Engineering Manager

Axalta is a leader in the coatings industry, engineering innovative technologies that protect and enhance products across diverse markets. Our Mt Clemens, MI facility is a key automotive coatings production site focused on delivering high-quality, innovative paint products.

About the Role

The Engineering Manager is a critical site leadership role responsible for leading all engineering functions at the Mt. Clemens plant. This position ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of manufacturing processes and infrastructure while driving capital project execution, process optimization, and long-term site strategy. The role partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, EH&S, and Quality to deliver operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing engineering team across multiple disciplines, setting clear performance expectations and ensuring accountability to site goals.
• Build bench strength through talent development, succession planning, and recruitment while fostering a culture aligned to Axalta values, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Provide engineering support to ensure safe, stable, and efficient plant operations, including troubleshooting complex process and equipment issues.
• Drive improvements in asset reliability, uptime, and process capability, partnering with Maintenance to implement reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) strategies.
• Ensure full compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, and environmental regulations, owning and governing key safety processes such as:
  • Process Hazard Analyses (PHA)
  • Management of Change (MOC)
  • Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR)
  • Job Hazard Analyses (JHA)
• Lead risk mitigation activities and ensure safe design and operation of processes.
• Lead development and execution of the site capital plan, including:
  • Safety and compliance projects
  • Reliability and maintenance improvements
  • Capacity and growth initiatives
• Manage project execution from concept through commissioning, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned to business objectives.
• Partner with corporate engineering teams to align to long-term strategy.
• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives, utilizing data and metrics to improve cost efficiency, throughput, and quality performance.
• Lead FMEAs, root cause analysis (RCA), and process optimization efforts.
• Manage the Engineering capital and expense budgets, ensuring effective allocation of resources across priorities while delivering cost control.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, EH&S, and Maintenance to support production performance, product integrity, safety culture, and equipment reliability.
• Serve as a key member of the site leadership team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, or Electrical preferred).
• 7+ years of progressive engineering experience, including leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience in chemical or manufacturing environments.
• Proven ability to lead teams and influence across functions.
• Strong experience with PSM/PHA processes, capital project execution, and budget management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in coatings, chemical, or regulated manufacturing environments.
• Lean/Six Sigma certification.
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar capital projects.
• Knowledge of controls/automation systems.

Work Environment

• Manufacturing/plant environment.
• Ability to support off-shift or weekend needs as required.
• High-visibility role requiring frequent collaboration and decision-making.

This role is eligible for benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. Salary is determined based on qualifications, skillset, and experience.