Director of Manufacturing Engineering

The Director of Engineering leads the team and processes that turn technical ideas and customer requirements into reliable, repeatable manufacturing solutions. Partnering with the Owner/Technical Expert, this hands‑on leader owns engineering projects from scope definition through production release, including technical quality planning, manufacturing documentation, and product costing. The initial focus is establishing robust manufacturing processes, followed by improvements in quality, efficiency, and cost.

• Manufacturing engineering leadership and team development.
• Proven delivery of multiple engineering projects against defined scope, schedules, and budgets.
• Successful transfer of new products and processes into reliable production.
• Technical quality expertise and demonstrated ability to establish effective engineering processes.
• Accurate costing and sound manufacturing judgment for standard and custom products.

• Lead and develop the engineering team, establishing clear responsibilities and performance expectations.
• Prioritize the engineering project portfolio, balance resources across competing demands, and hold project owners accountable for delivery.
• Build team capabilities to support business growth.

• Translate customer requirements and ideas from the Owner/Technical Expert into project plans with defined scope, deliverables, milestones, budgets, and ownership.
• Lead projects through stage gates; manage dependencies, risks, and scope changes, and take corrective action when commitments are at risk.
• Validate manufacturing processes and tooling; confirm production acceptance with Operations and Quality, including complete documentation, inspection plans, and operator training.

• Establish repeatable manufacturing methods and correct gaps in existing processes and documentation.
• Define inspection methods, measurement requirements, inspection frequency, and acceptance criteria with Quality.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable methods to improve performance; oversee tooling and capital equipment implementation.

• Develop accurate product costs to support quoting, pricing, and margin decisions.
• Help Sales and customers clarify requirements, evaluate feasibility, and select manufacturing solutions.
• Provide technical product training and explain how design, materials, and processes affect performance, cost, and lead time.

• Align engineering schedules and capacity with Sales, Operations, Quality, and leadership.
• Partner with Operations to ensure established manufacturing methods are understood and followed.
• Conduct cross-functional project reviews, communicate progress and decisions needed, and elevate barriers affecting schedules, costs, or readiness.
• Assess team capability, project backlog, and engineering constraints limiting growth.
• Close documentation and quality‑planning gaps contributing to production problems.
• Establish consistent stage gates and production‑readiness requirements.
• Prioritize active projects, assign owners and milestones, and establish recovery plans for stalled commitments.

• Hands‑on and comfortable with broad responsibilities in a smaller manufacturer.
• Organized, detail‑oriented, and persistent in completing commitments.
• Collaborative and clear in communicating technical requirements.
• Curious and practical in solving unfamiliar manufacturing problems.
• Uses data and sound judgment to make decisions and hold people accountable.

• Bachelo…