Extrusion/Production Engineer and Manager

TACO Metals • Sparta, TN

4d • Onsite

About The Position

TACO Metals is seeking a hands-on Extrusion/Production Engineer and Manager to join their Plastics Manufacturing team in Sparta, TN. This role offers a significant growth opportunity for individuals with extrusion expertise who enjoy hands-on problem-solving and are aspiring to a leadership position. The successful candidate will collaborate with the current Plastics Extrusion Engineer and Plastics Production Manager, developing the technical, operational, and leadership skills necessary for future departmental leadership. This is not a desk-bound role; it requires a strong presence on the production floor, a deep understanding of extrusion processes, real-time troubleshooting capabilities, and the ability to build trust across various teams including operators, maintenance, quality, engineering, and production leadership.

Requirements

• Strong plastic extrusion or polymer processing experience.
• Understanding of extrusion lines, tooling, dies, resins, additives, downstream equipment, and process optimization.
• CAD experience in designing tools and dies.
• Comfortable on the production floor and solving real manufacturing problems.
• Clear communication skills with operators, technicians, engineers, supervisors, and managers.
• Organized, analytical, and able to follow issues through to resolution.
• Continuous improvement mindset.
• Leadership experience or the drive and potential to grow into leadership.
• Desire for a role where work directly impacts safety, quality, delivery, cost, and team development.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Plastics/Extrusion Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
• Equivalent hands-on extrusion experience will be considered.
• 3–7 years of experience in plastic extrusion, polymer processing, or related manufacturing.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, ERP systems, production documentation, scheduling, or employee supervision.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot, develop, and optimize plastic extrusion processes to improve quality, efficiency, throughput, and uptime.
• Evaluate and improve tooling, dies, downstream equipment, line setup, and process parameters.
• Support new product development, prototype trials, and production launches.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions related to quality, process performance, and equipment reliability.
• Support daily production operations across shifts to meet production targets and customer delivery needs.
• Help reduce scrap, improve line performance, and strengthen manufacturing standards.
• Train, coach, and support extrusion operators and production team members.
• Partner with Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain to solve problems and drive results.
• Participate in Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, safety, cost-control, and capital planning initiatives.
• Develop knowledge in production scheduling, workforce management, budgeting, and departmental leadership.

Benefits

• Opportunity for ownership and growth into a key leadership role.
• Involvement in extrusion process improvement, new product launches, tooling and die improvements, production support, operator training, scheduling, continuous improvement, scrap reduction, cost control, and department leadership development.
• Chance to make a visible impact.
• Preparation for long-term advancement.
• Challenged, trusted, developed, and given the opportunity to make a real difference.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level