Description

RPE Extrusion Engineer

Primary Objective

The RPE Extrusion Engineer operates within the Rapid Prototyping & Engineering group of the research and development department. This individual coordinates with team members, leaders, and customers to create and execute new R&D opportunities using the extrusion process. This individual drives innovations within the lab to create new techniques and processes and supports transfer to a production environment. RPE Extrusion Engineer is responsible for improvements, cost, and day-to-day development to meet and exceed internal and external needs and goals. The RPE Extrusion Engineer plans, designs, and completes projects in extrusion manufacturing utilizing six sigma/lean/DMAIC or like methodologies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Drive new development in conjunction with leaders and customers to ensure goals and objectives are met and exceeded.
• Sets up and operates extrusion jobs in the RPE lab.
• Establish new techniques or technologies to improve output of the extrusion process for a production environment.
• Manage goals and budget in conjunction with team members.
• Generate and manage project and lab documentation (BOM’s, specification changes, ECO’s, reports, print revisions, fixturing, protocols, etc.).
• Engage with internal and external resources and customers to maintain strong customer relationships with dedication to customer program schedules.
• Plan and coordinate the selection, procurement, installation, start-up, and qualification of new capital equipment, tooling, and fixtures for medical device manufacturing IQ/OQ
• Create and support a culture of mutual respect, trust, accountability, and teamwork.
• Develop and establish robust and efficient structures that build a link between Sales, Customer Service, Operations, and the Customer.
• Drivea collaborative operating culture within a cross functional team environment that strives to exceed customer expectations.
• Gain support for and develop program objectives/deliverables and ensure all groups involved understand customer demands for successful outputs.
• Ensure customer and Company requirements are met including cost, quality, timing, and other related aspects of programs.
• Participate in continuous improvement efforts to enhance products, processes, andprograms.
• Comply with all local, state, federal, and SPG safety regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Other duties as required by project demands.

Qualifications

Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills, Education and Experience

• MS or BS Degree in Engineering or 5 to7 years minimum of related work experience and/or education.
• Direct experience with extrusion and polymer processing.
• Strong documentation skills with ISO 13485 knowledge preferred.
• Minimum 3 years medical device manufacturing and/or extrusion/molding experience.
• Demonstrated creative problem-solving skills to identify, gather, and analyze information to develop solutions and resolve problems in a timely manner.
• Strong working knowledge of APQP / PPAP, including thermoplastics materials and processing.
• Ability to convince/sell internal and external customers.
• Strong organizational skills supported by a self-disciplined operating structure.
• Superior time management / prioritization skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite including but not limited to, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and other business and database programs.
• Understanding of plastic materials and ability to research materials.
• Demonstrated ability to identify key issues that impact customer requirements and develop the initiatives to address them in a cost-effective manner. Forward thinking, innovation, and a working understanding of cost and operational impacts are essential.
• Effective collaboration skills - Ability to work and communicate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Proven track record of creating, building, and growing a department that consistently delivered measurable results in a customer focused work environment.

Company Competencies

• Diversity - Demonstrates knowledge of EEO policy; Shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; Educates others on the value of diversity; Promotes a harassment-free environment; Builds a diverse workforce.
• Ethics - Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; Inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.
• Professionalism - Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Accepts responsibility for own actions; Follows through on commitments.
• Quality - Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.
• Safety and Security - Observes safety and security procedures; Determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; Reports potentially unsafe conditions; Uses equipment and materials properly.

Job Competencies

• Communication
  • Strong leadership, communication, and collaborative working together skills, along with analytic and strategic planning capabilities.
  • Consistently clarifies purpose and importance; stresses major points; follows a logical sequence.
• Customer Focus
  • Makes Customers and their needs a primary focus.
  • Develops & sustains productive customer relationships.
  • Actively seeks information to understand customer’s circumstances, problems, expectations, and needs.
  • Present program/project level information to customers to build their understanding of issues & capabilities.
  • Considers how program/project level actions or plans will affect customers.
  • Responds quickly to meet customer needs & resolves problems.
  • Assist Engineering & Manufacturing Team Leaders in implementing ways to monitor and evaluate customer concerns, issues and satisfaction and to anticipate customer needs.
• Decision Making
  • Consistently recognizes a wide range of complex specialized issues, problems, or opportunities in own work group, across the organization and with external customers; determines whether action is needed.
  • Steadily identifies the need for and collects information to better understand issues, problems and opportunities.
  • Regularly integrates complex information form a wide variety of sources; detects complex trends, associations and cause-effect trends, associations and cause effect relationships.
  • Consistently creates relevant options for addressing problems/opportunities and achieving desired outcomes.
  • Formulates clear decision criteria, evaluates options by considering implications and consequences; chooses an effective option.
  • Consistently implements decisions or initiates action within a reasonable time.
  • Regularly includes fellow team members across the organization and external customers in the decision-making process as warranted to obtain good information, make the most appropriate decisions, and ensure buy-in and understanding of the resulting decisions.

Physical Demands

Must be able to support the production floor as required. The physical demands may include:

• Walking, standing and sitting
• Lifting and carrying, pushing and pulling
• Reaching overhead, at or below shoulder level
• Climbing ladder/stairs, stooping, crouching, kneeling
• Gross manipulation and seldom fine manipulation
• Driving

Work Environment

• Works in an office and manufacturing environment
• Occasionally exposed to dust, odors, fumes and noise
• Occasional travel required.