Production and Sustaining Engineer

Description

The Sustaining & Production Engineer is the bridge between R&D, Operations, Manufacturing, Procurement, and QC in Minden. The role has two halves that fit together naturally because they involve the same people and similar conversations.

Why This Role Exists

Loudspeaker development for our James by Sonance brand occurs in Minden, NV, and the business is growing faster than the processes around it. Today, moving a product from R&D into steady production, and keeping it healthy once it is there, depends on a small team wearing several hats. That is the opportunity in this role: the person who fills it gets to help build the playbook for how James products move through development into production and how they are sustained.

This role owns that path. It is the single point of accountability for the engineering upkeep of products already in production, and for getting new James by Sonance products from R&D through launch. It is deliberately hands-on: doing the engineering work that gets a product into production and keeps it running smoothly, including driving work across multiple teams through to completion.

Role Summary

• Sustaining Engineering:
  Own engineering change requests, production issues, quality and cost improvements, and supplier follow-through for James by Sonance products already in production.
• Production Engineering:
  Own the engineering-to-production work for new James by Sonance products - process design, fixtures and tooling, work instructions, FAI, and ramp - and keep each launch on track across R&D, Operations, QC, and Procurement.

The balance between the two shifts with the product cycle: sustaining is constant, NPI work comes in waves. The role primarily supports the James by Sonance brand, with the opportunity to expand over time into managing Sonance projects as well.

This position is initially focused on the responsibilities outlined above. As the James by Sonance business grows, the team and supporting roles will evolve to ensure responsibilities remain appropriately aligned and well supported.

Reporting & Scope

• Primary focus:
  James by Sonance products; secondarily supports other Minden product and operations needs.
• Works closely with R&D, Minden operations leadership, Manufacturing, Procurement, and QC.

Key Responsibilities

Sustaining Engineering

• Own the engineering change request (ECR) process for products in production: intake, impact assessment, coordination across R&D, Operations, and Procurement, and closure.
• Serve as the Product/Engineering interface in weekly production meetings; triage production issues and drive root cause and corrective action with the right owners.
• Drive production quality, cost reduction, and assembly changes so products can be built well and repeatably; take adjustments back to the R&D team with a clear ask and a reason.
• Work directly with sub-suppliers and the factory floor on component and process issues affecting products in production.
• Partner with Procurement and R&D on component standardization and substitutions so changes do not create quality or inventory problems.
• Identify and close gaps between R&D and the assembly line or suppliers, improving communication and connection across the two.

Production Engineering

• Own the hand-off of new products from R&D into Minden production: design the assembly process and build the production readiness deliverables (work instructions, control plans, PFMEA, FAI, tooling and fixtures, BOM release) for James by Sonance launches, pulling in Operations, QC, and Procurement as needed.
• Keep a simple plan for each NPI (milestones, open issues, owners) from design release through production ramp, and use it to keep the launch moving.
• Work on more than one launch at a time and keep R&D, Operations, Procurement, and QC aligned on what is needed and when.
• Surface issues early and push them to resolution across teams. Escalate with a recommendation, not just a problem.
• Stay with each launch until the product is running reliably on its own.
• Define and document the NPI, ECR, and EOL processes so the work gets done the same way every time instead of ad hoc, and refine them as product volume grows.

Documentation & Go-to-Market Support (nice-to-have)

• These contributions are valued but are considered nice-to-have rather than core requirements of the role.
• Clean up and standardize product collateral (accessories, installation guides, and specifications) so documentation is accurate, complete, and customer-ready.
• Support commercial certifications and regulatory…