Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Air Distribution Technologies Careers•Lexington, KY

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Air Distribution Technologies Inc. is seeking a hands-on Manufacturing Engineering Manager to support its RUSKIN HVAC damper manufacturing site in Lexington, Kentucky. The role provides leadership and technical direction to the facility’s Manufacturing Engineering and Maintenance teams, ensuring equipment, processes, tooling, and facility systems operate safely, reliably, and efficiently in support of production, quality, cost, and delivery objectives. The manager leads engineering activities, equipment reliability initiatives, preventive and predictive maintenance programs, equipment installations, and continuous improvement projects. Working closely with Operations, Quality, Safety, Supply Chain, and other functions, the role identifies manufacturing challenges and implements sustainable engineered solutions. The position also oversees technical employee development, capital projects, safety and compliance, and improvements to manufacturing processes and equipment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
Five or more years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.
Previous leadership or supervisory experience involving engineers, maintenance employees, technicians, or other technical personnel.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing equipment, mechanical systems, equipment troubleshooting, and reliability principles.
Demonstrated ability to deliver capital projects on time and under budget.
Demonstrated ability to perform root cause analysis and sustain corrective actions.
Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, equipment specifications, schematics, and technical documentation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively with hourly manufacturing employees and senior leadership.
Ability to work regularly in a manufacturing environment around production machinery and equipment.
Ability to walk manufacturing areas and access equipment for troubleshooting and project support.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment.
May occasionally need to work outside normal business hours to support equipment failures, installations, shutdowns, or other critical production needs.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in sheet metal manufacturing, including cutting, stamping, forming, welding, machining, and mechanical assembly.
Experience with UL and AMCA certifications.
Demonstrated success applying Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or similar continuous improvement certification.
Competency with AutoCAD, Inventor, or similar design software.
Competency with CMMS systems and preventive/predictive maintenance programs.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and provide technical direction to the facility’s Manufacturing Engineers and maintenance team.
Prioritize team work according to safety, production needs, quality, equipment reliability, cost savings, and business objectives.
Propose technologies and methods to improve products and processes.
Develop and implement permanent corrective actions for recurring equipment or process failures.
Review and approve equipment designs, modifications, specifications, and engineering documentation.
Support new product introductions, process changes, equipment upgrades, and manufacturing capacity requirements.
Develop engineering standards and ensure equipment and process modifications are appropriately documented.
Mentor engineering employees and develop the team’s technical capabilities.
Identify and execute opportunities to improve productivity, equipment reliability, safety, quality, material flow, and manufacturing efficiency.
Lead or support continuous improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing and structured problem-solving methods.
Analyze production and equipment performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
Partner with Operations to address manufacturing bottlenecks and improve production capacity.
Support efforts to reduce scrap, rework, downtime, and manufacturing costs, emphasizing root-cause solutions over temporary workarounds.
Develop and manage capital improvement projects from concept through implementation.
Prepare business cases, cost estimates, project timelines, equipment specifications, and capital expenditure requests.
Coordinate equipment purchases, installations, relocations, upgrades, and commissioning.
Manage vendors, contractors, equipment manufacturers, and other external technical resources.
Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, and within approved budgets.
Verify new or modified equipment meets operational, safety, quality, and maintenance requirements before release to Production.
Establish training, documentation, spare-parts, and preventive-maintenance requirements for new equipment.
Ensure engineering and maintenance activities comply with company safety requirements and applicable regulatory standards.
Partner with EHS to identify and eliminate equipment and facility safety hazards.
Participate in job safety risk assessments for new equipment, modifications, and manufacturing processes.
Ensure contractors and vendors follow facility safety expectations while working onsite.
Recruit, train, coach, and develop Mechanical Engineering and Maintenance employees.
Set expectations, goals, and performance measures for direct reports; conduct performance reviews and provide ongoing coaching and feedback.
Develop technical skills and cross-training plans and establish staffing and coverage appropriate to production and maintenance requirements.
Hold employees accountable for safety, quality, performance, attendance, and workplace expectations.
Respond appropriately to urgent maintenance or operational issues and support critical needs that may arise outside normal business hours.