Manufacturing Engineering Manager

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager is responsible for leading manufacturing engineering and supporting day-to-day production floor operations. This role provides technical and operational leadership across manufacturing processes, equipment, New Product Introduction (NPI), quality, EHS, RMA activities, cost improvement, and continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with a broad manufacturing background who can effectively manage people, processes, and technical challenges while working cross-functionally to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall manufacturing performance.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Engineering & Floor Operations:

• Provide technical leadership and engineering support for day-to-day manufacturing and production floor activities.
• Oversee the development, implementation, and optimization of manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, and production methods.
• Troubleshoot manufacturing issues and drive effective solutions to minimize production disruptions.
• Identify manufacturing bottlenecks and implement solutions to improve productivity, efficiency, and product flow.
• Ensure manufacturing processes are properly documented, controlled, and consistently executed.
• Partner with production teams to improve operational performance and manufacturing readiness.

Team Leadership:

• Lead, develop, and mentor a team of manufacturing engineers and technicians.
• Recruit, hire, train, and develop technical staff to support current and future manufacturing requirements.
• Provide technical direction, coaching, and support in resolving complex manufacturing issues.
• Establish team priorities and ensure engineering resources are aligned with production and business needs.
• Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

New Product Introduction (NPI):

• Lead manufacturing engineering activities associated with New Product Introduction from development through production release.
• Partner with design engineering and other cross-functional teams to ensure products are designed for efficient and reliable manufacturing.
• Develop and manage manufacturing readiness plans, schedules, resources, and project deliverables.
• Ensure manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, materials, documentation, quality requirements, and supply chain needs are ready for production.
• Identify and resolve manufacturing risks prior to production release.
• Manage the transition of new products from development into full production.

Process Improvement & Cost Reduction:

• Lead Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs, improve cycle times, increase throughput, and eliminate waste.
• Analyze manufacturing data and operational metrics to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Develop and implement process improvements that enhance quality, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Drive corrective and preventive actions to address recurring production issues.

Quality:

• Partner with Quality and Operations to ensure products and manufacturing processes meet established specifications and quality standards.
• Support the development and improvement of manufacturing quality systems, procedures, and controls.
• Investigate manufacturing and product quality issues and drive root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Support manufacturing audits, inspections, and compliance activities.
• Analyze quality data and trends to identify opportunities to reduce defects and improve product performance.
• Support the investigation and resolution of customer quality concerns.

Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS):

• Promote a safe working environment across manufacturing operations.
• Support compliance with applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements.
• Identify potential manufacturing hazards, assess operational risks, and coordinate corrective actions.
• Partner with appropriate teams to ensure equipment, manufacturing processes, and work practices meet established safety requirements.
• Incorporate safety considerations into new equipment, manufacturing processes, and NPI activities.
• Reinforce a strong safety culture throughout manufacturing operations.

RMA & Product Returns:

• Provide oversight and technical support for Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) and returned-product activities.
• Ensure returned products are properly received, evaluated, tracked, and dispositioned.
• Partner with engineering, quality, customer service, and operations teams to investigate product failures and return issues.
• Analyze RMA and failure data to identify recurring trends and root causes.
• Drive corrective actions designed to improve product quality and reduce preventable returns.
• Ensure accurate documentation and tracking of returned products and their disposition.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with Production, Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and other functional teams.
• Coordinate activities across departments to resolve production issues and eliminate operational bottlenecks.
• Communicate manufacturing risks, priorities, and improvement opportunities to key stakeholders.
• Support business objectives related to product quality, delivery, cost, and manufacturing capacity.

Budget & Resource Management:

• Develop and manage budgets for manufacturing engineering projects and activities.
• Evaluate equipment, tooling, technology, and manufacturing investments based on operational requirements.
• Prioritize engineering resources and projects based on production and business needs.
• Monitor project costs and identify opportunities to improve return on manufacturing investments.

Required Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering experience in a production environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineers, technicians, or other technical personnel.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production equipment, tooling, materials, and manufacturing methods.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) and transitioning products from development into production.
• Experience with process optimization, continuous improvement, cost reduction, and manufacturing problem-solving.
• Strong understanding of quality principles, root cause analysis, corrective action, and manufacturing process controls.
• Working knowledge of environmental, health, and safety requirements within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Production, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain organizations.
• Strong analytical, organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with RMA, failure analysis, and corrective action processes.
• Experience managing complex NPI or manufacturing engineering projects.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems, manufacturing systems, and data-analysis tools.
• Knowledge of manufacturing quality systems, audits, and regulatory requirements applicable to the industry.
• Experience evaluating or implementing manufacturing equipment, tooling, automation, or process improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to balance hands-on technical problem solving with people and organizational leadership.