Manufacturing Engineering Associate Manager
About The Position
The Manufacturing Engineering Associate Manager provides hands-on leadership across truck assembly operations, driving improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost while supporting new product launches and ongoing production. The role develops and coaches Manufacturing Engineers, resolves complex production challenges, optimizes manufacturing processes, and partners with Production, Quality, Materials, Maintenance, and Product Engineering in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Relevant assembly areas include frame, axle, chassis, powertrain, and final assembly. The position initially works Day Shift and must transition to Night Shift as the operation ramps up in mid-2027. Day Shift is Monday through Thursday, 5:30 AM–4:00 PM; Night Shift is Monday through Thursday, 5:30 PM–4:00 AM. The night production shift is planned to begin in early 2027. This is a salaried role supporting a manufacturing operation. Employees are expected to support operations as needed, which may require work outside normal production hours, extended shifts, production startup activities, recovery efforts, and occasional weekend support. A 10% shift differential applies upon transitioning to the Night Shift schedule.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree and at least 4 years of product manufacturing experience; or master's degree and at least 2 years of product manufacturing experience; or at least 6 years of product manufacturing experience.
- Qualified candidates, excluding current employees, must be legally authorized on an unrestricted basis (U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) to work in the United States. Employment-related work sponsorship is not anticipated.
- Must initially work Day Shift and transition to Night Shift as the operation ramps up in mid-2027.
- Must provide operational support as needed, potentially outside normal production hours, including extended shifts, production startup activities, recovery efforts, and occasional weekend support.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with process design, line balancing, cycle-time analysis, capacity planning, and bottleneck reduction.
- Hands-on experience with manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, station readiness, and new product launches or cutovers.
- Strong knowledge of PFMEA, Control Plans, standardized work, process audits, and Lean Manufacturing.
- Proven problem-solving skills using 5 Why, Fishbone, 8D, and DMAIC methodologies.
- Experience improving quality, productivity, downtime, safety, and manufacturing efficiency.
- Ability to lead, coach, and develop Manufacturing Engineers and influence cross-functional teams.
- Strong communication, decision-making, escalation, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Ability to prioritize issues based on Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.
- Experience using data to identify trends, drive corrective actions, and deliver cost and productivity improvements.
- Strong project management skills and proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; Kronos experience is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of Manufacturing Engineers, establishing accountability for engineering deliverables and production performance.
- Provide hands-on support for real-time production issues and prioritize actions based on Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.
- Develop, optimize, and implement truck assembly manufacturing processes across frame, axle, chassis, powertrain, and final assembly.
- Analyze line balance, cycle time, capacity, bottlenecks, downtime, and productivity to identify improvement opportunities.
- Lead manufacturing engineering activities for new product launches, station readiness, production cutovers, and process changes.
- Develop and improve manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, jigs, and workstation layouts to support safe and efficient production.
- Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to improve throughput, reduce waste, minimize downtime, and increase productivity for pilot builds.
- Lead structured root-cause problem solving using 5 Why, Fishbone, 8D, DMAIC, and other methodologies.
- Develop and maintain standardized work, process documentation, and manufacturing audits.
- Partner with Quality to reduce defects, improve first-pass yield, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
- Support ergonomic and manufacturing safety initiatives by identifying risks and implementing process improvements.
- Use manufacturing KPIs and data to identify trends and turn findings into actionable improvements.
- Monitor and analyze OEE, downtime, productivity, cycle time, DPU, and FPY to improve manufacturing performance.
- Lead cost-reduction and productivity initiatives while considering business and P&L impacts.
- Partner with Production, Quality, Materials, Maintenance, and Product Engineering to resolve issues and achieve plant objectives.
- Communicate project status, risks, production issues, and recommendations to leadership, and escalate issues when necessary.
- Manage multiple priorities and projects while maintaining follow-through and accountability.
- Use Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Kronos for analysis, reporting, workforce, and production-related activities.
Benefits
- 10% shift differential upon transitioning to Night Shift work schedule
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
