Sr. Launch Engineer

Dana Incorporated•Farmington Hills, MI

15h

About The Position

The Senior Launch Engineer leads the development, optimization, and strategic improvement of manufacturing processes in an automotive production environment. The role is responsible for deploying manufacturing technologies, standard processes, and capital equipment strategies that support Dana’s global Sealing business, with technical leadership focused on gasket stamping and heat shield manufacturing. The engineer drives operational excellence, innovation, cost competitiveness, and successful global program launches while ensuring processes meet industry standards, customer requirements, and company goals. The position leads complex engineering initiatives and cross-functional projects, mentors junior engineers and technicians, and works with engineering, quality, production, and local engineering teams. It also supports product and advanced engineering roadmaps, customer program launches, manufacturing centers, and global facilities. The role may require extended domestic and international travel, onsite work at facilities and supplier locations, and extended or irregular working hours.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or at least 4 years of applicable experience.
At least 7 years of experience.
Experience with progressive die stamping, metal forming, and coating processes.
Understanding of statistics as they relate to manufacturing and assembly processes.
Experience with low- and high-volume production.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, statistical analysis tools, and manufacturing engineering software.
Ability to travel for extended periods domestically and internationally.
Willingness to work extended or irregular hours to accomplish key job responsibilities.
Deep knowledge of manufacturing systems, process design, automation, and industrial engineering principles, especially in automotive environments.
Ability to lead root cause analysis, interpret complex data, and implement high-impact solutions.
Demonstrated ability to manage large-scale engineering projects.
Ability to work effectively with engineering, production, quality, and leadership teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to present technical concepts to diverse audiences and influence decision-making.
Strong project management skills.

Nice To Haves

Multi-layer heat shield manufacturing experience.
Experience with CAD systems, PFMEA development, process simulation, and data analytics tools.

Responsibilities

Design and implement manufacturing processes to improve throughput, reduce waste, and enhance product quality.
Lead cross-functional projects using lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other methodologies to deliver performance improvements.
Collaborate with engineering, quality, and production teams to integrate new products and technologies into manufacturing systems.
Guide and mentor junior engineers and technicians in process design, troubleshooting, and problem-solving.
Maintain process documentation and ensure manufacturing activities comply with safety, environmental, and industry regulations.
Lead the design and development of standard bills of processes (SBOP) for automotive stamping products.
Champion safety and ensure manufacturing solutions comply with Dana safety standards.
Develop and deploy equipment and facility strategies for advanced process development in global Manufacturing Centers.
Develop process technologies supporting long-term product technology roadmaps in product and advanced engineering.
Initiate benchmarking to assess state-of-the-art manufacturing methods and processes.
Develop capital plans, business cases, strategies, and action plans for deployment of manufacturing methods for core and strategic processes.
Represent manufacturing in stage-gate reviews for customer programs and advanced development projects, incorporating Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles early in product development.
Participate in advanced development of manufacturing processes for product deployment.
Create and implement smart, flexible manufacturing systems and work with local engineering teams on manufacturing equipment purchases.
Share and deploy manufacturing and assembly best practices across global locations and applicable business units.
Support long-range capital investment planning and review and approve capital projects for global manufacturing facilities to ensure adherence to SBOP and SPOE.
Develop and maintain standard manufacturing and quality documentation, including PFMEA, Control Plan, BOPY, MSA Plan, and Functional Safety documentation.
Support customer program launch activities as required.
Provide onsite support at global facilities and supplier locations as needed.
Perform other duties incidental to the occupation.