Lean Manufacturing Engineer

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At the core of Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ operations is its Patient Trust Responsibility (PTR) business philosophy, which underscores the company’s commitment to patients, ethical practices, and social responsibility. Takeda places patients at the heart of its work, ensuring that business decisions prioritize patient needs, safety, and well-being while promoting transparency, trust, and accountability.

As part of the Plasma-Derived Therapies business unit, Takeda’s Los Angeles production facility plays a critical role in supplying essential, lifesaving therapeutics to patients globally. The facility is focused on stabilizing production systems and improving productivity.

The Lean Manufacturing Engineer will provide guidance and coaching in strategically important areas, optimize processes, increase productivity, and support the site’s growth strategy. This role helps ensure ongoing safety, product quality, and compliance while optimizing complex processes and systems across the value stream.

The position primarily supports large-scale, automated, multistep batch processes with significant manual operations. The incumbent will analyze processes and systems, make improvement opportunities visible, and drive actions to realize and sustain those improvements, particularly within the production environment.

The role will interpret Takeda’s standard lean operating system, guide its appropriate application with a clear focus on value creation, and collaborate with other sites and global support teams to improve operating-system standards. 

• Use Lean, manufacturing engineering, and industrial engineering tools to advance the site’s transformation objectives.
• Understand the strategic context, current state, and relevant systems to identify opportunities aligned with site strategy.

• Create new analytical models and enhance existing models to generate actionable insights.

• Build organizational support and momentum for key initiatives.

• Lead and coach teams to implement change and develop Lean capabilities.

• Ensure improvement outcomes are achieved, visible, sustained, and integrated into daily operations.

• Connect and collaborate with global, regional, and Operating Unit groups to bring leading practices to the site and share successful site practices with others.

• Enhance existing pull systems and continue replacing push-based processes with flow and pull.

• Champion change and apply strong root-cause problem-solving and continuous-improvement methods.

• Integrate effective organizational change management into every improvement initiative.

• Research, test, and implement process improvements while maintaining safety, quality, and compliance with applicable regulations and standards.

• Play an integral role in planning and executing the 2025 and 2027 production-capacity increases, with a focus on scalability and sustainability.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to address capacity-expansion and operational-excellence challenges.

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in science, engineering, or another related technical field, and 6+ years of related experience.

• 5+ years of experience deploying and coaching Lean as part of a manufacturing or industrial engineering role.

• Demonstrated passion for challenging the status quo and improving operations.

• Proficiency in manufacturing-system analysis and statistical analysis.

• Strong negotiation, influencing, consultation, and facilitation skills.

• Demonstrated structured, logical, critical, and analytical thinking.

• Confidence coaching, leading, and guiding others.

• Self-motivation and self-direction, with a demonstrated record of results.

• Demonstrated leadership and mentoring skills, including the ability to lead and motivate teams toward business goals.

• Advanced digital and data skills, including visualization tools such as Excel, Power BI, or Qlik Sense; analytical tools such as Minitab, Python, or R Shiny; and exposure to cloud data systems.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.

• Strong organizational and project-management capabilities, with knowledge of manufacturing processes and continuous-improvement approaches.

• Ability to train others and work effectively with employees at all levels.

• Ability to work extended hours and various shifts as needed.

Preferred:

• Lean certification.

• Experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.

• Experience in a process industry.

• Experience in an FDA-regulated environment, Good Manufacturing Practices, and ISO 9001.

• For supervisory positions, 1+ year of supervisory experience.

Core Competencies

• Lean Leadership: Translates Lean principles into practical improvements and coaches teams to build sustainable capabilities.

• Analytical Problem Solving: Uses manufacturing-system analysis, statistics, root-cause methods, and data visualization to identify and prioritize opportunities.

• Change Leadership: Builds support for new ways of working and incorporates organizational change management into improvement initiatives.

• Collaboration and Influence: Works across functions, sites, regions, and Operating Units to align stakeholders and share effective practices.

• Execution and Sustainability: Ensures outcomes are measurable, visible, scalable, and sustained through disciplined follow-through.

• Communication and Facilitation: Presents complex information clearly, facilitates productive discussions, and trains employees at all organizational levels.

Work environment and physical requirements

• Must be able to lift, push, pull, and carry up to 10 pounds.

• The position generally requires a combination of sedentary work and walking through the facility to observe conditions.

• Must be able to work in controlled environments requiring special gowning and protective clothing over the head, face, hands, feet, and body.

• No makeup, jewelry, contact lenses, nail polish, or artificial fingernails may be worn in controlled manufacturing environments.

• The manufacturing environment may be cold and wet.

• May be required to work in confined areas.

• Some work occurs in clean-room environments and in cool or hot storage conditions.

Schedule requirements

• The site operates 24/7, and the incumbent must be able to work multiple shifts, including weekends, as needed.

• Must be able to work extended hours and various shifts based on business needs.

More about us:

At Takeda, we are transforming patient care through the development of novel specialty pharmaceuticals and best-in-class patient support programs. Takeda is a patient-focused company that will inspire and empower you to grow through life-changing work. 

Certified as a Global Top Employer, Takeda offers stimulating careers, encourages innovation, and strives for excellence in everything we do. We foster an inclusive, collaborative workplace in which our teams are united by an unwavering commitment to deliver Better Health and a Brighter Future to people around the world.

Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. We are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices. 

For Location:

U.S. Base Salary Range:

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location. 

For information about our benefits, please click here.

EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

Job Exempt