About this role
What You'll Do
Lead the Manufacturing Engineering Function
• Lead, develop, and manage the Manufacturing Engineering team, establishing priorities, goals, and performance expectations.
• Provide technical and operational leadership to ensure manufacturing engineering activities support production, quality, cost, delivery, and business objectives.
• Establish priorities across competing engineering and operational needs and ensure resources are aligned to the highest-value opportunities.
• Develop team capabilities, identify skill gaps, and build a strong pipeline of technical talent.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and proactive problem-solving.
Drive Manufacturing and Operational Performance
• Partner with Operations leadership to improve manufacturing performance, productivity, capacity, quality, cost, and delivery.
• Establish and monitor key manufacturing performance metrics, including downtime, scrap, yield, rework, throughput, and process capability.
• Identify operational risks and constraints and lead initiatives to address them before they impact production.
• Develop and execute manufacturing strategies that improve scalability, reliability, efficiency, and resilience.
• Provide leadership during significant production issues, ensuring rapid containment, root cause identification, and sustainable corrective action.
Lead Advanced Manufacturing and Automation
• Provide technical leadership for automation, robotics, PLCs, automated assembly, and test systems.
• Identify and prioritize automation opportunities based on safety, quality, capacity, throughput, cost, and return on investment.
• Lead the evaluation, development, implementation, and optimization of advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Partner with Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, and external vendors to improve equipment reliability and manufacturing capability.
• Ensure automation and manufacturing systems are properly validated, documented, maintained, and supported.
Drive Continuous Improvement
• Establish and lead Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Sponsor and oversee improvement projects focused on productivity, quality, cost reduction, waste elimination, and process stability.
• Ensure improvement efforts are supported by data, measurable objectives, and sustainable results.
• Promote standardization, simplification, mistake-proofing, and scalable manufacturing practices.
• Build a culture where employees proactively identify and resolve opportunities for improvement.
Own Manufacturing Process Development
• Oversee the development, optimization, and validation of manufacturing processes, tooling, work instructions, routings, and production methods.
• Ensure manufacturing processes are robust, repeatable, capable, and aligned with quality and production requirements.
• Provide manufacturing engineering leadership for New Product Introduction (NPI), including DFM/DFA reviews, process development, equipment selection, and process validation.
• Ensure manufacturing readiness for new products, processes, equipment, and production transfers.
• Establish appropriate controls and documentation to ensure long-term process stability.
Lead Problem Resolution and Risk Management
• Provide leadership for complex manufacturing problems involving equipment, tooling, automation, materials, processes, and product performance.
• Ensure effective root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action for recurring or significant issues.
• Use production data and cross-functional input to identify trends, systemic issues, and emerging operational risks.
• Establish control plans, standard work, monitoring systems, and other mechanisms to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure significant manufacturing issues are appropriately escalated, communicated, and resolved.
Collaborate Across the Organization
• Partner closely with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Product Engineering, Program Management, and other functions to achieve business objectives.
• Represent Manufacturing Engineering in cross-functional initiatives, product development programs, operational reviews, and strategic planning.
• Support quality investigations, CAPA, audits, and regulatory requirements.
• Work with Finance and Operations to develop business cases and evaluate capital investments, automation projects, and other manufacturing improvements.
• Build strong relationships across functions and ensure engineering priorities remain aligned with operational and business needs.
Build the Future of Manufacturing
• Develop and execute a forward-looking manufacturing engineering roadmap aligned with business growth and technology strategy.
• Identify opportunities to increase manufacturing capability, capacity, automation, flexibility, and scalability.
• Evaluate emerging manufacturing technologies and determine where they can provide meaningful business value.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen long-term manufacturing capability and support growth in a high-tech manufacturing environment.
What You Bring
• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, Electrical, or related engineering field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, operations engineering, or a related manufacturing environment, with demonstrated leadership experience.
• Experience managing, mentoring, or leading engineering professionals and technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing engineering initiatives from concept through implementation and sustaining performance.
• Strong understanding of advanced manufacturing processes, automation, controls, equipment, and production systems.
• Experience with PLCs, robotics, automated assembly/test equipment, or other manufacturing automation technologies.
• Demonstrated experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Experience with NPI, DFM/DFA, process validation, tooling, and manufacturing readiness.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional projects and influence stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to balance technical solutions with quality, cost, capacity, schedule, and operational requirements.
• Excellent communication, organizational, decision-making, and leadership skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-tech manufacturing environment and manage multiple priorities.
Leadership Expectations
• Develop and retain a high-performing Manufacturing Engineering team.
• Set clear expectations and hold team members accountable for results.
• Coach and develop engineers and technical personnel to expand both technical capability and leadership skills.
• Make sound decisions based on data, business priorities, and technical judgment.
• Create alignment between Manufacturing Engineering and broader Operations objectives.
• Lead through influence and collaboration while maintaining accountability for engineering outcomes.
• Champion a culture of safety, quality, innovation, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
What We Offer:
We appreciate that our employees work diligently to contribute to our success as an organization. We also recognize the importance of work-life balance and therefore developed a competitive total rewards package including programs that offer employees flexibility to balance their work and life including:
• 9/80 work schedule – enjoy every other Friday off!
• Flexible Vacation – employees can take time off as is reasonably needed
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability plans.
• HRA (for PPO plan participants) /HSA (Health Savings Account for high deductible plan participants) contribution
• 401K with company match and immediate vesting
• Continuous Education Assistance
• Supportive culture that values innovation, collaboration, and excellence