Senior Manufacturing Systems Engineer

TrafFix Devices, Inc.•San Clemente, CA

2d•$120,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manufacturing Systems Engineer is responsible for leading the company’s continuous improvement strategy, manufacturing systems development, and automation initiatives across all facilities. This is a highly hands-on role that works directly with Engineering, Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Operations to identify opportunities, solve problems, and implement sustainable solutions. The position spends significant time on the production floor partnering with employees, supervisors, and managers to improve safety, quality, productivity, and overall manufacturing performance. Success in this role is measured by practical business results: increased throughput, reduced scrap and downtime, improved labor efficiency, and the successful implementation of automation and process improvement projects.

Requirements

Building trust: The ability to inspire and motivate others and lead by example to create effective teams that produce consistent superior results.
Communication skills: The ability to articulate ideas and goals effectively, clearly, and professionally within all levels of the organization to inspire, influence and move others to action. Provides meaning and clarity to others.
Emotional intelligence: Necessary to recognize own strengths and weaknesses and to effectively relate with the objective to bring out the best in others and self. Self-management to maintain a positive outlook during stressful situations and strong relationship-management skills to influence, coach, and mentor others to resolve conflict effectively.
Goal oriented: The ability to understand the organization’s business goals and mission to strategically prioritize departmental initiatives and lead teams with a common vision.
Leadership and Performance Management skills: The ability to lead and manage a team of employees, including setting expectations, delegating responsibilities, assessing, and addressing performance, and providing feedback and coaching, while creating a positive and supportive work environment that fosters employee growth and development.
Organization and planning skills: The ability to oversee multiple projects and varied timeliness and deadlines to meet objectives. Seeing the picture and how different elements interact are critical aspects of the planning process.
Process optimization: The ability to manage execution by continuously improving processes, maximizing efficiencies, and reducing waste.
Sound decision making and critical thinking skills: The ability to effectively analyze complex business problems and implement plans for moving forward. This involves engaging in constructive conflict to invite diverse perspectives, thorough consideration of different viewpoints and effective closure to ensure stakeholders alignment with company goals.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor’s or higher level degree.
At least 5 years of previous experience in management.
At least 10 years of previous experience in an manufacturing systems engineering role.

Responsibilities

Leads the company’s continuous improvement philosophy and manufacturing systems improvement efforts across all facilities, developing and implementing practical strategies that support company goals and operational priorities.
Analyzes current manufacturing processes to eliminate waste, improve workflow and material flow, and increase labor efficiency and overall production performance.
Leads cross-functional improvement projects from concept through execution, ensuring changes are implemented, documented, and sustained.
Conducts root cause analysis and implements corrective actions, using production data and direct floor observation to prioritize improvement initiatives.
Serves as a technical resource for robotics, automation, and manufacturing technology improvements, evaluating opportunities and supporting the planning, implementation, and optimization of automated systems.
Works with vendors, integrators, Engineering, and Operations during the installation, testing, and commissioning of new automated or robotic systems.
Partners with Engineering, Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Supply Chain to gather feedback and implement practical manufacturing solutions.
Develops project plans and timelines, managing multiple improvement projects simultaneously while maintaining focus on priorities and measurable results.
Creates and sustains standard work and best practices across manufacturing areas, and trains employees and leaders on new processes and continuous improvement methods.
Promotes a culture of continuous improvement and communicates project updates, results, and recommendations clearly to cross-functional teams and leadership.
Supports new product launches and process updates by optimizing manufacturing methods and identifying future technologies that can improve long-term operational performance.
Provides technical guidance during capital improvement projects and tracks results against expected outcomes, measuring success through tangible business impact.
Assists in the selection of new staff and provides technical coaching to employees participating in improvement initiatives.
Drives engagement by providing employees with the tools and information to encourage autonomy, while giving constant feedback to manage execution.
Builds collaborative relationships that facilitate execution and create synergies.
Develops strategies and provides direction to the team, clearly communicating the objectives to achieve departmental and individual results that align with the company goals.
Hires and appoints competent and qualified individuals to ensure the department’s goals are met, while providing a challenging environment that encourages a growth mindset.
Develops talent, identifying and communicating the employees’ strengths and weaknesses, encourages continued improvement and provides the resources to achieve desired results.
Adapts quickly to changes, understanding the company’s vision and mission and leads the team to align to the new changes.
Drives results by creating a culture of accountability and ownership and balances rewards and recognitions with coaching and corrective actions.
Performs other duties as assigned by the Director of the department.