Engineering Manager

Position Overview:

Title: Engineering Manager

Location: Willowbrook, Illinois

Reports to: Vice President, Operations

Type: Full-time

Compensation: Negotiable (based on experience)

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead engineering and technical (i.e.. Product Dims, Formulations, etc.) within the New Product Development (NPD) workflow from concept to commercialization, ensuring cross-functional collaboration and timely project delivery.
• Support scale-up and commercialization of new products including technical troubleshooting and process validation (Factory Trial and Pilot Runs).
• Oversee and improve Non-Conforming Product processes, including root-cause analysis, corrective/preventive actions and documentation.
• Manage the Engineering Change Management process, ensuring all changes are evaluated, documented, and implemented efficiently.
• Provide direct supervision, mentorship, and development for direct reports including: Formulation Chemist, Packaging Engineer, and QA Specialist teams.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders (Product Development, Sourcing, Supply Chain, Compliance/Regulatory, Co-Mans, and Vendors) to deliver high-quality products that meet safety and regulatory standards.
• Drive continuous process improvements for quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness (VAVE) throughout the product lifecycle.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, regulations and customer requirements across all engineering and QA activities which may include managing facility and product compliance audits with manufacturing partners.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and implement action plans to achieve operational targets.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or related field.
• 5-10 years of experience in an Engineering or Engineering Manager role; preferably in the Personal Care, Food/Bev or Consumer Goods industry.
• Lean Six Sigma Certification (or Similar)
• Proven track record of successfully leading New Product Development projects.
• Demonstrated experience with Non-Conformance and Engineering Change Management processes.
• Experience and/or knowledge of Material Science (Plastics, Paper, Glass).
• ERP (NetSuite) or similar (SAP, Epicor, Infor CloudSuite) experience.
• Project Management Software (SmartSheets) or similar (ASANA, Monday, etc.) experience.
• Strong people management skills with experience supervising technical teams.
• Excellent problem-solving, project management, and organizational skills.
• Effective communicator with the ability to influence and collaborate across functions with leadership.
• An understanding of environmental regulations, market expansion requirements, and sustainability goals.
• Knowledge of GMP, FDA and other relevant regulatory and quality standards.

Company Overview:

Tru Fragrance & Beauty’s portfolio includes Gen-Z favorite Le Monde Gourmand, fragrance-as-wellness brand Lake & Skye, high-performance body care brand Supersuite, and licenses including Yellowstone and Wrangler, with distribution including Ulta, Sephora EU, Nordstrom, Blue Mercury and many more.

Tru maintains a premier position as a multidisciplinary innovation engine and supplier, with a roster of A-list celebrity and retail partners, including American Eagle Outfitters, Target, TJ Maxx, and Urban Outfitters. Tru Fragrance & Beauty operates out of Willowbrook, Illinois and New York City.