Manufacturing Project Engineer

Manufacturing & Project Engineer

Location: Houston, TX Employment Type: Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt Department: Production Reports To: Vice President of Production Industry: Manufacturing

RAM Windows & Doors is an exciting and rapidly growing manufacturer of residential and commercial windows and doors. RAM has been manufacturing high-end custom windows since 1978. In 2021, RAM expanded its product offering to include high-end custom exterior doors. The company has continued to expand its product lines and market presence, creating opportunities for hardworking, motivated, and results-driven professionals.

RAM Windows & Doors is seeking a Manufacturing & Project Engineer to work directly with the Vice President of Production and collaborate closely with our Production, Materials, Planning, Quality, and Maintenance teams.

This position will lead project-based initiatives focused on reducing labor cost per unit, increasing throughput and capacity, shortening lead times, improving material and process flow, and implementing sustainable manufacturing improvements.

The Manufacturing & Project Engineer will analyze existing processes, identify constraints, develop solutions, calculate expected operational and financial benefits, and coordinate approved projects through implementation.

The ideal candidate is a self-starter with practical manufacturing experience, strong mechanical aptitude, and demonstrated knowledge of Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, one-piece flow, 5S, standard work, and structured problem-solving.

• Work closely with the Vice President of Production to identify, prioritize, and execute manufacturing improvement projects.
• Support process improvement across manufacturing operations, including machining, fabrication, saw, CNC, assembly, material handling, inspection, and packaging.
• Analyze production processes to identify bottlenecks, excess labor, waiting, downtime, rework, excessive work in process, and other forms of waste.
• Conduct time studies, process observations, capacity analyses, and workflow reviews.
• Develop and maintain capacity models based on labor, equipment, cycle times, product mix, uptime, and scheduled production hours.
• Develop project scopes, schedules, cost estimates, expected benefits, implementation plans, and performance measures.
• Prepare equipment and capital-project proposals, including throughput impact, capacity increases, labor savings, payback periods, and return-on-investment calculations.
• Research equipment, tooling, fixtures, automation, workstations, and material-handling solutions and present recommendations to management.
• Coordinate approved projects with Production, Materials, Planning, Quality, Maintenance, vendors, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, process trials, employee training, and performance validation.
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma methods, including one-piece flow, 5S, standard work, visual management, waste reduction, value-stream mapping, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Develop or improve manufacturing layouts, work cells, material presentation, staging, kitting, and replenishment methods.
• Read and interpret engineering drawings, assembly drawings, dimensions, tolerances, specifications, and bills of materials.
• Create or revise basic manufacturing drawings, layouts, and fixture concepts using AutoCAD, Solid Works, or similar CAD software.
• Design, assemble, test, and improve jigs, fixtures, gauges, templates, carts, workstations, and other production aids.
• Work with internal employees, machine shops, fabricators, and vendors to manufacture parts, tooling, and fixtures.
• Develop standard work, process maps, work instructions, visual controls, and other manufacturing documentation.
• Establish baseline measurements before implementation and verify that completed projects achieve expected results.
• Monitor completed improvements to ensure changes are sustained and do not negatively affect safety, quality, or downstream operations.
• Track and report performance related to labor cost per unit, capacity, throughput, lead time, and overall process improvement.
• Provide regular project updates to the Vice President of Production, including progress, risks, costs, results, and decisions required.
• Manage multiple projects and priorities while meeting established deadlines.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Demonstrated knowledge of Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.
• Practical understanding of one-piece flow, 5S, standard work, waste reduction, and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing capacity, throughput, cycle time, labor utilization, and process flow.
• Ability to conduct time studies, analyze production data, and identify operational constraints.
• Ability to calculate capacity increases, labor savings, payback periods, and return on investment.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, tolerances,…