Engineering Manager

States Manufacturing Corporation•Champlin, MN

17h•$155,000 - $175,000

About The Position

At Forgent Power Solutions, engineering is where customer commitments become reality. We design and manufacture highly customized electrical infrastructure that powers critical environments, including rapidly expanding data center markets. The Engineering Manager is responsible for building and leading a high-performing engineering team that can translate complex customer requirements into manufacturable, scalable solutions—at speed and with precision. This role connects product intent to operational execution, ensuring designs are not only technically sound, but also efficient, compliant, and aligned with how we build. The Engineering Manager leads a multi-disciplinary engineering team responsible for the design and manufacturing support of custom electrical equipment within an assigned product group. This leader is accountable for engineering quality, execution speed, and team effectiveness, while partnering closely with Product Management, Operations, and Commercial teams to deliver business results. This role is critical to enabling Forgent’s growth by improving engineering throughput, strengthening design standards, and ensuring seamless integration between engineering and manufacturing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering (or related field)
8–12+ years of progressive engineering experience, including 3–5 years formally leading people or teams
Demonstrated success in an engineered-to-order (ETO) or highly customized manufacturing environment
Proven ability to lead teams delivering complex, customer-specific products under time and cost constraints
Strong cross-functional leadership skills with experience partnering with operations and commercial teams
Experience with CAD tools (e.g., AutoCAD, SolidWorks) and structured engineering documentation

Nice To Haves

Experience with power distribution products such as switchgear, control panels, or similar electrical equipment
Familiarity with ERP and PLM systems (e.g., Epicor or equivalent)
Working knowledge of UL, NEC, and other applicable industry standards
Experience implementing Lean or continuous improvement initiatives within engineering

Responsibilities

Lead and Scale the Engineering Team: Build, develop, and lead a high-performing team of engineers across relevant disciplines (electrical, mechanical, manufacturing). Establish clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards. Provide coaching, technical mentorship, and career development planning. Drive workforce planning, hiring, and capability-building aligned to business growth. Foster a culture aligned with Forgent values: ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Drive Engineering Execution & Throughput: Own delivery of engineering work from concept through production release. Ensure designs meet requirements for quality, cost, manufacturability, and lead time. Improve engineering throughput, responsiveness, and predictability in an engineered-to-order (ETO) environment. Review and approve key deliverables (drawings, schematics, BOMs, technical documentation). Balance customization with standardization to improve scalability.
Integrate Engineering with Operations: Partner closely with Manufacturing and Operations leaders to ensure designs translate effectively to the shop floor. Drive design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) practices. Support production by quickly resolving design issues, clarifications, and non-conformances. Establish strong feedback loops between engineering and production to continuously improve designs.
Partner Across the Business: Collaborate with Product Management on product development, enhancements, and lifecycle decisions. Support Commercial teams through technical input on proposals, complex quotes, and customer-specific solutions. Participate in design reviews and customer discussions for large or strategic projects. Serve as a key technical leader bridging customer requirements and internal execution.
Strengthen Engineering Systems & Processes: Establish and enforce engineering standards, documentation practices, and design controls. Improve use of CAD, ERP, and PLM systems to drive consistency and efficiency. Implement process improvements that reduce cycle time, improve quality, and enable scale. Use metrics and data to drive accountability and continuous improvement within engineering.
Provide Technical Leadership & Manage Risk: Act as the escalation point for complex technical challenges and critical design decisions. Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards (e.g., UL, NEC, customer specifications). Identify and mitigate technical and execution risks across projects. Stay current on relevant technologies, materials, and industry trends.