About the Voith Group

The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of € 5,2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

Voith Paper is Hiring For:

Operational Excellence (OPEX) Expert 
2200 North Roemer Road, Appleton, WI 54911
 

Interested to learn about Voith? Check out our video "Voith careers" on YouTube.

Reasons you’ll love working here: 

• Flexibility with Work/Life Balance 
• Competitive Compensation and Benefits Package 
• 401K with generous company match 
• Climate-Neutral Footprint Worldwide 
• Tuition reimbursement 

Summary:

The Operational Excellence Expert plays a hands-on role in improving processes, increasing productivity, and reducing waste within a manufacturing environment. This team member will lead improvement projects and collaborate closely with production teams, maintenance, quality, continuous improvement, and leadership. The focus is on practical problem-solving, empowering employees, and building sustainable improvements.

This role is essential in helping the company grow, improve efficiency, reduce cost, and stay competitive. You won’t just suggest improvements — you’ll help build, test, and implement them directly with the people who run the machines, equipment, and assembly every day.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate current manufacturing processes to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and quality issues.
• Focus on practical improvements through small, impactful changes.
• Develop practical solutions such as improved workflow layouts, reduced setup times (SMED), visual work instructions, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Lead small to large scale and high-impact improvement projects using Lean, Kaizen, and Six Sigma tools.
• Work directly on the shop floor with operators, team leads, and maintenance to solve problems.
• Encourage shop-floor ownership of improvements rather than ‘top-down’ initiatives.
• Train and coach employees on Lean basics, 5S, problem-solving, and waste identification.
• Collect operational data (OEE, cycle time, scrap, downtime, throughput) and turn it into meaningful insights.
• Maintain and develop KPI dashboards including Digital shop floor boards (DSFM).
• Track project timelines, operational savings, and results; communicate updates in a simple and clear manner to management.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, problem-solving sessions, and 5S improvements.
• Follow up on improvement actions and verify sustained performance.

Key Success Indicators:

• Increase in productivity and throughput.
• Improved 5S adherence and overall shop floor organization.
• Reduction in scrap, rework, setup time, or changeovers.
• Number of completed improvement projects with measurable/visible results.
• Increased employee participation in improvement efforts.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Self-starter who can manage multiple improvement projects with minimal supervision.
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with colleagues from different cultures and international locations (e.g., Germany), demonstrating adaptability and professionalism in cross-regional teamwork.
• Exhibits proficiency in engaging with people at every level within the organization.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and advanced data analysis.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or similar — OR equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent experience preferred
• 5+ years in a manufacturing or industrial environment preferred
• Strong knowledge of machining, welding, and fabrication processes in an active manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing (5S, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, SMED, Standard Work).

Physical Requirements:

• Combination of office work and frequent presence on the production floor.
• Must be able to walk, stand, bend, and observe processes.
• Occasional lifting of up to 25–30 lbs and wearing required PPE (safety shoes, glasses, ear protection).

* This job description is not all encompassing; however, it is intended to be a general description of the responsibilities of this position.

Don’t meet every single requirement but think you would be a good fit for our team? We encourage you to apply – your unique skills may be just what we need for this or other roles!

Voith US Inc. is an EEO/AA/VEVRAA compliant Federal Contractor and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in the industry including people of color, LGBTQI+ community, women, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), Veterans, people of any age or family status. We embrace the competitive advantage that diversity brings and we strive to create a working environment that is inclusive of thought and talent.