NPI Engineer

Fluence•Houston, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly motivated NPI Engineer to join Fluence's Global Manufacturing organization and play a key role in bringing next-generation energy storage products from design to production. In this role, you will work at the intersection of Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Contract Manufacturers (CMs) to drive manufacturing readiness, Design for Excellence (DFX), cost optimization, and successful product industrialization. You will lead cross-functional initiatives to improve manufacturability, reduce product cost, mitigate manufacturing risks, and support prototype, pilot, and qualification builds. This is an exciting opportunity to influence cutting-edge energy storage technologies while collaborating with global teams to deliver innovative products with the highest standards of quality, reliability, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or a related field (Master's preferred).
5–7 years of experience in NPI, Manufacturing Engineering, or Advanced Manufacturing Engineering.
Proven experience with factory ramp-up, manufacturing readiness, production launches, and Contract Manufacturer support.
Strong knowledge of DFM, DFA, DFT, Design for Automation, Design for Cost, manufacturing process development, automation, PFMEA, GD&T, Build-to-Print drawings, and should-cost analysis.
Experience managing multiple NPI programs, project schedules, KPI reporting, and cross-functional teams.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, PLM, ERP (SAP preferred), and project management tools.
Excellent communication, analytical, leadership, and problem-solving skills with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, global environment.
Legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout employment, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Lead manufacturing readiness activities from concept through production launch, ensuring successful factory ramp-up across internal manufacturing sites and Contract Manufacturers (CMs).
Drive Design for Excellence (DFX), including DFM, DFA, DFT, Design for Automation, and Design for Cost to optimize manufacturability, quality, scalability, and product cost.
Lead pilot, validation, qualification, and production builds, ensuring manufacturing processes, tooling, equipment, and automation are production-ready.
Develop manufacturing processes, define tooling and equipment requirements, and support automation implementation to improve productivity, yield, and operational efficiency.
Perform product cost analysis using should-costing tools (e.g., aPriori), analyze BOMs, and identify cost reduction opportunities.
Assess supplier and manufacturing capabilities, manufacturing capacity, and supply chain readiness for new product introductions.
Lead Process FMEA activities and participate in Design FMEA reviews to proactively identify and mitigate manufacturing risks.
Support Product Review Committee (PRC), design reviews, and manufacturing readiness reviews while driving closure of technical issues and action items.
Manage NPI project schedules, manufacturing KPIs, risk registers, and provide daily/weekly status updates to stakeholders.
Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, and external manufacturing partners to ensure on-time project execution.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on manufacturing efficiency, cycle time reduction, yield improvement, and production stability.
Travel (25–40%) across U.S. and global manufacturing sites to support prototype builds, factory launches, and production ramp-up activities.
Define, monitor, and report manufacturing KPIs including Manufacturing Readiness, FPY, OEE, Yield, Cycle Time, Productivity, and Cost.
Validate manufacturing processes through process qualification, Run-at-Rate, and production readiness activities while ensuring compliance with quality standards.
Partner with Quality and Compliance teams to ensure manufacturing processes meet applicable regulatory, customer, and internal quality requirements.