the reduction of downtime and loss
elimination - Supports and coaches Pillar activities within the Value Stream by providing analytics and developing standards
- Assists Shift Managers in managing the performance of their teams through coaching and skills development
- Provide overall direction to Continuous Improvement Specialists including development and performance evaluations
- Support Commission, Validation, Startup (CVS) activities for capital projects
What can you expect from Mars?
Work with over 130,000 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.
Best-in-class 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.
#LI-Onsite
#LI-AS2
Skills Required
- 3+ years driving operational excellence within a continuous improvement manufacturing environment
- 5+ years manufacturing experience with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and LOTO within food manufacturing
- 5+ years leading, influencing, and engaging cross-functional teams using situational leadership
- 3+ years building trust and communicating with Associates at all organizational levels
- 2+ years driving OEE improvements, downtime reduction, root cause analysis, and 5S deployment
- 2+ years mentoring CI Specialists and operations leads on Lean principles and project management best practices
- Strong analytical and data-driven problem-solving skills; translate manufacturing data into process improvements using data visualization tools
- Prior utilization of SAP and ERP systems
- Project management experience leading continuous improvement initiatives
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply, or technical field of study
- Experience driving continuous improvement in food, beverage, or FMCG
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt (or equivalent TPM/Kaizen credentials)
- Professional Project Management certification (PMP, CAPM, or fundamentals)
- Proven success coaching and mentoring frontline associates and local leaders through a structured CI journey
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.
Mars Insights
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.
