Manufacturing Engineer

Job Title:

Manufacturing Engineer - Plant Vehicle Team (Exterior Ornamentation)

Job Description

This role serves as a Plant Vehicle Team (PVT) Manufacturing Engineer embedded in a high‑volume vehicle assembly plant, acting as the first line of defense for functional system quality with a strong focus on exterior ornamentation and body systems. You will work side‑by‑side with the production and body engineering teams to identify, analyze, and resolve quality issues related to exterior trim, fit and finish, and dimensional performance.

The position combines hands‑on plant-floor problem solving with engineering analysis, ensuring that components and processes meet quality objectives throughout the vehicle lifecycle.

Responsibilities

+ Work closely with the Body Engineering team to deliver quality objectives, with a primary focus on exterior ornamentation and exterior body systems.

+ Conduct daily reviews of incoming warranty claims data, analyze customer and dealership comments, and categorize claims accurately for effective follow‑up.

+ Contact dealerships to obtain parts and repair diagnoses and participate in customer callbacks to ensure clear understanding of customer feedback and field issues.

+ Review returned parts to perform root cause analyses and develop interim containment actions and permanent corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

+ Support the assembly plant with Stop Ships, Stop Builds, quality campaigns, audits, and other quality-related activities to protect customers and production.

+ Lead engineering trials and implement running changes for the assigned sub-systems, ensuring changes are validated and integrated smoothly into production.

+ Issue engineering alerts and initiate or pursue authorization of engineering concerns to enable product changes that support quality and durability objectives.

+ Engage technical experts and cross-functional team members to drive issue resolution and develop robust corrective actions that improve product quality.

+ Create and deliver clear presentations for upper management, vehicle quality reviews, and engineering leadership, summarizing issues, analyses, and action plans.

+ Apply a systems engineering approach to problem solving, including structured root cause identification, containment planning, and permanent corrective action development.

+ Collaborate daily with manufacturing operations, including plant supervisors, quality teams, skilled trades, and other engineers, to resolve in-plant issues.

+ Participate in GEMBA walks, vehicle inspections, dimensional checks, and in‑plant trials to validate process capability and product quality on the line.

+ Use GD&T principles, stack-up analysis, and dimensional inspection data to diagnose and correct exterior fit, flushness, and gap issues.

+ Document findings, actions, and results using standard engineering and quality tools, including Microsoft Office and plant-specific systems.

+ Manage multiple parallel issues in a fast-paced environment, prioritizing work based on customer impact, production needs, and safety and quality considerations.

Essential Skills

+ At least 1 year of experience in an automotive manufacturing environment.

+ At least 1 year of experience working with exterior systems, including exteriors, fit and finish, and GD&T.

+ Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.

+ Hands-on manufacturing engineering or quality engineering experience in a plant environment.

+

Experience with exterior body and exterior trim components, including ornamentation, flushness, gap and flush, and dimensional inspection.

+ Proficiency with GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) and the ability to interpret and apply it to real-world issues.

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Experience with process engineering and stack-up analysis for exterior components and assemblies.

+ Experience using gage R&R and other measurement system evaluation techniques.

+ Demonstrated technical problem-solving skills, including root cause identification, containment actions, and permanent corrective actions.

+ Ability to apply a systems engineering approach to structured problem solving.

+ Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, with the ability to collaborate…