Director of Sustaining Engineering

Barry-Wehmiller•Green Bay, WI

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced and results-driven Director of Sustaining Engineering & US Sold Work to lead a critical segment of our Engineering organization. This high-impact leadership role is responsible for both Sustaining Engineering and the engineering execution of sold customer orders in the United States. The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and possess strong technical and operational expertise across product design, lifecycle management, manufacturing support, and custom order engineering. This role plays a dual function: ensuring long-term product integrity and continuous improvement across our global product lines, while also managing the execution of engineering for sold customer orders—from review and customization through release to production

Requirements

10+ years of engineering experience in product development, sustaining, or order fulfillment engineering within an industrial or capital equipment environment.
5+ years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, including both sustaining product support and order-specific execution.
Proficiency in DFMEA, DFM, and GD&T methodologies and their application in a production equipment context.
Proven success in leading engineering change processes, VaVe initiatives, cost reduction efforts, and obsolescence planning.
Strong familiarity with CAD and PDM systems (e.g., SolidWorks, Windchill, or equivalent).
Experience managing configurable products in complex build-to-order environments.
Excellent leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and communication skills.
Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities, with a track record of delivering engineering outcomes aligned with business objectives.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in high-mix, low-to-medium volume manufacturing environments preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the Sustaining Engineering team in maintaining and improving existing product lines with a focus on design robustness and manufacturing efficiency.
Drive implementation of Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) to proactively identify and mitigate design risks.
Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles to improve ease of production, reduce variability, and enhance cost-effectiveness.
Ensure use of Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) best practices to support clear, consistent, and functionally appropriate part specifications.
Lead engineering change control and lifecycle management to ensure product quality, reliability, and compliance.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives including VaVe, design simplification, and standardization across platforms.
Develop and execute strategies for product modularization, commonization, and reuse to improve flexibility and lead time reduction.
Proactively manage obsolescence risks and implement redesign strategies as needed.
Partner closely with Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to resolve design-related production issues, driving root cause analysis and permanent corrective actions.
Oversee the administration and advancement of CAD/PDM tools and ensure strong engineering documentation and traceability.
Direct engineering execution for sold work orders, ensuring technical accuracy, manufacturability, and on-time delivery of custom product configurations.
Lead the Engineering team responsible for reviewing and configuring designs, generating build packages, and supporting the transition to production.
Implement efficient workflows for engineering review of sales orders, distinguishing between standard and custom configurations, and facilitating rapid and accurate design modifications.
Ensure thorough application of DFM and GD&T principles in custom engineering work to support efficient and repeatable production.
Collaborate with Sales, Project Management, and Operations to align scope, technical requirements, and resource planning.
Ensure engineering deliverables meet customer specifications, functional performance requirements, and internal quality standards.
Continuously improve order fulfillment engineering processes and toolsets to reduce cycle time, improve first-pass yield, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Lead and develop a global team of sustaining engineers with an emphasis on technical excellence, responsiveness, and collaboration.
Model Barry-Wehmiller’s people-centric leadership philosophy—prioritizing care, trust, and respect while driving results.
Mentor and coach engineers to strengthen technical depth and problem-solving capability.
Foster a culture of proactive support, innovation, and continuous improvement.