Engineering Manager

Axalta has remained at the forefront of the coatings industry by continually investing in innovative solutions. We engineer technologies that protect customers’ products – whether they are battling heat, light, corrosion, abrasion, moisture, or chemicals – and add dimension and beauty with colorful finishes. The Mt Clemens facility is a key automotive coatings production site focused on delivering high-quality, innovative paint products to customers.

About the role

The Engineering Manager is a critical site leadership role responsible for leading all engineering functions at the Mt. Clemens plant. This role 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 Engineering Manager leads a team of process, project, and controls engineers and 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
• Set clear performance expectations and ensure accountability to site goals
• Build bench strength through talent development, succession planning, and recruitment
• Foster a culture aligned to Axalta values, safety, and continuous improvement
• Provide engineering support to ensure safe, stable, and efficient plant operations
• Lead troubleshooting of complex process and equipment issues
• Drive improvements in asset reliability, uptime, and process capability
• Partner with Maintenance to implement reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) strategies
• Ensure full compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, and environmental regulations
• Own and govern key safety processes including:
  • 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
• Ensure 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
• Utilize 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
• Ensure effective allocation of resources across priorities
• Deliver cost control while supporting operational and growth objectives
• Partner with Operations to support production performance
• Collaborate with Quality to ensure product integrity and compliance
• Work with EH&S to drive a strong safety culture
• Support Maintenance to improve equipment reliability
• Serve as a key member of the site leadership team

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, 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
• Experience with capital project execution
• Budget management experience

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