Company Description Our client is an established, growing manufacturer of engineered commercial and industrial products serving customers across multiple markets nationwide. Backed by investment in technology and manufacturing innovation, the company is focused on operational excellence, continuous improvement, and sustainable growth.
Role Description The Engineering Manager will lead the engineering function while serving as a hands-on manufacturing leader within the plant. This highly visible role partners closely with Production, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to improve processes, drive operational efficiency, and ensure products are designed and built for quality, manufacturability, and cost.
This individual will lead the engineering and CAD teams and provide technical leadership across production operations in a custom, job shop manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate enjoys solving manufacturing challenges, developing people, improving processes, and building strong collaboration between engineering and operations.
Key Responsibilities
Manufacturing Leadership & Process Improvement
- Serve as a hands-on engineering leader with a strong presence on the manufacturing floor, providing daily support to production operations.
- Partner with Production Supervisors to improve throughput, efficiency, quality, and safety.
- Identify bottlenecks and implement practical process improvements that increase productivity and reduce waste.
- Lead Lean and continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing lead times, improving first-pass yield, and optimizing labor utilization.
- Drive design-for-manufacturing initiatives that reduce material and production costs.
- Support root cause investigations and implement sustainable corrective actions.
- Standardize manufacturing processes and engineering practices across multiple facilities.
Engineering Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop the Engineering and CAD teams, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Provide technical guidance to Production Supervisors and cross-functional manufacturing teams.
- Set engineering priorities aligned with operational goals, customer requirements, and production schedules.
- Build a culture of practical problem-solving, process discipline, and operational excellence.
Product & Engineering Management
- Own engineering design, configuration standards, documentation, and technical integrity of the core product line.
- Maintain engineering documentation, including drawings, bills of material, specifications, revision control, and engineering change management.
- Lead engineering reviews for custom and high-value projects to ensure they are manufacturable, cost-effective, and properly documented.
- Partner with Sales to translate customer requirements into accurate, buildable product configurations.
- Work with Supply Chain to standardize materials and identify cost reduction opportunities.
Connected Products Support
- Provide engineering leadership for an electronics-based product line, including future connected and WiFi-enabled technologies.
- Coordinate with electronics manufacturers, firmware developers, and external engineering partners on product enhancements.
- Ensure new technologies integrate effectively with manufacturing capabilities.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline.
- 7+ years of engineering leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience in a custom fabrication, job shop, engineer-to-order, or made-to-order environment.
- Demonstrated success leading process and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Experience managing engineers, CAD designers, production supervisors, or cross-functional technical teams.
- Strong understanding of sheet metal fabrication, mechanical assemblies, manufacturing processes, and design-for-manufacturing.
- Proficiency with 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks or Autodesk Inventor.
- Working knowledge of ERP-integrated engineering systems, BOM management, revision control, and engineering documentation.
- Proven ability to improve productivity, quality, cost, and efficiency through engineering solutions.
- Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence across engineering and operations.
Preferred
- Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
- Experience in HVAC-R, thermal products, fabricated metal products, or industrial equipment manufacturing.
- Working knowledge of electronics, embedded systems, IoT, or connected products.
- Experience with a modern ERP system.
- Experience in a private equity-backed or high-growth manufacturing organization.
The Person We’re Looking For
We are seeking a hands-on engineering leader who enjoys being where the work happens: on the manufacturing floor. This individual leads by example, collaborates closely with production teams, and continually looks for ways to improve processes, increase efficiency, and develop people. They understand the pace and complexity of custom manufacturing and can balance engineering discipline with operational execution.
Why Join
- Lead engineering and manufacturing initiatives for a growing, investor-backed manufacturer.
- Make a direct impact on plant operations, manufacturing performance, and future product development.
- Help modernize manufacturing processes and engineering systems.
- Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and the opportunity to shape the future of a growing organization.