Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Hydro-Dyne Engineering Inc.•Clearwater, FL

2h•$75,000 - $105,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the manufacturing engineering function supporting the fabrication, machining, welding, and final assembly of stainless-steel wastewater treatment equipment. This role owns manufacturing process development, production support, tooling, Lean manufacturing implementation, and quality-focused process control to ensure safe, efficient, compliant, and cost-effective operations. The position serves as a key technical and leadership interface between engineering, quality, and operations management. Reports directly to Vice President of Operations and Manages up to 4 direct reports within Manufacturing Engineering.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in an industrial or equipment manufacturing environment.
2+ years of people management or technical leadership experience.
Hands-on experience with stainless steel fabrication, machining, welding, and mechanical assembly.
Demonstrated experience implementing Lean manufacturing and driving measurable operational improvements.
Working knowledge of quality systems, inspection methods, and corrective action processes.
Strong leadership and coaching skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
Data-driven problem-solving and root cause analysis expertise.
Strong understanding of manufacturing quality, process control, and defect prevention.
Ability to influence across functions and levels of the organization.
Excellent communication, organization, and prioritization skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in wastewater, water treatment, or similar industrial equipment manufacturing.
Familiarity with welding and fabrication standards (AWS, ASME where applicable).
Experience in high-mix, low-volume or engineer-to-order manufacturing environments.
Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt).
Experience working within a formal quality management system (ISO 9001 or similar).
Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing performance analytics.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of manufacturing engineers and technicians.
Establish priorities, allocate resources, and manage workloads to support production schedules and operational objectives.
Drive accountability for engineering deliverables, timelines, manufacturing performance, and quality outcomes.
Serve as the primary manufacturing engineering liaison to the VP of Operations.
Develop, document, and continuously improve manufacturing processes for: Stainless steel fabrication (cutting, forming, fitting), Machining operations (CNC and manual), Welding operations (primarily stainless steel, including TIG/MIG), Mechanical and electromechanical final assembly
Create and maintain standard work, routings, labor standards, and work instructions with a focus on repeatability, quality, and waste reduction.
Identify and implement process improvements to reduce cycle time, labor content, scrap, variation, and rework.
Support facility layout planning, cellular manufacturing, and material flow optimization.
Lead and champion Lean manufacturing initiatives, including 5S, value stream mapping, standard work, visual management, and Kaizen events.
Drive elimination of waste across fabrication, machining, welding, and assembly operations.
Establish performance metrics and dashboards to track efficiency, throughput, and continuous improvement progress.
Train and mentor engineering and production teams on Lean principles and problem-solving methodologies.
Provide day-to-day technical support to production teams to resolve manufacturing, assembly, or quality issues.
Lead structured root cause analysis (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone, A3) and implement corrective and preventive actions.
Collaborate with production supervisors to ensure manufacturability, quality, throughput, and schedule adherence.
Support new product introductions (NPI) and engineering changes from design through production release.
Partner closely with the Quality function to ensure manufacturing processes meet internal quality standards and customer requirements.
Support development and implementation of process controls, inspection plans, and quality checkpoints throughout fabrication and assembly.
Drive reduction of defects, rework, and customer returns through data-driven process improvement.
Participate in internal and external audits and support corrective action closure.
Promote a culture of quality ownership and continuous improvement within manufacturing.
Ensure welding processes, procedures, and qualifications comply with applicable codes, standards, and customer requirements.
Support development and maintenance of WPS, welder qualifications, and fabrication standards.
Improve consistency and repeatability of stainless steel welding and fabrication processes through standardization and training.
Collaborate with Quality to ensure inspection, testing, and documentation requirements are met.
Specify, design, or support tooling, fixtures, jigs, and gauges to improve safety, quality, and productivity.
Support equipment selection, justification, and commissioning for new or upgraded manufacturing equipment.
Lead or support capital projects focused on Lean flow, quality improvement, capacity expansion, and cost reduction.
Partner with design engineering to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, assembly, and quality (DFM/DFA/DFQ).
Collaborate with quality, supply chain, and operations teams to improve supplier quality, manufacturability, and overall plant performance.
Support purchasing and supplier development efforts related to cost, quality, and manufacturability.