What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Manufacturing Engineer position at Vogrinc Search Group?
Seeking a driven Manufacturing Engineer for a newly formed division of an established industry leader in transportation security products. As the division's first dedicated Manufacturing Engineer, this position offers the opportunity to establish, develop, and continuously improve manufacturing processes and production operations as the business grows.
The role combines hands-on manufacturing engineering with direct production leadership, including mentoring and developing a small, growing assembly team. This individual will play a key role in establishing efficient, reliable production processes while driving quality, productivity, and continuous improvement.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve manual assembly processes, production workflows, tooling, and custom assembly fixtures.
- Lead daily production activities, including scheduling, operator training, performance management, and adherence to standard work and safety practices.
- Mentor and develop assembly personnel and team leads, establishing the processes and capabilities needed to support production growth.
- Establish, monitor, and improve manufacturing performance metrics, including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), first-pass yield (FPY), defect rates, and on-time delivery (OTD).
- Develop and optimize in-line inspection and testing systems, including vision systems, electrical continuity testing, and final inspection. Implement PFMEA improvements and process control plans.
- Drive Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle-time reduction, line balancing, waste elimination, quality, and productivity.
- Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and operator training programs.
- Collaborate with engineering, quality, and supply chain teams to resolve production challenges and implement process and product improvements.
- Identify automation and/or equipment improvement opportunities, develop business cases, and lead implementation projects.
Requirements include:
- Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, or a related engineering discipline.
- Demonstrated success in manufacturing or process engineering within a high-volume product assembly environment, including hands-on production supervision and operator development required.
- Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing principles and demonstrated success implementing process improvements. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification a plus.
- Experience managing manufacturing KPIs and driving measurable improvements in productivity, quality, and delivery.
- Hands-on experience developing and troubleshooting in-line inspection systems, PFMEAs, and process control plans.
- Experience designing assembly fixtures and tooling, including working knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and technical documentation skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, ERP systems (Epicor a plus), and quality management software. Experience developing production dashboards using Power BI and/or ERP software preferred.
- Experience with plant layout optimization, automation projects, capital equipment justification/ROI studies/implementation, and/or make-vs-buy recommendations a plus.