Operational Excellence Engineer

Lyka is an Australian founded pet wellness company that's shaking up an outdated industry and paving the way for happier, healthier pets. Despite medical advancements, animal lifespans are on the decline. Today, the average pet only reaches 37% of their full potential lifespan and statistics have shown us that many suffer from dental disease, cancer, and obesity. Simply put, the status quo is not enough.

As humans, we've experienced firsthand the positive impact fresh wholefoods can have on our health and wellbeing, and we believe our furry friends deserve the same. We're on a mission to do just that, starting with nutritionally balanced, wholefood meals delivered direct to doors around Australia. As the world's most sustainable pet wellness company, we're putting pets and our planet first - one bowl at a time.

Today, we are proud to share we've served over 50 million meals to puppers and their parents across Australia, and this is just the beginning. Our vision is to create multiple nutritional products, adding disease prevention meals and supplements, and expand into new markets.

Currently, we have a team of 250+ pet-obsessed people, and we're continuing to grow (yes, looking at you). These carefully selected people are dedicated to building the next generation of technology and products to help empower pet parents to take control over their pet's wellbeing.

Our Mission

The time we share with our pets is being cut short. Despite medical advancements, they're getting sicker earlier. They're dying prematurely. The industry has it backwards - prioritising treating symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. That's where we come in.

At Lyka, we take a preventative, holistic and personalised approach to pet care. We look at the full picture, factoring in the diet, lifestyle and environment of each individual animal.

We don't stop at symptoms, instead we dig for the root cause. We create nutrition plans unique to each pet, because it's not just about living longer, but living well too.

Our mission is to increase the lifespan of dogs and cats.

The Role

Reporting to our Operational Excellence Lead, the Operational Excellence Engineer will take ownership and lead the deployment of Lyka's Operational Manufacturing System (LOMS) methodology across all sites.

Responsibilities

• Drive Operational Excellence practices, problem-solving, and corrective and preventative action of day-to-day issues that impact safety, quality, and performance.
• Conduct daily Gemba walks to ensure that standards are being followed and provide continuous coaching and mentoring to the shop floor team to foster a growth mindset for continuous improvement.
• Develop, launch, continuously update and train teams on relevant standards, including Autonomous Maintenance, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), centerlining, and others included in Lyka's LOMS.
• Provide day-to-day and strategic support to the Manufacturing team to achieve key performance indicators (KPIs), including safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Lead production trials aiming to improve the different elements of the Gross Margin, giving support to other Stream Drivers.
• Participate in new CAPEX projects and New Product Development (NPD), supporting Engineering and R&D, ensuring that relevant standards are updated, and transitions are smooth and effective (Business as Usual).
• Live and work in accordance with Lyka's values and principles at the workplace.

Requirements

• Degree in an Engineering discipline (preferably Industrial).
• 3-5 years' experience in a fast-paced FMCG environment and Lean Manufacturing, along with implementing Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other relevant Operational Excellence certifications will be highly regarded.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; a hands-on approach and the ability to engage others, including shop floor teams, in embedding the new initiatives into their BAU activities.
• Experience in training and facilitation (learn, do, teach) of Lean Manufacturing Fundamentals and Operational Excellence principles.
• Self-motivated, with a team orientation, displaying a flexible approach in supporting the M&SC team and Lyka to achieve its goals.

Benefits

• Work in a fast-growing start-up, experiencing what goes behind the scenes to sustain hyper-growth for a start-up with a physical product
• Growth and Development - Lyka is growing extremely quickly, which means you will have the opportunity to experience different challenges every day and progressively acquire more responsibilities as our facility and team expands. We provide an annual budget for you to continue your personal development.
• Work for a sustainability focused company - we care about the health of our pets and our planet. We're proud to be Australia's only carbon-negative and plastic-negative pet company and we're always looking at ways for us improve sustainability practices.
• Be part of a diverse top talent team, coming from widely different backgrounds and geographies.
• Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave top-up.
• Wellbeing assistance and tools to take care of your mental and physical wellbeing so you can do your best work.
• Pupper parent support to care for your furry friends - flexible arrangements for new pets, pet-friendly offices, discounts, and financial allowance for dog training & care to help them live their best life.

We are committed to building inclusive and diverse teams

Lyka is an equal opportunity employer devoted to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. We celebrate diversity, are devoted to creating an inclusive environment for all staff and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.

Mid-Senior level

Full-time

Manufacturing

Technology, Information and Internet