Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Supplier Development

Role Overview

Position Overview
We're seeking an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer to lead product industrialization through disciplined New Product Introduction (NPI) phase gates, from early design through production launch. This role sits centrally in engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality, ensuring products are ready to scale.

Key Responsibilities

• NPI Phase Gate Ownership & Execution
  Own manufacturing deliverables across all NPI phase gates from concept through production release.
  Define manufacturing inputs required at each phase gate (design maturity, BOM completeness, routings, tooling, capacity, quality plans)
  Participate as the manufacturing authority in phase gate reviews
  Ensure products do not advance gates without required manufacturing criteria being met
  Drive accountability for unresolved manufacturing risks prior to gate approval

• Product Industrialization & Manufacturing Strategy
  Translate engineering designs into executable manufacturing strategies
  Define build approaches, line flow, takt assumptions, and labor models
  Develop and validate manufacturing routings, work instructions, and process documentation
  Ensure alignment between design intent, manufacturing capability, and cost targets
  Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly decisions early in development

• Prototype, Pilot & Launch Builds
  Lead manufacturing execution for prototype and pilot builds
  Identify manufacturing issues during early builds and drive corrective actions
  Validate tooling, fixtures, equipment, and processes prior to scale
  Capture lessons learned and feed improvements back into design and process updates
  Serve as the manufacturing escalation point during NPI execution

• Cross-Functional NPI Leadership
  Partner with Design Engineering to influence product architecture and detail design
  Work with Supply Chain and Sourcing to validate supplier capability, lead times, and capacity
  Partner with Quality to define control plans, inspection strategies, and acceptance criteria
  Align with Operations on staffing models, training needs, and capacity planning
  Serve as the manufacturing escalation point during NPI execution

• Manufacturing Risk, Cost & Capacity Management
  Identify manufacturing risks tied to process complexity, tooling, labor, or supply chain
  Support cost modeling through labor, tooling, and process assumptions
  Drive mitigation plans for cost, capacity, and schedule risks
  Support make/buy decisions and production scaling strategies

• Production Release & Handoff
  Ensure all manufacturing documentation is complete and validated prior to production release
  Support formal handoff from NPI into Operations
  Train production teams on new processes, tooling, and requirements
  Remain engaged post-launch to support early production issues and ramp stability

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related discipline

• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering within industrial or engineered product environments

• Direct experience supporting structured New Product Introduction programs

• Strong understanding of fabrication, assembly, and industrial manufacturing processes

• Experience participating in or owning NPI phase gate deliverables

• Able to work cross-functionally and drive execution across teams

• Strong shop-floor problem solving and launch execution skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in automotive, aerospace, energy, data center, or heavy industrial OEM environments

• Direct experience supporting high-mix, engineered-to-order products

• Familiarity with APQP, PPAP, or similar gated product development frameworks

• Leverage Lean or Six Sigma background

• Experience supporting pilot builds and production ramps

GTI Values

• Safety
• Quality
• Customer Obsession
• Speed
• Agility