Director of Manufacturing Engineering

Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Director of Manufacturing Engineering? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world‑class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision.

Join the PECNA team today!

Job Summary:

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium‑ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.

Our state‑of‑the‑art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Essential Duties:

Functional Leadership & Operations:

• Lead the Manufacturing Engineering organization, overseeing multiple engineering teams, and ensuring alignment with business objectives
• Defines and drives the long‑term engineering strategy for the manufacturing facility, aligning with corporate and global business objectives
• Oversees all engineering segments, ensuring cohesive execution of programs across process, equipment, automation, controls, and systems engineering
• Partners with executive leadership to establish and deliver on strategic initiatives, capacity expansions, and technology roadmaps
• Identifies and implements new technologies, systems, and innovations to maintain competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing
• Ensures engineering policies, practices, and standards meet global quality, safety, and environmental regulations

Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement:

• Partner with senior leadership to translate business goals into actionable engineering objectives and programs
• Guide innovation initiatives focused on next‑generation materials, chemistries, and manufacturing technologies
• Champions continuous improvement initiatives in safety, quality, cost, and productivity across all engineering functions
• Oversees the introduction of next‑generation manufacturing equipment and digital transformation initiatives, including MES and Industry 4.0 tools
• Ensures lessons learned and best practices are shared across engineering teams to accelerate organizational maturity

Team Development & Knowledge Sharing:

• Leads, mentors, and develops senior engineering leaders and managers across multiple disciplines
• Builds a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and servant leadership within the engineering function
• Drives succession planning and workforce development to ensure sustainable leadership pipelines and engineering expertise
• Champions diversity, equity, and inclusion within engineering teams to foster innovation and broaden organizational capability

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate closely with R&D, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain functions to ensure readiness and smooth introduction of new products and processes
• Represent the Manufacturing Engineering function in cross‑functional planning, audits, and customer or partner engagements
• Provide technical guidance on process scalability, manufacturability, and investment priorities
• Coordinate with peer engineering groups to ensure standardization and leverage shared expertise across departments

Quality, Safety, Compliance, &

Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements (ISO, IATF, OSHA, etc.)
• Apply structured risk management frameworks (FMEA, FTA, DRBFM) to identify and mitigate potential risks
• Oversee process control systems and verification measures to ensure product quality and traceability
• Promote a strong culture of safety, compliance, and environmental responsibility across all engineering activities

Supervisory…