Manufacturing Engineer

Ag Growth•Lenexa, KS

33d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Engineer is part of the Product Design team and serves as a key connection point between design engineering and manufacturing. This role supports product design reviews, design-for-manufacturing feedback, manufacturing standards, documentation practices, and practical implementation of new or improved production methods. The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineer who understands how products are designed, built, and sustained in a manufacturing environment, while also bringing curiosity around modern manufacturing technologies such as automation, connected equipment, data analysis, and AI-enabled productivity tools. This position is primarily design-engineering aligned, with a strong manufacturing perspective. The engineer will help ensure product designs are practical to fabricate, assemble, inspect, document, and support in production. Responsibilities include reviewing designs for manufacturability, helping establish engineering and manufacturing guidelines, supporting process improvement, and translating shop-floor feedback into actionable design and documentation improvements. The role also supports selective use of smart manufacturing, digital tools, dashboards, automation, IoT, and AI where they improve quality, consistency, productivity, or engineering efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, mechatronics, automation, or related technical discipline; Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) may be considered with relevant experience
3-5 years of relevant experience in product design, manufacturing engineering, design-for-manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, automation, or industrial technology; internships, co-ops, capstone projects, lab work, or personal technical projects are valued
Strong interest in mechanical design, manufacturability, engineering standards, production methods, process improvement, and the connection between design intent and shop-floor execution
Exposure to metal fabrication, welding, assembly processes, tooling, fixturing, inspection methods, or production equipment
Proficiency in CAD software such as SolidWorks or equivalent; exposure to PDM/PLM, ERP, MES, or manufacturing execution systems is an asset
Ability to review drawings, models, tolerances, bills of material, and manufacturing documentation with attention to accuracy, usability, and production impact
Interest or exposure in Industry 4.0, connected equipment, automation, industrial IoT, data analysis, dashboards, AI-enabled productivity tools, or emerging manufacturing technologies is considered an asset
Ability to work with data using tools such as Excel, Power BI, SQL, Python, C#, or similar platforms is an asset; advanced expertise is not required, but curiosity and willingness to learn are important
Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills
Ability to work across product design, shop-floor, manufacturing, quality, operations, supplier, and leadership audiences
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis, this position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to PDM/PLM, ERP, MES, or manufacturing execution systems is an asset
Interest or exposure in Industry 4.0, connected equipment, automation, industrial IoT, data analysis, dashboards, AI-enabled productivity tools, or emerging manufacturing technologies is considered an asset
Ability to work with data using tools such as Excel, Power BI, SQL, Python, C#, or similar platforms is an asset; advanced expertise is not required, but curiosity and willingness to learn are important

Responsibilities

Design for Manufacturing & Assembly – Review product designs, drawings, models, and documentation to improve manufacturability, assembly efficiency, inspection readiness, serviceability, and production consistency.
Engineering Standards & Guidelines – Help develop, maintain, and improve design standards, manufacturing guidelines, drawing practices, preferred methods, tolerance guidance, and lessons-learned documentation.
Bridge Between Engineering & Manufacturing – Translate manufacturing feedback into practical design recommendations and help engineering teams understand shop-floor constraints, capabilities, risks, and improvement opportunities.
Manufacturing Process Engineering – Evaluate fabrication, welding, assembly, material flow, tooling, fixturing, and production methods to support safe, repeatable, and efficient manufacturing.
CAD Modeling, Product Data & Documentation – Support 2D/3D design reviews, drawing updates, manufacturing documentation, bill of material inputs, and digital product data accuracy using CAD and related engineering tools.
Production Support & Root Cause Problem Solving – Troubleshoot production issues, support structured problem solving, validate corrective actions, and implement practical engineering solutions that are sustainable in production.
Lean, Flow & Continuous Improvement – Improve workflow, plant layout, material handling, standard work, visual management, and production readiness using lean principles and practical engineering judgment.
Smart Manufacturing & Digital Tools – Identify appropriate opportunities to use data capture, dashboards, connected equipment, automation, digital work instructions, IoT, or AI-enabled tools to improve engineering and manufacturing outcomes.
Technology Evaluation & Practical Pilots – Support evaluation of emerging manufacturing technologies and assist with small-scale pilots, business cases, and implementation plans where there is a clear operational need.
Testing, Validation & Industrialization – Support prototype builds, process validation, first article activities, production trials, and transition of improved designs or processes into repeatable manufacturing execution.
Cross-Functional Collaboration – Work with Product Design, Manufacturing, Quality, IT/OT, Purchasing, Production, Sales, and vendors to align design intent, manufacturing capability, and business needs.
Standards, Safety & Compliance – Ensure designs, processes, equipment changes, and digital solutions align with applicable safety, quality, cybersecurity, data integrity, and company standards.
Professional Development & Technical Curiosity – Continuously build knowledge in product design, manufacturing engineering, automation, data analysis, AI-enabled tools, and emerging production technologies.
Additional Duties – Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Customers and Business Interfaces Product Design Engineering – Support design reviews, manufacturability feedback, drawing practices, product data quality, design standards, and engineering guideline development
Manufacturing & Operations – Bridge design intent with production capability, improve production readiness, and translate shop-floor feedback into actionable engineering improvements
Quality, Testing & Continuous Improvement Teams – Support validation, inspection readiness, quality issue resolution, root cause analysis, process capability, and standards improvement
IT/OT, Automation & Digital Systems – Coordinate when connected equipment, dashboards, digital tools, or secure system integration are needed to support engineering or manufacturing outcomes
Product Management – Support product improvements, lifecycle updates, manufacturability priorities, and roadmap alignment
Purchasing & Supply Chain – Coordinate on supplier capability, materials, equipment vendors, cost, sourcing considerations, and manufacturability implications
Make-Versus-Buy Evaluation – Support analysis of internal manufacturing capability versus external sourcing options to inform cost, capacity, quality, lead time, and strategic sourcing decisions
Parts Commonization – Identify opportunities to standardize and reuse parts, components, materials, and design features across products to reduce complexity, improve purchasing leverage, and support manufacturing consistency