Staff Engineer, NPI

Kohler Co.•Kohler, WI

5d•$103,900 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Engineer, New Product Integration (NPI) provides technical and operational leadership for NPI initiatives, serving as a manufacturing subject matter expert and thought partner to Product Development, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality teams. The role influences outcomes through deep expertise and systems-level thinking, coordinating with plant NPI and Operations teams to ensure products are right the first time across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost. The position owns Operations deliverables within the Global Kitchen & Bath NPD process and integrates manufacturing readiness, launch planning, risk mitigation, and execution across multiple plants and regions. It shapes manufacturing strategy, process design, tooling concepts, engineering specifications, and execution models, while supporting cost, capacity, sourcing, and supply chain decisions. The role also drives time-to-market improvements, communicates recommendations and status to senior operations leadership, mentors engineers and cross-functional partners, and improves engineering standards and knowledge systems. It coordinates systematic tool design and engineering functions for product production at Kohler Co. using CAD technology. This is an onsite role in Kohler, Wisconsin, with onsite work four days per week. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in an engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited program.
At least 8 years of experience in industrial, mechanical, or manufacturing engineering, project management, or new product development engineering.
Ability to independently manage multiple complex projects at different stages of development.
Experience communicating information clearly, concisely, and accurately in writing and verbally across functions and organizational levels.
Strong time-management skills and a tenacious, enthusiastic, results-driven approach.
Experience with Microsoft Office software and SAP.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with the ability to influence a small team when required.
Ability to lead conversations across platforms and drive conflict resolution.
Authorization to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of or exposure to manufacturing processes such as cast iron, stainless-steel drawing and fabrication, acrylics, gel coats, epoxy resins, or thermoforming.
Management experience.
Experience creating and managing Microsoft Projects.
Experience with ProE/CREO.

Responsibilities

Act as the primary manufacturing engineering authority on assigned NPD/NPI programs, shaping manufacturing strategy, process design, and execution models to achieve Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost goals.
Lead Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA), FMEA, process capability analysis, and design reviews; identify systemic risks and recommend design or process changes.
Define and standardize manufacturing process requirements, tooling concepts, and engineering specifications in alignment with global manufacturing standards and regulatory expectations.
Own and integrate Operations deliverables in the Global Kitchen & Bath NPD process, ensuring manufacturing readiness, robust launches, and proactive risk mitigation.
Integrate quality, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, data services, and materials, resolving cross-functional tradeoffs and aligning execution across plants and regions.
Develop and maintain plant-level execution strategies and timelines aligned with enterprise milestones and launch commitments.
Build and maintain product cost models and influence design, sourcing, and process decisions to meet cost, margin, and launch targets.
Perform cash cost modeling, capacity assessment, and global asset optimization, and provide recommendations to operations and sourcing leadership.
Partner with Supply Chain, Purchasing, and Supplier Quality on fulfillment strategies, PFEP development, supplier readiness, and supply chain resilience.
Improve time to market through process optimization, parallel development strategies, and elimination of systemic inefficiencies.
Apply engineering judgment to complex and ambiguous problems, make decisions, justify risk, and escalate based on business impact.
Present data-driven recommendations, project status, and escalations to senior operations leadership, including managers, directors, and vice presidents.
Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers and cross-functional partners without direct supervisory responsibility.
Improve engineering standards, best practices, and knowledge systems, and ensure lessons learned are captured and reused across the enterprise.
Liaise with production, engineering, NPD, purchasing, and marketing; communicate relevant information and maintain relationships that support production strategies.
Coordinate development of systematic tool design and engineering functions required for product production using CAD technology.