Engineering Manager

About the Role

The Engineering Manager leads engineering activities at the TWID Tiffin Plant, focusing on injection and blow molding, drilling operations, heat staking, welding, and assembly to achieve optimal productivity and quality while adhering to customer specifications. This role involves developing and administering the Engineering Process, emphasizing continuous improvement through Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen activities, and participating in plant layout development, setup reduction, lead time reduction, and waste reduction. The Engineering Manager also ensures product target costs are met, identifies production issues, and supports ISO/TS 16949 compliance. As part of the plant leadership team, this role contributes to capital needs, launch strategies, process flows, and labor/machine standards.

Responsibilities

• Support product launch strategy and maintain project timelines.
• Identify and address open items and issues.
• Determine staffing needs and employee development requirements.
• Complete annual personnel performance appraisals and training objectives.
• Review mold and secondary fixture design and provide recommendations.
• Develop workflow, optimize processes, and improve layouts.
• Assist in quoting and contracting tool sources for support tooling.
• Evaluate and implement process/product improvements.
• Develop tooling and poka-yoke methods with the team.
• Train technical and production staff on processing standards.
• Develop short and long-term strategies to support customer requirements.
• Authorize engineering change notices, process alerts, purchase orders, equipment spare parts inventory, and training requests.
• Support plant safety rules, UAW contract, procedures, and standards.
• Approve department expenses and appropriations requirements.
• Lead Manufacturing Engineers in project launch strategy, capital needs, and program timing for APQP, PPAP, and ISO/TS 16949 compliance.
• Maintain records for primary tools (molds) and selected secondary equipment.
• Prioritize personnel and resources as needed.
• Lead customer/plant continuous improvement programs.
• Establish department goals and plans, and assign engineers to program teams.
• Develop and maintain favorable customer relations.
• Follow all safety, housekeeping, and company policies and procedures.

Deliverables

• Achieve cost and timing goals and objectives.
• Meet project expectations for all PPAP and ISO/TS 16949 requirements.
• Provide program status reports (e.g., top five PPM’s, open items, corrective action plans).
• Conduct annual personnel performance reviews.
• Lead continuous improvement programs for customers and the plant.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (required).
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar role.
• Automotive industry experience.
• High product launch exposure (preferred).
• Plastics experience (preferred).

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, talk, hear, and walk. Specific vision abilities required include the ability to adjust focus.