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Continuous Improvement Engineer

Cranford, NJ

Hi, we're Nuts.com!

Nuts.com is a self-funded, profitable, rapidly growing multi-channel DTC specialty food and wellness company with over 550 people on our team. We're changing the landscape of snacking on nuts, dried fruit, chocolate and more! We planted our roots in Newark, New Jersey during the Great Depression, selling premium nuts on Mulberry Street's open-air market. We've come quite a long way since then, taking our multi-generational family business online in 1999. Even after 96 years, we continue to pride ourselves in expertly sourcing the highest quality foods and treating our customers like family.

What's our team like? We're driven, collaborative and entrepreneurial. Energy and passion power our business and we look for candidates who share in that excitement to help us continue to build something special.

The role:

The Continuous Improvement Engineer is a strategic leader responsible for driving operational excellence initiatives across productivity, yield, labor efficiency, quality, and safety. This role leads the coordination and execution of improvement projects in receiving, roasting, filling, fulfillment, and inventory, while working closely with cross-functional stakeholders. The Continuous Improvement Engineer is accountable for prioritizing and delivering high-impact projects across systems, people, and processes that directly support the company’s operational and business objectives. The role ensures compliance with food safety standards (GMP, HACCP, FSMA, and related regulations), while embedding a culture of continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, and accountability across operations. The Continuous Improvement Engineer reports to the Director of Operations. 

What you'll do:

Performance & Metrics

  • Maintain, update, and communicate performance metrics across all warehouse and production teams.
  • Build and manage dashboards (in Looker or equivalent BI tools) to create a single source of truth and drive visibility of KPIs, trends, and improvement opportunities.
  • Present operational KPIs at Ops meetings, Weekly Business Reviews, and other strategic forums.

Yield & Efficiency Improvement

  • Develop and own yield improvement roadmaps, translating strategy into executable projects that reduce waste, maximize throughput, and deliver measurable cost savings.
  • Lead labor efficiency improvement initiatives, building and executing projects that increase productivity per labor hour and reduce cost per piece.
  • Perform statistical analysis and build statistical process control (SPC) programs to monitor variability, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions.

Continuous Improvement & Kaizen

  • Act as the point leader for all Kaizen activities—facilitating workshops, training teams, and ensuring follow-through on identified improvement actions.
  • Drive a pipeline of near-term and long-term CI projects, ranging from strategic to tactical, to support operational goals.
  • Partner with operators, supervisors, and senior leadership to identify improvement opportunities and align on project prioritization.

Project Management & Execution

  • Research, develop, and lead cross-functional projects focused on the boldest and highest-impact solutions.
  • Manage projects end-to-end, from business case development and financial modeling through execution and post-implementation measurement.
  • Support day-to-day operations as needed, occasionally working alongside operators during demand spikes to identify improvement opportunities firsthand.

Data Analysis & Reporting

  • Conduct ad hoc analyses using data from multiple sources; translate insights into actionable recommendations.
  • Create financial models to quantify the impact of proposed projects.
  • Collaborate with the Data team to ensure data accuracy and consistency across operational reporting.

Food Safety & Compliance

  • Ensure team adherence to food safety policies and practices, escalating concerns to the Food Safety Manager when required.
  • Implement corrective actions related to food safety as needed.
  • Support training, SOP adherence, and process audits to reinforce food safety and compliance culture.

What you’ll bring:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial or Chemical preferred), Operations Management, Supply Chain, Food Science, or a related field (Master’s or MBA a plus).
  • 7–9+ years of progressive experience in operations, manufacturing, supply chain, or continuous improvement roles, preferably in food, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or regulated manufacturing environments.
  • Proven track record of leading yield and labor efficiency improvement projects that delivered measurable results.
  • Demonstrated experience facilitating Kaizen events, building Lean programs, and embedding a continuous improvement culture across teams.
  • Green Belt or Black Belt certification is strongly preferred.
  • Strong analytical and financial modeling skills with the ability to quantify the ROI and impact of projects.
  • Skilled in building and maintaining dashboards and reporting tools (Looker, Tableau, Power BI, or equivalent).
  • Exceptional communication and presentation skills; able to clearly convey complex data and recommendations to frontline staff, peers, and executives (up to CEO level).
  • Hands-on leadership style with the ability to engage directly on the floor and partner effectively with operators, supervisors, and cross-functional leaders.
  • Ability to influence without authority and foster collaboration across departments.
  • Proven capability to build a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
  • Familiarity with food safety and regulatory standards including GMP, HACCP, FSMA, and OSHA.
  • Experience integrating compliance into process improvement initiatives.

What we offer

  • A high-growth and rewarding role in a foundationally strong and rapidly evolving business
  • Annual Salary Range: $130,000 - $145,000 plus annual bonus
  • Excellent benefits including a 401K Match
  • Paid Maternity, Adoption and Paternity leave
  • And all the Nuts.com snacks your heart desires + a 40% employee discount

 

EEO STATEMENT

Nuts.com is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, immigration status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should reach out to us at people@nuts.com

 

 

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