What are the responsibilities and job description for the Change Engineer position at Thompson Construction Group, Inc.?
- Purpose
The Change Engineer will serve as the primary coordination point between Engineering, Supply Chain, Materials, Manufacturing, Suppliers, and other affected functions to drive engineering changes through the change process in a timely and controlled manner.
The primary objective of this role is to improve visibility, ownership, prioritization, and execution of engineering changes while reducing delays associated with technical reviews, supplier activities, material disposition, approvals, and implementation.
- Scope of Work
Key Responsibilities Include
ECR Tracking and Management
- Maintain an accurate and current tracking system for open Engineering Change Requests (ECRs).
- Track each ECR through the required review, approval, implementation, and closure activities. Prioritization
- Work with Engineering, Materials, Manufacturing, and program leadership to establish priorities for open ECRs.
- Maintain a prioritized list of engineering changes based on business need, production impact, supplier requirements, quality considerations, cost, inventory exposure, and program timing. Engineering Coordination
- Coordinate engineering activities required to support ECR development and implementation.
- Work with responsible engineers to ensure drawings, specifications, bills of material, technical documentation, and other design outputs are completed as required. Approval and Sign-Off Coordination
- Identify required reviewers and approvers for each engineering change.
- Actively follow up on outstanding reviews and approvals. The Change Engineer is responsible for coordinating and driving the approval process but does not replace the technical or functional accountability of designated approvers.
- Work directly with suppliers and Supplier Quality, Sourcing, Engineering, and Materials teams to coordinate supplier-related change activities.
- Communicate upcoming design changes and implementation requirements to affected suppliers. Materials and Inventory Coordination
- Work closely with the Materials organization to understand inventory levels, open purchase orders, work in process, and material exposure associated with engineering changes.
- Deliverables
- Current ECR tracking and prioritization list.
- Clearly identified owners and due dates for all open actions.
- Weekly status reporting for active engineering changes.
- Identification of overdue, stalled, or high-risk ECRs.
- Documented implementation plans for significant changes.
- Supplier readiness and material transition status where applicable.
- Tracking of outstanding approvals and sign-offs.
- Escalation of issues threatening agreed implementation dates.
- Closure of completed ECRs and associated actions.
- Performance Expectations
- Visibility and accuracy of ECR status.
- Reduction in aging or stalled ECRs.
- Timely completion of assigned actions and approvals.
- Achievement of planned implementation dates.
- Effective coordination between Engineering, Suppliers, Materials, and Manufacturing.
- Timely identification and escalation of risks.
- Reduction of unnecessary material and inventory exposure associated with changes.
- Clear communication of priorities, ownership, and next steps.
- Consistent follow-through until changes are fully implemented and closed.
- Role Boundaries
The Change Engineer will not independently approve technical design decisions, quality dispositions, supplier qualifications, or material dispositions unless specifically authorized to do so.
Technical design ownership remains with the responsible Design Engineer or Engineering organization.
The overall expectation is that the Change Engineer will provide a single point of coordination and accountability for the execution of engineering changes, enabling Engineering and supporting functions to implement changes more efficiently and predictably.