The Senior Manager of Manufacturing Process Engineering leads process-engineering initiatives that improve manufacturing quality, efficiency, safety, and cost performance. This role manages a team of engineers and technical specialists and partners with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Design Engineering, and external manufacturing partners to develop, optimize, and scale reliable production processes.
Internal Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Execution & Process Leadership
Translate the manufacturing process-engineering strategy into site, product-line, or program-level execution plans.
Lead process standardization, optimization, and capacity-improvement initiatives within assigned manufacturing operations.
Support delivery of business objectives such as cost reduction, productivity improvement, capacity expansion, and new-product introduction.
Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement
Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other continuous-improvement methods to identify and eliminate process bottlenecks, waste, and variation.
Lead projects that improve yield, throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and overall equipment effectiveness.
Establish and monitor process metrics; use data to prioritize improvement opportunities and validate results.
Facilitate root-cause analysis and corrective-action efforts for process-related quality, reliability, and production issues.
Technology & Manufacturing Readiness
Evaluate and implement process improvements, automation, tooling, and digital-manufacturing solutions within assigned scope.
Partner with Design and Product Engineering to ensure manufacturability, assembly readiness, and process capability for new or revised products.
Support capital-equipment and tooling proposals by defining requirements, evaluating options, and documenting expected operational benefits.
Oversee process validation, documentation, work instructions, and handoff of improvements to manufacturing teams.
Operational Excellence & Quality
Ensure manufacturing processes meet applicable quality, regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements.
Collaborate with Quality and Operations to reduce defects, improve process capability, and maintain robust control plans.
Maintain clear dashboards and regular reporting on process performance, improvement-project progress, and operational risks.
Support plant and operations leaders in achieving production commitments and resolving escalated process issues.
People Leadership & Development
Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of manufacturing/process engineers and technical specialists.
Set clear objectives, prioritize work, and ensure timely execution of engineering deliverables.
Build team capability in problem solving, process design, statistical analysis, Lean, and continuous-improvement practices.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous learning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Quality, and Design Engineering to improve end-to-end manufacturing performance.
Coordinate with external manufacturing partners and suppliers on process readiness, technical issues, and improvement opportunities.
Communicate progress, risks, and recommendations to leadership and relevant business stakeholders.
Qualifications
- Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline; advanced degree preferred.
- 8–12 years of progressive experience in manufacturing or process engineering, including 3+ years of people-management or technical-mentorship experience.
- Experience supporting manufacturing operations across multiple products, production lines, sites, or external manufacturing partners.
- Demonstrated record of leading measurable process-improvement, yield, cost, quality, or capacity projects.
- Technical Expertise
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing-process design, industrial-engineering principles, and process-control methods.
- Practical experience with Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous-improvement tools
- Experience with automation, equipment, tooling, process validation, and manufacturing data systems.
- Familiarity with design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly principles.
- Leadership & Business Acumen
- Ability to convert organizational priorities into focused engineering plans and measurable results.
- Strong people-leadership, stakeholder-management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Working knowledge of capital planning, cost analysis, and business-case development.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical recommendations to nontechnical audiences and high levels of leadership.
- Skills & Competencies
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Practical, hands-on approach to resolving manufacturing and operational challenges.
- High degree of ownership, integrity, adaptability, and attention to detail.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
Work Environment & Travel
Primarily flexible office and manufacturing-plant environments. Travel is expected up to approximately 25%, depending on manufacturing locations, supplier needs, and product lifecycle requirements.
External Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Execution & Process Leadership
Translate the manufacturing process-engineering strategy into site, product-line, or program-level execution plans.
Lead process standardization, optimization, and capacity-improvement initiatives within assigned manufacturing operations.
Support delivery of business objectives such as cost reduction, productivity improvement, capacity expansion, and new-product introduction.
Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement
Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other continuous-improvement methods to identify and eliminate process bottlenecks, waste, and variation.
Lead projects that improve yield, throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and overall equipment effectiveness.
Establish and monitor process metrics; use data to prioritize improvement opportunities and validate results.
Facilitate root-cause analysis and corrective-action efforts for process-related quality, reliability, and production issues.
Technology & Manufacturing Readiness
Evaluate and implement process improvements, automation, tooling, and digital-manufacturing solutions within assigned scope.
Partner with Design and Product Engineering to ensure manufacturability, assembly readiness, and process capability for new or revised products.
Support capital-equipment and tooling proposals by defining requirements, evaluating options, and documenting expected operational benefits.
Oversee process validation, documentation, work instructions, and handoff of improvements to manufacturing teams.
Operational Excellence & Quality
Ensure manufacturing processes meet applicable quality, regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements.
Collaborate with Quality and Operations to reduce defects, improve process capability, and maintain robust control plans.
Maintain clear dashboards and regular reporting on process performance, improvement-project progress, and operational risks.
Support plant and operations leaders in achieving production commitments and resolving escalated process issues.
People Leadership & Development
Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of manufacturing/process engineers and technical specialists.
Set clear objectives, prioritize work, and ensure timely execution of engineering deliverables.
Build team capability in problem solving, process design, statistical analysis, Lean, and continuous-improvement practices.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous learning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Quality, and Design Engineering to improve end-to-end manufacturing performance.
Coordinate with external manufacturing partners and suppliers on process readiness, technical issues, and improvement opportunities.
Communicate progress, risks, and recommendations to leadership and relevant business stakeholders.
Qualifications
- Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline; advanced degree preferred.
- 8–12 years of progressive experience in manufacturing or process engineering, including 3+ years of people-management or technical-mentorship experience.
- Experience supporting manufacturing operations across multiple products, production lines, sites, or external manufacturing partners.
- Demonstrated record of leading measurable process-improvement, yield, cost, quality, or capacity projects.
- Technical Expertise
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing-process design, industrial-engineering principles, and process-control methods.
- Practical experience with Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous-improvement tools
- Experience with automation, equipment, tooling, process validation, and manufacturing data systems.
- Familiarity with design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly principles.
- Leadership & Business Acumen
- Ability to convert organizational priorities into focused engineering plans and measurable results.
- Strong people-leadership, stakeholder-management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Working knowledge of capital planning, cost analysis, and business-case development.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical recommendations to nontechnical audiences and high levels of leadership.
- Skills & Competencies
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Practical, hands-on approach to resolving manufacturing and operational challenges.
- High degree of ownership, integrity, adaptability, and attention to detail.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
Work Environment & Travel
Primarily flexible office and manufacturing-plant environments. Travel is expected up to approximately 25%, depending on manufacturing locations, supplier needs, and product lifecycle requirements.
