Description

Whisker is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and Litterbox.com. At Whisker, we believe pet parenthood can always get better.

As leading innovators in pet tech and refined pet accessories, we work tirelessly to solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents while enriching the lives of pets. Whether it’s a self-cleaning litter box that automates scooping, an automatic feeder that helps pets develop healthier eating habits, or a modern cat tree that delights both humans and felines, we strive to deliver better solutions for consumers while transforming pet care along the way. To us, having a pet is the best thing ever. At Whisker, life together just keeps getting better.

Whisker is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Juneau, Wisconsin with 500 passionate team members.

What You’ll Do:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead our manufacturing engineering team. As the Manufacturing Engineering Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving process improvement initiatives, optimizing production efficiency, and ensuring the highest standards of quality in our manufacturing processes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.

• Leads and mentors a team of manufacturing engineers and technicians, providing guidance, development opportunities, and support to ensure the successful execution of projects, initiatives and line support
• Develops and implements manufacturing and transactional processes to optimize efficiency, reduce costs, and improve product quality
• Transforms the business using lean methodologies (the Whisker Way)
• Coordinates maintenance activities at the site addressing preventative maintenance, capital projects, upgrades/updates and custodial staff
• Collaborates closely with cross-functional teams including production, design engineering and quality assurance to drive continuous improvement and innovation in manufacturing processes
• Identifies opportunities for automation and integration of new technologies to streamline production processes and increase productivity
• Leads root cause analysis and corrective action activities to address manufacturing issues and ensure compliance with our quality policy and regulatory standards
• Develops and manages budgets, forecasts and resource allocation for manufacturing engineering projects
• Drives a culture of safety, quality and excellence throughout the manufacturing engineering team and across the organization
• Develops and maintains relationships with 3rd party contracted resources
• Communicates effectively with all levels of the organization
• Will perform additional responsibilities when required 

Leadership Responsibilities

Directly supervises department Teams. Carries out supervisory responsibilities following Whisker policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, training, and hiring, planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, addressing team issues, and upholding safety and quality guidelines. 

Requirements

What You’ll Bring:

• BA in a scientific discipline, Engineering highly preferred
• 7 years of Manufacturing experience
• 3 years of Manufacturing Engineering and Lean management experience 
• Experience working on issues of diverse scope, where analysis of situation or data requires evaluation of a variety of factors, including an understanding of current business trends
• Ability to effectively lead and manage people, including setting expectations, assessing performance, providing feedback, delegating tasks, having difficult conversations, and engaging and developing employees
• Experience successfully deploying capital improvements, such as automation from conceptualization to implementation
• Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
• Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
• A high degree of initiative, self-motivation, and ability to motivate others
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues
• Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs) 

Not Required but Nice to Have!

• Experience with Injection molded plastics
• Experience with electronic components (i.e.; motors, wire harnesses, printed circuit boards)
• Experience with Google Suite
• CAD experience

Benefits & Perks:

Join a tenacious, inventive company that empowers team members to chart their own path, lead by grounding decisions in the “why”, and has a strong sense of empathy and openness to new perspectives. Be a part of exciting growth, work with incredible people, and create tomorrow’s pet products—plus a whole lot of extras. You will also be provided with:

• Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• Life Insurance
• PTO
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401K with 4% Match
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Top of the line equipment

Statement of Inclusivity:

We believe different perspectives make Whisker better and strive to create a place where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

Please ensure to regularly check your email spam folder for any communication from Whisker to avoid missing important updates regarding your application status.

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