Continuous Improvement Senior Engineer

Join Our Team At Cohu Malaysia, we are committed to driving innovation and excellence in the semiconductor industry. Our mission is to create a dynamic and inclusive work environment where every team member feels a sense of belonging and has the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. By joining us, you will be part of a collaborative and forward-thinking workforce dedicated to shaping the future of technology. Unleash your Potential We are looking for a Continuous Improvement Senior Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will contribute to the to ensuring product and process quality through validation, inspection, data analysis, and cross‑functional collaboration to support manufacturing excellence and customer satisfaction. Impact You Will Make Lean Six Sigma Deployment • Lead Yellow Belt and Green Belt training delivery at the Malaysia site — scheduling, facilitation, and certification tracking aligned to the global Continuous Improvement curriculum. • Coach and support active DMAIC and Kaizen projects from project definition through formal closure, including completion of the Financial Benefit Form for each closed project. • Maintain and update the site Continuous Improvement project tracker — ensuring all active projects have defined scope, owner, timeline, and financial target. • Facilitate Kaizen events at the Malaysia site including VSM, 5S, Standard Work, and Lead Time Improvement workshops. • Support Measurement System Analysis (MSA) activities at the Malaysia site, including GR&R and AR&R studies with suppliers. Efficiency Improvement and Lead Time Reduction • Drive measurable improvements in process efficiency and lead time — identifying waste, eliminating non-value-added steps, and documenting before and after performance using cycle time, throughput, on-time delivery, and process yield as primary metrics. • Maintain an improvement tracker capturing baseline, target state, and actual results for efficiency and lead time KPIs. Cost impact is tracked as a secondary output and translated into financial benefit estimates where applicable. • Submit monthly improvement summary to the Senior Manager, Continuous Improvement & Analytics for inclusion in the global Continuous Improvement scorecard. • Support quarterly business review preparation — presenting Continuous Improvement project status, efficiency and lead time results, and belt training progress to Malaysia site leadership. Continuous Improvement Culture and Belt Training • Develop and maintain a site Continuous Improvement calendar — training schedules, Kaizen event dates, project review cadences, and WB/YB/GB certification timelines. • Build and maintain relationships with site quality, operations, and engineering leads — acting as the trusted Continuous Improvement partner for the Malaysia site. • Identify and develop site Continuous Improvement champions within the operations and quality teams — building a network of improvement advocates who can sustain Continuous Improvement activity between formal events. Standard Work and Documentation • Ensure that all Continuous Improvement project improvements are documented in Standard Work Instructions (SWIs) and that documentation is completed to the Cohu quality standard before project closure. • Maintain a site Continuous Improvement knowledge base — VSMs, SWIs, Kaizen newspapers, project charters, and closure reports — accessible to site leadership and the global Continuous Improvement team. • Support the creation of process flow maps, value stream maps, and control plans as required for active improvement projects. Root Cause Problem Solving (RCPS) • Coach and support site quality and operations teams in applying RCPS methodology — building problem-solving capability at the team level so that root cause analysis is embedded in daily operations, not dependent on the Continuous Improvement function alone. • Identify repeat and systemic issues through trend analysis of QI and 8D data — escalating chronic problems for DMAIC or Kaizen intervention rather than onetime corrective action. AI and Data Enablement (Emerging Scope) • Complete at least one AI-assisted Continuous Improvement project per year with documented efficiency improvement or lead time reduction. • Use AI tools (including Microsoft Copilot and approved enterprise AI platforms) to accelerate Continuous Improvement documentation, root cause analysis, and site metrics reporting. • Support integration of real-time SPC monitoring at the Malaysia site — working with the Data Analytics team to connect process data to Continuous Improvement decision-making. • Maintain proactive communication with management, cross-functional teams, and suppliers. • Protect all intellectual property of the customer and company. • Perform other ad-hoc assignments according to business needs. Our Ideal Candidate • Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Electrical, or related discipline). • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification (ASQ, IASSC, or equivalent). • Minimum 3 years of Continuous Improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma experience in a manufacturing environment. • Proven experience independently facilitating Kaizen events and Lean transformation initiatives. • Successfully completed at least one full DMAIC project with measurable quality, lead time, productivity, or financial improvements. • Experience in semiconductor, electronics, industrial equipment, or precision manufacturing environments. • Practical knowledge of Lean methodologies including 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, SMED, Kanban, Visual Management, and process flow design. • Proficiency in Six Sigma and statistical tools including DMAIC, FMEA, Control Charts, Pareto Analysis, Hypothesis Testing, DOE, SPC, and MSA/GR&R. • Working knowledge of Minitab, JMP, or equivalent statistical software. • Strong root cause problem-solving skills using 8D, 5-Why, Fault Tree Analysis, and corrective a…