Engineering MIE (Manufacturing Innovation Effectiveness) Project Lead

Corning•Winston-Salem, NC

10d•$125,734 - $172,884

About The Position

The Engineering MIE Project Lead is an engineering leader responsible for new products and processes and serves as the MIE site lead at the Diesel plant. The role provides strategic input for plant objectives, capital planning, controlled assumptions, and policies. It partners early with innovation and program teams to manage decisions, tradeoffs, resources, and plans of record, ensuring new products are transferred successfully to manufacturing with clear criteria and alignment to performance and profitability goals. Working with Commercial, Technology, and Manufacturing teams, the leader establishes shared objectives, metrics, and deliverables; drives process capability and product performance improvements; and champions MEE, MIE, DMAIC, PQA, and LEAN tools. The position also supports manufacturing through technology and process enhancements, defect root-cause investigations, and resolution of process instability. It supervises engineers and technicians in the new products group. The position requires regularly walking and standing for up to eight hours per day, with minimal travel of less than 5%. The schedule is 40+ hours per week, Monday through Friday, typically 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with support for off-hours experiments and troubleshooting as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science.
At least 5 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, or development, including at least 2 years of direct manufacturing interaction.
At least 2 years of documented new product development engineering experience, including the ability to develop new products and processes, identify technology needs, and recognize capability constraints.
At least 2 years of demonstrated proficiency in Excel and a statistical analysis package for evaluating experimental results and conducting capability studies.
Ability to identify and clearly articulate problem statements, develop solution paths, and support data-driven decision-making.
Ability to regularly walk and stand for up to eight hours per day.
Ability to support off-hours experiments and troubleshooting as needed.
This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a manufacturing environment and general knowledge of Optical Fiber & Cable products and processes.
Experience supporting new product introductions and using MIE tools, including knowledge of materials processing and transferring technology and processes from development through production.
Demonstrated formal problem-solving leadership using MEE tools to develop fundamental understanding and PEx tools such as Six Sigma DMAIC and LEAN to drive improvement.
Ability to work effectively as part of a team in a multicultural environment and across the stages of innovation.
Results-oriented, highly committed approach, with a positive attitude, technical curiosity, initiative, and drive.
Open, engaging, flexible team-player approach with strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interface effectively with others.

Responsibilities

Provide process engineering leadership for new product, process, and technology development using methodologies and tools including SA, PA, PPA, DAs, MEE, and MIE.
Coordinate and manage manufacturing resources needed to support, receive, and implement new products and processes, promoting co-innovation and a pull mentality while maintaining effective quality, performance, and cost controls.
Ensure local innovation processes—including the MIE playbook, PQA, NPI, and decision-making processes—are followed effectively; leverage subject matter experts and participate in the MIE Community of Practice.
Define and deliver Operational Readiness for new products and processes so plant systems are established before production start-up.
Use experimental design, scientific methods, engineering principles, and data analysis to understand process interactions, optimize critical processes, reduce variability, and solve production issues.
Communicate work, solutions, and direction through clear, actionable presentations for leadership.
Supervise engineers and technicians in the new products group, providing objectives, direction, and oversight for direct reports.
Support manufacturing through technology and process enhancements, defect root-cause investigations, and resolution of process instability.
Partner with innovation and program teams and with Commercial, Technology, and Manufacturing teams to manage decisions, resources, plans, objectives, metrics, and deliverables.

Benefits

Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives.
100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout the career.
401(k) savings plan with matching contributions; total company retirement contributions can reach between 7% and 12% of pay, depending on age and years of service.
Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
Paid parental leave and family building support.
Fitness benefits.
Company-paid life insurance and disability benefits.
Disease management programs.
Paid time off.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Recognition program to celebrate successes and reward exceptional contributions.