Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Who We Are: Challenge Manufacturing’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations.

Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success!

Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

(Spartanburg, SC) Lead research, design, and development of manufacturing processes, including production flow, assembly methods, and production equipment. Utilize knowledge in digital manufacturing and process validation to review designs with Siemens Tecnomatix, Siemens NX, and FlexSim to simulate and validate complex production environments. Diagnose and resolve complex, multi-variable manufacturing failures involving robotic automation processes (Kawasaki and ABB), geo fixture tooling alignment, process sequencing, and dimensional variation, while maintaining production continuity in high-pressure environments. Apply advanced dimensional analysis through blueprint interpretation in X, Y, Z coordinate systems and GD&T per ASME Y14.5 standards. Lead lean manufacturing initiatives, including cost reductions and productivity improvements. Oversee design, development, testing, sourcing, and evaluation of cost for various tools, machinery, and equipment for recommended manufacturing methods. Lead product and process analysis for cost reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency improvement. Monitor new packaging and product material flow lines, specifications, BOMs, packaging procedures and standards for new product launches. Lead plant layout development, material flow systems (including AGV routing logic and PFEP implementation), ERP system utilization (Plex UX), equipment commissioning, and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) into a unified manufacturing system capable of supporting both new program launches and stabilized high-volume production. Ensure compliance with global automotive quality standards, including ISO 9001 and IATF 16949. Lead manufacturing launch of new and revised products, including establishing goals, training team members, and evaluating results. Oversee customer and supplier relationships to drive optimal packaging solutions and to deliver high quality finished products. Manage capital project timeline, including executing project scope, meeting project costs, and delivering results. Apply advanced statistical engineering methods, including process capability (Cpk/Ppk) improvement and Process Index Stability Test optimization, to achieve measurable gains in dimensional performance, process capability, and long-term process stability in high-volume environment.

Minimum of a Master’s degree in Engineering Management, Engineering Technology Management, or a related field or foreign equivalent and two years of end-to-end manufacturing system engineering experience, including facility-scale production design using AutoCAD, CATIA V6, SolidWorks, and Spinfire, multi-line process integration, and real-time optimization of high-volume automotive manufacturing operations as a Manufacturing Engineer or related position required.

Please apply to Challenge Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. via email to Jennifer Vanderwater at

jvanderwater@challenge-mfg.com