Senior Manufacturing Engineering Technician

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) • Lake Zurich, IL

4d

About The Position

The Senior Manufacturing Engineering Technician supports new product introductions and highly complex engineering change orders, from planning prototypes and pilot builds through cross-functional execution and delivery. The role helps influence designs using data and design-for-manufacturing guidelines, coordinates process planning and risk or capability analyses, and manages product and manufacturing information across business systems.

The technician supports manufacturing operations, technologies, and production lines; ensures assigned processes and equipment function optimally; resolves complex issues; and leads structured root-cause analysis. The role also develops process-improvement and workflow or workcell recommendations, including automation, supports implementation, contributes to engineering solutions, and helps maintain product quality and continuous improvement.

This position requires a two-year technical degree or equivalent training and relevant experience, along with broad technical competence and typically six or more years in a manufacturing-support technical role. Physical requirements include frequently lifting, pushing, pulling, and maneuvering up to 20 pounds, occasionally up to 35 pounds, and sitting and standing for at least eight hours.

Requirements

• Two-year technical degree, or a combination of equivalent training and relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated technical competence across the core curriculum: drawing and schematic interpretation, technical writing, problem solving (such as DOE and 8D), safety risk assessments, World Class Manufacturing, mathematics (geometry, trigonometry, and college algebra), statistics, and applied physics.
• Demonstrated technical competence in at least four of seven technical pathways, or recognized expertise beyond one's peer group in at least two pathways: continuous-improvement methodologies; electronic circuits and components; machine operation, instrumentation, and control; mechanical design, statics, CAD, tolerance analysis, and rapid prototyping; metal forming, cutting or machining, finishing, and joining; programming, scripting, data structures, data mining, and analysis tools; or project management.
• Typically six or more years in a technical role supporting manufacturing processes and using MES/ERP systems to create or update bills of materials, change orders, process documentation, routes, work instructions, and related records.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a team environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Background check results satisfactory to SEL.
• Negative drug test results.
• Able to lift, push, pull, and maneuver up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 35 pounds occasionally.
• Able to reach, bend, and twist.
• Able to sit and stand for at least eight hours.
• Vision correctable to 20/30 or better and ability to differentiate colors.
• Proficient in the use of computer keyboard devices.

Nice To Haves

• Mechanical aptitude.
• Expert use of MS Dynamics AX and MS Office applications.
• Expert use of SEL applications such as BluePrint, FDWeb, FactoryCore, and FactoryVision.
• Expert use of project management tools such as Confluence and JIRA.

Responsibilities

• Support new products and highly complex engineering change orders by creating project timelines, managing prototype and pilot builds, confirming material and resource availability, assessing risks, planning contingencies, coordinating cross-functional execution, removing roadblocks, and applying lessons learned.
• Influence designs using data and feedback in accordance with design-for-manufacturing guidelines, and support solutions with alternatives analysis.
• Coordinate process planning, risk assessment, and process capability analysis activities.
• Manage parts, products, bills of materials, route steps, specifications, and work instructions in multiple business systems; peer review change orders for release.
• Create and maintain technical evidence of product and process validations and issue resolutions for prototypes, pilots, and other experiments.
• Support manufacturing operations, technologies, and production lines; ensure assigned processes and equipment function optimally; resolve complex issues; and lead root-cause analysis using structured problem-solving methods.
• Apply World Class Manufacturing principles, work measurement, flow analysis, and quality assessment to prepare process-improvement and workflow or workcell design recommendations, including automation, for Production consideration.
• Support Production implementation of process-improvement recommendations.
• Contribute to highly complex solutions and independently manage and develop basic to moderately complex solutions in accordance with engineering procedures and engineering supervision.
• Help ensure product quality through engineering requirements, specifications, IPC workmanship, IEC compliance, and other standards.
• Support internal quality action requests, resolution of external customer feedback, and statistical process control implementations to drive continuous improvement.
• Seek input and specify, drive, and implement system developments or enhancements to improve communication and optimize work processes.
• Follow and apply SEL Values, Principles of Operation, and World Class Manufacturing; understand, create, and simplify; perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Employee ownership; SEL is 100% employee owned.
• Employer-funded employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and personal 401(k) options.
• Medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• 10 paid holidays.
• Annual vacation accrual starting at 12 days.
• 9 paid sick days.
• Paid family and medical leave covering 90% of pay.
• STEM courses, apprenticeships, tuition assistance, and engineering development programs.
• Wellness, fertility, adoption, and flexible spending benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree