Manager, Manufacturing Operations Test Engineering

Rockwell Automation•Mequon, WI

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Rockwell Automation is seeking a manager to lead a geographically distributed Manufacturing Operations Test Engineering team supporting test equipment and processes across its North American manufacturing facilities. The team supports new product introductions, legacy test equipment, continuation engineering product changes, production support, equipment replacement, and continuous improvement. The role ensures responsive troubleshooting during production-impacting and line-down situations and communicates status and recovery plans to stakeholders. The team implements and supports cost-effective methods for testing and troubleshooting printed circuit board assemblies, final assemblies, and large systems in production environments. Test solutions may involve electrical and electronic systems, mechanical measurement and controls, fixtures, instrumentation, and test software. The manager develops technical talent and partnerships across plant operations, engineering, quality, NPI, and the broader test organization. The role reports to the Senior Manager, Test Engineering and follows a hybrid schedule in Mequon, Wisconsin. Travel is required 10% of the time.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of relevant work experience.
Legal authorization to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Ability to travel 10% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing individuals and teams.
Demonstrated ability to manage business-critical operational support activities and escalation processes.
Experience with production test equipment, electronic assembly, manufacturing test and inspection technologies, and related support processes.
Working knowledge of finance, resource planning, scheduling, process improvement, and Lean Six Sigma practices.
Demonstrated success coaching, mentoring, and developing employees and building team capability through cross-training and succession planning.
Ability to communicate technical status, business impact, risk, and recovery plans clearly to technical teams, plant leadership, and senior stakeholders.
Experience leading change and continuous improvement involving test technology, manufacturing defect detection, equipment reliability, or test standardization.
Strong structured problem-solving and data-analysis skills.
Ability to build and maintain effective networks across plants, engineering functions, and areas outside one's direct expertise.

Responsibilities

Lead Manufacturing Test Engineering support across multiple North American manufacturing locations.
Manage and develop a geographically dispersed team through coaching, performance management, succession planning, and technical skill development.
Establish communication and escalation processes for critical production issues and line-down events.
Ensure rapid-response troubleshooting support for manufacturing test systems.
Set departmental goals, priorities, and operating procedures aligned with manufacturing and test engineering goals.
Allocate resources and coordinate work assignments to balance production support, project work, and site priorities.
Guide standardization of test processes and promote knowledge sharing across manufacturing sites and NPI teams.
Partner with manufacturing, engineering, quality, maintenance, supply chain, finance, and plant leadership teams.
Analyze test performance data to identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and prevent issues from recurring.
Provide feedback on test equipment, software, standards, documentation, and process improvements.
Collaborate with NPI and Engineering teams to ensure equipment qualification and acceptance requirements are met before production release.
Lead continuous improvement projects focused on error proofing, ergonomics, yield, capacity, cycle time, and equipment reliability.
Communicate project status, production risks, and recovery plans to partners and leadership.
Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and standards of business conduct.
Support Lean manufacturing projects and foster operational excellence and continuous improvement.