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Continuous Improvement Specialist - LEAN Manufacturing - Forest City, NC
Forest City, NC, USA
Posted on Nov 3, 2026
The Impact You'll Make
Are you passionate about transforming how work gets done? Do you thrive on turning ideas into action and empowering teams to perform at their best? As our CI Engineer (The Change Agent), you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our Forest City, North Carolina manufacturing facility by driving continuous improvement, strengthening lean culture, and delivering measurable business results.
This is more than a CI role — it’s an opportunity to lead change, influence culture, and directly impact productivity and performance across the organization.
In this role, you’ll be at the forefront of our Lean Manufacturing journey, responsible for identifying, leading, and implementing process improvements that deliver a 10% year‑on‑year productivity improvement. You’ll work side‑by‑side with leadership and frontline employees to embed lean thinking into daily operations and ensure continuous improvement becomes part of how we work — not just a program.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead and champion the local Lean Manufacturing initiative, driving cultural and operational transformation across the site
- Develop and execute the site‑level lean strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate and divisional lean standards
- Actively promote a strong continuous improvement culture, engaging employees at all levels
- Coordinate and lead the rollout of lean tools, activities, and improvement programs
- Define, communicate, and follow up on lean manufacturing targets and improvement goals
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), identify gaps, and drive corrective actions to stay on plan
- Partner with Value Stream Managers to develop rolling Tactical Implementation Plans (TIPs) that meet or exceed Danfoss Drives productivity targets
- Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure lean principles are embedded in daily work practices
- Support productivity improvements that directly contribute to operating budgets and performance targets
- Continuously build your own expertise in lean tools, methodologies, and CI best practices
- Perform additional duties as needed to support site and business objectives
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field
- 3+ years of hands‑on experience working within a robust lean manufacturing environment
- Working knowledge of MRP II systems (SAP experience preferred)
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- A results‑driven mindset with a proven ability to deliver measurable productivity and cost improvements
- Strong leadership, communication, and coaching skills, with the ability to influence without authority
- A passion for continuous improvement and developing people
What You'll Get from Us
At Danfoss, we believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace fosters creativity, innovation, and a broader perspective in decision-making. When you consider this job posting, do you feel like your profile is not a perfect match? Numerous studies have found that women and people of color are more likely to apply only when they meet all requirements listed in the job posting. Even if you do not check all the boxes, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are curious to find out how you can bring new insights to the role or to Danfoss as an organization.
We are excited to offer you the following benefits with your employment:
Bonus system
Paid vacation
Retirement plan
Flexible working hours
Personal insurance
Opportunity to join Employee Resource Groups
State of the art virtual work environment
Employee Referral Program
Ready to Make a Difference?
If this role excites you, we’d love to hear from you! Apply now to start the conversation and learn more about where your career can go with us.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected category.