If you complement your manufacturing engineering expertise with strong analytical skills and the ability to influence others, the role of Manufacturing Engineer offers you some compelling advantages. You will:

• Play a critical, newly added role where you can make an impact ensuring the processes, procedures, tools and training are in place to impact KPIs and drive improvements.
• Enjoy wide visibility as you work with other engineers, machine operators, lab technicians and others, and serve as an SME to the staff.
• Enjoy the entrepreneurial energy of a high-growth environment (note, this role is being added to accommodate our strong growth). The company is investing in the lab. We're bringing in new technology, adding resources, building best practices and more.
• Highlight your skills, talent and ability to take on additional challenges and/or advance your career with Essilor, here in Baltimore or at locations across North America and the globe. 
• Come on board at an exciting and dynamic time. Our recent merger with Luxottica has given us an unmatched global footprint in the eyewear industry and is driving positive change.
• Join an organization driven by a threefold mission: Improving lives by improving sight, Innovating for better vision, and Reaching the 2.7 billion underserved.

Chesapeake Optical Lab is one of the newest additions to the family of Essilor Industrial Hub labs. It currently produces 3,000 orders a day, supplying labs across the country. The facility has recently been approved for multiple future expansions that will bring growth across all departments and expand the daily processing capabilities to 6,000 orders a day. Quick question for you - click here

Improving Lives By Improving Sight. Essilor of America, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of eyeglass lenses in the United States, employs more than 10,000 people and operates the largest and most comprehensive optical laboratory network in the U.S. Essilor of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Paris-based Essilor International. Essilor manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Transitions®, and other brands, and our products are worn by one billion people daily.

To meet the basic qualification for this role, you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. In addition, to be a good fit for the Manufacturing Engineer opportunity, you will have:

• A bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field required; a master's degree is an advantage Quick question for you - click here
• 3-5 years of experience in:
  • Process engineering in a manufacturing environment  Quick question for you - click here
  • Data analytics or a knowledge management related field as it pertains to equipment
• Strong computer skills including:
  • Advanced Excel skills including statistical modeling
  • PowerPoint
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; experience with root cause analysis
• Ability to travel up to 10%, primarily domestically, to visit other labs, do benchmarking, etc.
• Ophthalmic lab and/or Lean experience is a plus, but not required

In addition, you will need the following competencies and characteristics:

• Ability to influence without having direct authority
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, verbal, written and active listening 
• Solid small and large group facilitation skills
• Strong organization and prioritization skills
• A hands-on approach with a continuous improvement mindset
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-growth environment; flexibility and adaptability
• A positive, team-oriented attitude

You will work days but should be willing to flex your schedule when needed to work with personnel on other shifts, participate in Kaizen events, etc. 

Reporting to the Production Manager, you will be responsible for improving Lab processes by mining data from a variety of sources, creating actionable reports, and putting in place action plans driving efficiency and quality improvements. You will develop analytical models and interactive dashboards to deliver data-based solutions, as well as provide support to lab management in the form of daily analysis of a variety of throughput and quality metrics which will help improve processes and procedures.
 
You will leverage your expertise in knowledge management to aid in the development, execution, and improvement of action plans as well as knowledge retention initiatives within the entire lab operation to improve areas such as work throughput, machine uptime, machine learning, reduction of scrap and breakage, and process improvement initiatives. In particular, you can expect to:

• Manage production issues, yield performance analysis and drive improvement plans.
• Identify and establish new work standards (PCPs, SOPs) for process improvement, and drive accountability.
• Serve as subject matter expert on processes, products, technology and equipment as it relates to lab operations.
• Develop and automate reports (basic to complex) to deliver data-driven results through daily lab operations analysis.
• Identify and implement best practices, routines and innovative solutions to improve production rates and the quality of output.
• Leverage statistical process control tools and methods to improve operations based on analytical models to analyze and interpret data for forecasting.
• Communicate findings to a variety of stakeholders including management, equipment vendors, and department employees.
• Support the deployment of automated data extraction tools to compile data models and publish to a local server or cloud-based data architecture as needed.

This description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

Make a critical impact
You'll join us in a new role as we're expanding the team, continuing to develop processes, bring in new equipment and more. You'll have the opportunity to help build the foundation and infrastructure that will last for years to come.

Great environment
You will join a team that includes dedicated, smart and mutually supportive professionals. Our culture is entrepreneurial, and the company has been innovating both technologically and to solve problems for 170 years. You'll also learn the cultural nuances of working for a company based in another country, if that's new to you.

Truly living our values
At Essilor, we believe everyone deserves to see life and all its detail with the best vision possible. That's why, in addition to designing, manufacturing and distributing quality vision care solutions worldwide, we invest in raising awareness of the importance of good vision, support eyecare professionals, invent new technologies and products, and support philanthropic initiatives. For example, the Essilor Vision Foundation partners with schools, eye doctors, and communities to provide eye exams and glasses to underserved children at no cost to their families. We also are committed to robust standards for environmental sustainability. These are just a couple of reasons we were one of the 52 companies named to Fortune magazine's 2019 Change the World list.

Excellent compensation
In addition to competitive compensation, we offer an exceptional mix of first-rate benefits, including medical, dental and vision plans; a 401(k) plan and employee stock purchase program; tuition reimbursement; comprehensive training through Essilor University; lens and frame benefits for you and your family; unlimited vacation; and more.

Video: As part of the #DifferenceMakers campaign, Essilor chose four eyecare professionals and three Essilor employees to participate in a mission trip to Southeast Asia in March 2019.

In this role, your interpersonal, communication and influencing skills will be just as important as your engineering expertise. While you won't have direct reports, you will leverage strong leadership finesse to drive improvements and gain buy-in from the team. You'll know you're meeting and exceeding KPIs such as breakage reduction. In addition, in order to be an outstanding Manufacturing Engineer, you will:

• Manage multiple activities and priorities effectively in our fast-paced, high-volume environment
• Combine analytical thinking with creativity in solving problems
• Achieve goals independently and also contribute as a collaborative and supportive team player
• Pay close attention to details while also grasping the big picture and how the details fit into it
• Remain flexible and adaptable as priorities change
• Bring safety awareness to all that you do

We're looking for a self-motivated professional who is eager to take on new challenges and has the drive to own his/her role and make an impact. If that describes you, and you meet our minimum requirements, we look forward to hearing from you.