What are the responsibilities and job description for the Process Technician position at Highwater Marine, LLC/Pontoon Boat, LLC?
The Process Technician supports the development, launch, and ramp-up of manufacturing. This hands-on role assists the Senior NPI Manufacturing Engineer with process development, workstation setup, tooling, material flow, production builds, and continuous improvement.
The position is responsible for creating and maintaining work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and standard work. As production ramps to volume, the Process Technician will provide floor support, troubleshoot manufacturing issues, train operators, and help improve safety, quality, delivery, and productivity.
Qualifications:
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Assist with the development, installation, validation, launch, and ramp-up of manufacturing
- Support prototype, validation, and production builds
- Create and maintain visual work instructions, SOPs, and standard work for manufacturing processes
- Document process steps, safety requirements, quality checks, tooling, materials, and critical process requirements
- Keep manufacturing documentation accurate, current, and revision controlled
- Update documentation following product, tooling, quality, or process changes
- Support the development of workstation layouts, tooling, fixtures, material presentation, and process flow
- Assist with maintaining manufacturing layouts, workstation documentation, tooling records, and other manufacturing engineering support documentation
- Assist with tooling and equipment setup, testing, implementation, and ongoing improvements
- Assist with procurement, tracking, installation, and implementation of tooling, equipment, fixtures, and other manufacturing project-related items
- Provide hands-on production-floor support and process clarification during launch and volume ramp-up
- Identify and troubleshoot processes, material, tooling, quality, and workflow issues
- Work with Engineering, IT, Operations, Quality, Materials, and Maintenance to resolve production issues
- Support quality, materials, operations, and engineering teams in evaluating assembly concerns, process deviations, workflow constraints, and product flow issues to improve first-time quality and manufacturing efficiency
- Perform time studies to support standard work, line balancing, labor planning, and process improvements
- Perform and document process evaluations, validation activities, product assessments, quality reviews, and workflow analyses to support process improvements and manufacturing readiness
- Assist with root-cause analysis and implementation of corrective actions
- Collect, document, and maintain process data, photographs, samples, and supporting records used for troubleshooting, training, validation, and continuous improvement activities
- Train operators and group leads on new or revised processes, work instructions, SOPs, and tooling
- Support Lean Manufacturing, 5S, waste reduction, first-time quality, and continuous improvement activities
- Work with New Product Introduction teams to develop standard work and manufacturing readiness plans prior to production start-up
- Perform other duties as assigned based on production and business needs
Skills & Knowledge:
- High school diploma or GED required
- Associate degree in Manufacturing Technology, Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology, or a related field preferred
- Three or more years of manufacturing, assembly, production support, or process-improvement experience required
- Experience supporting a new product launch, manufacturing line installation, or production ramp-up preferred
- Experience creating work instructions, SOPs, or standard work required
Other Skills/Abilities
- Strong mechanical aptitude and understanding of manufacturing operations
- Strong written communication, organization, and documentation skills
- Ability to create clear, visual, operator-friendly work instructions
- Ability to read engineering drawings, specifications, bills of material, and assembly documentation
- Effective troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
- Ability to conduct time studies and evaluate production workflow
- Experience in performing process evaluations, product testing, validation activities, or manufacturing analysis preferred
- Ability to collect, document, organize, and maintain manufacturing process records, photographs, and supporting documentation
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office
- Familiarity with ERP or production management systems preferred
- Basic AutoCAD or manufacturing-layout experience preferred
- Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and standard work preferred
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across departments
- Self-motivated with the ability to work independently while supporting multiple projects and priorities
- Ability to work in an active manufacturing environment
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods
- Ability to bend, reach, climb, and lift up to 35 pounds