Intern, Continuous Improvement

Job Summary: 

The Intern, Continuous Improvement will assist the Wilder, ID plant in developing processes to produce food products more efficiently. The success of this role will be measured through improved performance in Food Safety, Quality, and productivity. The Intern will assist in a variety of assigned tasks including but not limited to supporting the current plant projects, initiating, and supporting continuous improvement efforts, gathering and analyzing data, and assisting in investigating and solving plant reliability issues. This role will own target setting and target adjustments of KPIs including Direct Labor, Yield, Throughput, and Pounds per Direct Labor Hour. Target setting will be data based through using tools such as RedZone. The role includes significant time on the Plant Floor. This role will also partner with Engineering to support current projects, work area layout for ease of production, cleaning, and maintenance.

Duties and Essential Job Functions:

1. Leverage “Red Zone” to enhance automation and data collection while also enabling best-practice replication and Continuous Improvement Opportunities.
2. Supports a culture with our programs to ensure our hourly workforce is engaging in improving their work, the processes, our safety, Quality, and Cost.
3. Works with the plant project engineer/maintenance team on assigned capital projects.
4. Assists in the making, revising, and maintaining of plant drawings. (Using AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar).
5. Hands-on participation in new product development and engineering improvements to current processes, including cost reduction, manufacturability, functionality, and quality.
6. Actively participate and engage with other plant leaders for best practice sharing and replication for areas such as network optimization and asset efficiency.
7. Lead continuous improvement efforts around plant performance, people and processes to execute on current goals and to prepare for future growth.
8. Apply knowledge of process optimization and root cause analyses to project implementations and maintenance activity as needed.
9. Any other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• 1-3 years of engineering or applicable experience is preferred. 
• Mechanical and Electrical engineering are preferred. 
• Previous intern experience or similar work experience preferred. 
• Demonstrated experience in organizational and process improvement, ideally with using Lean, Kaizen, and Six Sigma concepts preferred
• Must have strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to apply understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. 
• Involvement in research groups/projects outside of required classes preferred. 
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously adhering to set deadlines. 
• Ability to follow direction as assigned by plant leadership. 
• Ability to work safely and follow all plant safety policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of necessary administrative duties to maintain and organize records, reports, or other information.
• Applicant must be well-organized, detail-oriented, and a self-starter with demonstrated capacity to learn new technologies and work successfully in a team environment

Physical Requirements: 

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; stoop, talk or hear and will be working from heights. The employee is occasionally required to sit and taste/smell; and frequently required to climb and must be able to reach all levels in the bay. The employee will frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and regularly lifts to 50 pounds. 

Work Environment: 

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and moving mechanical parts. The employee is frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee is occasionally exposed to high, precarious places; toxic or caustic chemicals; extreme cold; extreme heat and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud and requires that hearing protection be worn in production areas at all times.