Operations Project Engineer

Protolabs•Rosemount, MN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Join Protolabs as an Operations Project Engineer for Injection Molding, an onsite role in Rosemount, MN, Monday-Friday. In this critical position, you will manage complex, high-value customer programs from initial engagement through final production. You will act as the central point of coordination, partnering with customers and collaborating across Sales, Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and other cross-functional teams to successfully plan, manage, and execute injection molding projects. This role requires technical expertise, project leadership, and a customer focus to drive project success, ensure operational excellence, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. You will also contribute to shaping the future of Protolabs' Production Injection Molding business by improving processes, tools, and best practices for managing customer programs at scale. Additionally, you will support strategic growth initiatives by assisting Sales and Marketing efforts to expand Protolabs' production molding capabilities and market presence. This is an exciting opportunity for an engineering professional who enjoys solving complex manufacturing challenges, leading cross-functional teams, and making a measurable impact on customer success and business growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business administration, project management, or related field, OR any bachelor’s degree + 3+ years’ experience in injection molding or technically similar professions
5+ years in manufacturing or injection molding technical role
3+ years’ experience managing cross-functional projects with a focus on positive customer outcomes
A proactive and customer-focused mindset, with a solution-oriented approach to improving customer satisfaction and business outcomes
Out-of-the-box solutioning for our customers going beyond standard production processes
Exemplary technical knowledge of injection molding operations and end-use production solutions
Excellent project management skills with experience in coordinating complex projects
Superior communication and collaboration skills, capable of interfacing effectively across multiple departments to drive impactful positive outcomes
Demonstrated ability to develop professional relationships with internal and external customers
Ability to drive increased business through cultivating relationships with customer champions
Must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of injection molding part design, materials, and DFM
Proficiency with CAD software such as SolidWorks
Ability to read, understand, and write technical specifications and statements of work
Must demonstrate an ability to read engineering drawings, including GD&T
Competency in preparing technical documentation for customers on an individual project basis, as well as generally supporting industry growth through marketing initiatives and writing white papers
Capacity to provide high level support to Sales and Marketing towards growth of production business broadly
Ability to collect, interpret, and present data
Due to ITAR regulations, this role is only open to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status. Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire in this role.

Nice To Haves

7+ years relevant experience
Experience working in an ISO13485 or AS9100 compliant production facility
Customer-facing manufacturing program management experience
PMP or equivalent project management training

Responsibilities

Develop relationships with customers to identify key technical champions within customer organizations.
Standardize approach to managing programs and production requirements within individual strategic accounts.
Produce technical articles and content to promote Protolabs’s production capabilities.
Provide consultative design for injection molding services to customers with an emphasis on long-term scalability and quality.
Seek project outcomes which satisfy customers' needs in a time and cost-effective way for both the customer and Protolabs.
Support the development of long-term programs with our customers that produce sustainable growth and revenue.
Assist Sales, Marketing, and Product Management in communicating Protolabs's production capabilities to our customers.
Synthesize patterns in customer needs to determine potential paths towards standardized offer expansions.
Develop documentation and/or software tools to support production project planning, organization, and execution.
Develop criteria (triggers) and processes for informing/approving high-value projects in alignment with business capacity and strategy.
Analyze and communicate manufacturing design feasibility and scalability directly to customers via email, phone call, video call, etc.
Assess customer and industry specifications, drawings, procedures, purchasing documents, etc.
Utilize project management tools to define resources required, solutioning process steps, and documentation of project plans within specified project timelines.
Prepare custom documentation for customers and internal teams outlining our scope of work to be performed.
Perform holistic manufacturing costing to determine appropriate pricing for individual projects or programs.
Advocate for customer project requirements, evaluate corresponding manufacturing capabilities, and seek productive compromises.
Create views, tools and approach to tracking active customer production projects.
Own communication mechanisms and strategy for keeping leadership and other stakeholders informed on status of the production pipeline including all relevant details on volumes, revenue impact, risks, issues, etc.
Determine and set up manufacturing execution plans for high complexity projects.
Develop custom tools and workflows to support projects as needed.
Maintain real-time project status for active projects, understanding any risks, issues, dependencies or barriers to delivery as committed.
Manage and evaluate sample builds, iterative tooling, or other internal exploratory projects necessary to achieve customer requirements.
Work with Protolabs's vendors to communicate downstream requirements, risks, and delivery schedules.
Support the organization and the customer in resolving post-sales disputes on production projects.
Fulfill other tasks in order execution not covered by other standard job roles as appropriate.
Work with additional customer-facing teams to define the vetting process and communication responsibilities.
Partner with Applications Engineering, Technical Operations, and Customer Service to determine the optimal customer experience with Protolabs as an organization for individual projects.
Work with all internal manufacturing departments to determine capacity and requirement commitments that achieve customer outcomes while not disrupting overall business.
Communicate with Quality to navigate requirements based on Quality Policies, Quality Agreements, Work Instructions, Industry Standards, and Protolabs's potential corresponding commitments to customers within these frameworks.
Support Engineering in scope development of projects which require additional research and development.
Work with Logistics and Scheduling to manage customer delivery schedules for long-term projects.
Maintain records of potential and ongoing opportunities for management review.
Collaborate with fellow team members to share perspectives and experiences from past work and projects.