Lead Production Engineer

About the Team

As a Builder on the Stack Forging Thermal Solutions team at Johnson Controls, you'll join a team of sleeve-rollers who set a high bar for themselves and their co-workers.

• Competitive salary
• Paid vacation/holidays/sick time
• Comprehensive benefits package including 401K, medical, dental, and vision care
• On-the-job/cross-training opportunities
• Encouraging and collaborative team environment
• Dedication to safety through our Zero Harm policy

This role will focus on optimizing both fabrication and assembly, ensuring that Stack Forged parts move from raw material through production, inspection, assembly, and fulfillment in a repeatable, efficient, and scalable way. The Lead Production Engineer will work directly with operators, technicians, engineering, quality, supply chain, and operations to improve yield, throughput, quality, cost, delivery, and production stability. This is not a desk‑only continuous improvement role.

The Lead Production Engineer will be closely engaged in day‑to‑day production execution, using Lean methodology, Six Sigma, data analytics, structured problem‑solving, and change management as tools to improve the entire production system.

You are a hands‑on technical leader responsible for understanding, improving, and scaling manufacturing processes. You are a deep technical owner with a detailed understanding of the equipment, workflows, materials, process variables, fabrication steps, assembly methods, documentation standards, and failure modes that drive production outcomes.

• Develop deep technical ownership of the proprietary Stack Forging process, including equipment behavior, material flow, fabrication steps, assembly methods, process variables, and failure modes.
• Optimize fabrication and assembly processes to improve repeatability, yield, throughput, quality, cost, delivery performance, and production stability.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts across production, inspection, assembly, material flow, distribution, and supporting operational processes.
• Apply data analytics and structured problem‑solving methods to identify root causes, reduce variation, and implement lasting corrective actions.
• Translate complex production issues into clear projects with defined scope, owners, timelines, metrics, and business impact.
• Own implementation of new or improved production processes, including documentation, training, rollout, adoption, and sustainment.
• Drive documentation standards for production drawings, ensuring drawings support manufacturability, inspection, assembly, supplier communication, and repeatable production execution.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality, Production, Supply Chain, and Distribution to improve material readiness, production flow, inspection consistency, fulfillment readiness, and end‑to‑end operational execution.
• Reduce operational complexity by simplifying workflows, documentation, handoffs, routing, material movement, production decision points, and assembly methods.
• Establish practical production metrics, dashboards, and review mechanisms to improve visibility, accountability, and data‑driven decision making.
• Mentor engineers, technicians, and operators in structured problem solving, process discipline, Lean thinking, and continuous improvement.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in production engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, industrial engineering, or operations leadership.
• Strong hands‑on manufacturing experience in a complex production environment, with demonstrated ability to learn, own, and improve a proprietary or highly specialized process.
• Experience in improving fabrication, assembly, production flow, quality, yield, throughput, cost, delivery performance, and operational efficiency.
• Strong working knowledge of Lean methodology, Six Sigma, root‑cause analysis, value stream mapping, standard work, 5S, Kaizen, DMAIC, and related improvement tools.
• Strong project management skills, including project definition, stakeholder…