Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer

Stryker · Kalamazoo, MI

Level: Senior
Team: Lean / CI
Base pay: $78k–$130k
Travel: 10%
Degree: Required
Experience asked: 2+ years
Industry: Medical devices
Posted: 30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A senior continuous improvement role at Stryker (medical devices) in Kalamazoo, MI. Lead and co-facilitate value stream mapping workshops and kaizen events to identify opportunities for operational improvement.

They ask for: 2+ years · degree required
Tools it names: Lean, Kaizen, Value stream mapping, Root cause
Base pay: $78k–$130k
Day to day: about 10% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

It asks for 2+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

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How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at Stryker
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Scott → (free)
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
- Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
- The posting says about 10% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

About the role

What You Will Do

◆Lead and co-facilitate value stream mapping workshops and kaizen events to identify opportunities for operational improvement.
◆Implement future-state process improvements that reduce lead times, changeover times, inventory levels, and other key lean performance metrics.
◆Design and optimize material and workflow systems between manufacturing work cells to improve production flow and efficiency.
◆Partner with Finance and operational teams to quantify, track, and report cost reduction and productivity improvement results.
◆Coach and train employees on lean manufacturing principles, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies while personally executing improvement projects.

Required

✓Bachelor’s degree required.
✓Minimum 2 years of professional experience in manufacturing, engineering, operations, continuous improvement, or a related field.
✓Minimum 2 years of experience supporting process improvement, operational excellence, or lean manufacturing initiatives.

Show full description ↓

As a Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer, you will support manufacturing operations by analyzing processes, leading improvement initiatives, and driving measurable results across production systems. This position combines hands-on execution with cross-functional collaboration to optimize performance in a regulated manufacturing environment.

Preferred

+Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
+Lean Manufacturing certification.
+Experience working in a highly regulated industry such as medical device, pharmaceutical, aerospace, or similar manufacturing environments.
+Experience leading value stream mapping, kaizen events, or productivity improvement projects.
+Experience analyzing operational metrics and implementing process improvements that improve efficiency, quality, or cost performance.

United States of America Pay Ranges

$77,700 - $129,500 USD Annual

Stryker Corporation will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.