Manufacturing Optimization Specialist

Brampton, ON
On-site
Posted Oct 1, 2026
1 position

$78,600–$98,300 / year

Opens LinkedIn

Employment type: Full-time
Experience level: Mid-level · 2+ years
Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree
Posting language: English
Working hours: 40 hours per week
Seniority: Mid-Senior level

Job summary

Analyze plant performance indicators and manufacturing and maintenance processes to identify performance losses, bottlenecks, and opportunities to improve safety, quality, productivity, equipment effectiveness, and reliability. Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives, implement corrective actions and engineered solutions, and coordinate with production, maintenance, and other teams to sustain performance gains.

Job details

About Us Welcome to Lactalis Canada! We’re proud to be Canada’s #1 branded dairy company and to be consistently recognized as one of the country’s top employers by Forbes. Our purpose is to enrich and nurture the lives of Canadians by offering the best of dairy from Canada’s favourite dairy brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. In fact, our products can be found in over 90% of Canadian refrigerators in any given time. As part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, we remain focused on innovation and quality and are seeking like-minded individuals to join us as we continue our growth journey. Job Purpose Located out of our Brampton plant, through assessment of plant Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), the Manufacturing Optimization Specialist initiates investigations and measurements to identify opportunities to improve overall performance in the areas of Safety, Quality, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), capacity utilization, labour costs, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Develop and implement corrective actions or Continuous Improvements (CI’s) and reports on results of process improvements Responsibility Promote a focus on excellence and remain updated on plant KPI’s to identify opportunities for improvement through use of problem analysis. Conduct measurements and trending analysis on manufacturing and maintenance processes to determine root cause of performance loss. Identify manufacturing and maintenance bottlenecks and determine optimum performance speeds and labour crewing. Recommend procedural and/or process changes, while implementing same to improve overall performance eg. SOP development and applicable training. Develop multi functional CI teams and liaise with other departments for the setup and execution of initiatives including improving overall crewing performance, CI trials and process improvements. Conduct safety assessments on work performed in production with the Joint Health & Safety Committee, Operators, Supervisors, etc., provide recommendations, and implement any necessary improvements. Act as liaison between production and maintenance during implementation of changes in Project Management (PM) programs, sanitary maintenance program, or troubleshooting of equipment performance issues to ensure smooth completion. Liaise with internal/external resources to design and implement engineered solutions to improve line OEE. Identify the pro-active maintenance requirements for assets to increase plant productivity, maximize reliability performance in a sustainable way. Carry out investigations into failures to eliminate their root causes. Identify and implement opportunities for improvement of Asset Health to optimize plant up time. Support maintenance tasks aligned with the reliability improvement: improvement tasks, inventory management, Root Cause Analysist (RCA), Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), 5Why, 5S), eMoc and maintenance skills improvement. Qualifications Engineering degree ( Preferably mechanical or Industrial ), B.Sc., or equivalent relevant work experience Minimum three (3) years of experience in production operations, with high speed packaging equipment Experience in leading work teams in continuous improvement Experience in motivating employees and in working in a team culture to development employee involvement (preferably in a unionized environment) Experience in generation of specification for new equipment and commissioning of new equipment Knowledge of engineering and continuous improvement with high speed packaging, integration of lines with multiple automated equipment Organizational , communication and coaching skills Excellent team leadership skills Excellent problem solving and decision making skills Good presentation skills Proficient with standard office computer technology such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Office products, as well as CAD, SAP and experience with automation Ability to produce financial analysis reports Detail oriented What Lactalis Will Offer Lactalis Canada believes in rewarding its people with the following comprehensive benefits package and perks: A Competitive Base Salary A Performance-Based Bonus System 4 Weeks of Vacation Benefits starting day 1 A Pension Program with an Employer Match at 100% of up to 6% Tuition reimbursement plan of up to $3,000/year A Volunteer Day to give back to your community Learning and Development opportunities A commitment to internal career advancement with potential for international mobility Our ESG Commitment Our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) roadmap drives our sustainability mission. We aim to positively impact communities and the planet by enabling stakeholders including our people, consumers, customers, suppliers, dairy farmers, government, and industry partners to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our communities and the planet through all that we do. At Lactalis Canada, we value our employees as catalysts for positive change. Together, we will create a sustainable future, promote belonging, and make a lasting impact on the world. Our Commitment To DEI Fuel Our Culture with Your Uniqueness! Lactalis thrives on the value each person brings. We're dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, inviting personal and professional growth, and embracing everyone's true selves. We're committed to crafting an environment that genuinely welcomes all, reflecting the richness of our people and communities. We apply an equal access to employment program and invite women, aboriginal people, visible minorities, and people with disabilities to apply. Our promise extends to accessible processes and spaces. If you require accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary, or permanent), please inform our Talent Acquisition team – confidentiality will be maintained. Note: Lactalis Canada does not conduct credit or background checks through LinkedIn. If required, we'll contact you after signing a Job Offer. Compensation As part of our commitment to fairness, trust, and transparency and our ambition to be an Employer of Choice, the base salary range for this position is: $78,600.00–$98,300.00 . Please note: Along with a comprehensive Total Rewards package, your actual base salary will be fair, competitive, and be based on your skills, experience, and qualifications.

What you’ll do

Requirements

Requires an engineering degree, preferably in mechanical or industrial engineering, a B.Sc., or equivalent relevant experience, along with at least three years of production operations experience involving high-speed packaging equipment. Candidates should have experience leading continuous improvement teams and commissioning equipment, plus strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills and familiarity with tools such as SAP, CAD, and Microsoft Office.