Manufacturing Excellence Specialist

Apply on our company website: https://jobdetails.nestle.com/job-invite/395391/

Company Description

Gerber Products Company, founded in 1928 in Fremont, Michigan, became part of the Nestlé family in 2007. As a leader in early childhood nutrition, Gerber focuses on research-driven innovation to develop high-quality products, provide nutrition education, and offer resources for families and professionals. The company is committed to supporting parents and healthcare professionals through initiatives like the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS), accessible at Medical.Gerber.com/FITS for professionals and at Gerber.com for parents. Gerber is dedicated to promoting healthy growth and development for young children.

Job Description 

The Manufacturing Excellence Specialist is responsible for driving continuous improvement and operational performance through deployment of NCE and TPM systems. This role partners cross-functionally to eliminate losses, improve equipment reliability, and strengthen operational stability while translating strategy into data-driven execution. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, cost, and delivery 
• Identify and eliminate losses using structured problem solving (DMAIC, PDCA, loss tree analysis) 
• Deploy and sustain TPM systems including CILs, centerlines, and operational routines 
• Drive Initial Production Analysis (IPA) and loss prioritization to focus on highest-impact opportunities 
• Ensure data integrity and accuracy of production, attainment, and loss reporting 
• Analyze performance data to validate losses and drive decision-making 
• Partner cross-functionally to improve equipment reliability and operational performance 
• Lead structured performance routines and ensure follow-through on actions 
• Coach teams on standard work, problem solving, and continuous improvement tools 
• Support operator capability development through training and OJT 
• Ensure improvements are sustained through standardization and leader routines 

Qualifications 

• Required: 
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field (or equivalent experience) 
• 2-4 years experience in manufacturing, operations, or continuous improvement roles 
• Knowledge of TPM, Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies 
• Experience working with manufacturing data systems and performance metrics 
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills 
• Ability to work and lead across cross-functional teams 
• Strong communication skills 

• Preferred: 
• Experience with TPM pillar activities or NCE deployment 
• Experience with loss analysis tools (IPA, Pareto, loss trees) 
• Background in high-volume manufacturing environments 
• Experience with digital tools such as SAP or Power BI 
• Proven success in loss elimination and equipment reliability improvements