Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Kelvion Products•Catoosa, OK

1d•Remote

About The Position

As a Finning Expert in our Global Manufacturing Engineering Team, you will drive the analysis, design and continual improvement of finning (i.e., heat-exchanger fin design / fin-cooling systems / surface‐enhancement fins) across our global manufacturing operations. You will apply deep technical expertise in fin design, manufacturability, material selection and process engineering to support new product introduction (NPI), cost reduction programmes, product & machine performance improvement and global standardisation of manufacturing practices. You will serve as the subject-matter expert (SME) for finning technologies, collaborate with design engineering, manufacturing plants worldwide, suppliers and cross-functional teams (Quality, Supply Chain, R&D). The role is strategic, global in scope, and focused both on immediate manufacturing engineering outcomes (cost, quality, cycle time) and longer-term capability building (standardised fin‐manufacturing process, training, best practices). You will lead any purchase of new and/or upgrade of existing finning machinery worldwide. You will develop and establish a KELVION network of finning specialists personal (Production, Maintenance, Manufacturing Engineering, Planning).

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering or equivalent.
Minimum 8-10 years of relevant experience in manufacturing engineering, preferably with strong focus on sheet-metal, heat-exchanger fins or finned‐tube technologies
In‐depth knowledge of fin manufacturing processes: fin forming, fin bonding/assembly, fin material metallurgy (e.g., aluminium, copper, steel fins), fin inspection and testing methods.
Proven experience in new product introduction (NPI) and design for manufacturability (DFM) in a global manufacturing environment.
Experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma (Green Belt and/or Black Belt preferred), continuous improvement methodologies.
Strong project management skills: ability to lead cross‐functional, global teams, manage timelines, budgets and deliverables.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, including root cause analysis, FMEA, control plans, process capability (Cp, Cpk) metrics.
Experience working with suppliers globally, managing supplier development and driving cost/performance improvements.
Excellent communication skills in English (verbal and written); ability to influence senior stakeholders across geographies.
Willingness to travel internationally

Nice To Haves

experience with manufacturing digital tools (process simulation, digital twin, data analytics)
knowledge of sustainability/energy‐efficiency drivers related to finned products
Strategic mindset with hands-on manufacturing engineering capability.
Ability to think globally yet act locally — adapt global standards to site realities and drive site adoption of best practices.
Enthusiastic about continuous improvement and building capability across the organisation.
Strong interpersonal skills, ability to train, mentor and lead others.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving change in a dynamic, multi-site manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

Act as the global expert for finning systems (fins, fin arrays, fin materials, fin manufacturing / forming, fin assembly) and provide technical leadership across the global manufacturing network. This includes storage, handling of raw material as well as WIP and headcount allocation based on LEAN principles.
Support new product introductions (NPI) and new source introductions (NSI) by providing input on fin design for manufacturability (DFM), fin‐manufacture process readiness, tooling requirements, standard work, control plans and equipment/process capability.
Partner with design engineering to ensure fin geometry, material and assembly/process choices align with manufacturing constraints, cost targets, quality and performance requirements.
Conduct finning process audits, gap analyses and best-practice benchmarking across manufacturing sites and suppliers; drive harmonisation of fin-manufacturing methods, tooling, materials and inspection.
Lead cost-reduction and productivity improvement projects related to finning (for example: optimise fin forming process, reduce scrap/rework in fin assembly, improve fin material utilisation, optimise inventory of fins).
Develop and apply advanced manufacturing engineering tools (e.g., finite‐element analysis of fin forming, simulation of fin assembly, process capability studies, failure mode & effects analysis (FMEA) for fin processes) to drive robustness and scale.
Support quality engineering by investigating fin‐related defects (e.g., fin deformation, fin‐to‐tube corrosion issues, fin vibration fatigue), root cause analysis, corrective actions and preventive system roll-out.
Provide training, documentation and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for finning manufacturing processes globally; maintain a global “finning manufacturing engineering playbook”.
Support supplier development: engage external fin/sheet‐metal suppliers, assess their manufacturing capability, define improvement plans, and integrate them into the global manufacturing network.
Travel globally (50% plus) to manufacturing plants and key suppliers to implement standards, support NPI readiness reviews and conduct on-site improvement workshops.
Provide regular reporting of key metrics (cost per fin unit, scrap %, cycle time, operating efficiency) and maintain alignment with global manufacturing engineering KPIs (safety, quality, cost, delivery, sustainability).
Drive MES integration of finning equipment (machine data collection (MDC), plant data collection (PDC) and advanced planning (PDC)).