Principal Manufacturing Engineer

What You’ll Do

• Serve as the principal technical authority for injection molding across all company facilities
• Define, maintain, and evolve enterprise-wide standards, best practices, and procedures for injection molding execution
• Provide expert technical guidance to the Director of Engineering, process engineers, manufacturing engineers, and leadership on complex, high-impact, or non-standard technical decisions
• Lead the technical evaluation, quoting, and kickoff of all new injection molding tools, ensuring alignment with performance, quality, and long-term manufacturability requirements
• Support new program launches by establishing robust process strategies and resolving tooling-related risks
• Define technical specifications for injection molding machines, auxiliary equipment, and automation, including development of RFQs and evaluation of vendor proposals
• Collaborate with leadership and finance on capital planning, including equipment selection, replacement strategy, and expansion planning
• Drive efforts to standardize molding systems and practices across sites to improve consistency, efficiency, scalability, and long-term maintainability
• Identify opportunities to eliminate unnecessary engineering labor from quoting and execution workflows by implementing smarter systems, standards, and tools
• Support development of training frameworks and technical documentation to reinforce standardized execution
• Support capacity analysis, equipment sizing, and right-sizing of molding operations to meet current and future business needs
• Partner with operations and leadership to ensure manufacturing strategy aligns with business growth objectives
• Support site teams as needed for complex process challenges, critical customer issues, or strategic initiatives
• Stay current on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in injection molding
• Support capital projects through technical justification, vendor engagement, and execution oversight
• Perform other duties as assigned

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Plastics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline with a strong emphasis in plastics manufacturing
• Advanced degree (Master’s) or equivalent combination of education and progressive industry experience demonstrating sustained technical leadership and authority
• 15+ years of progressive experience in an injection molding manufacturing environment, with deep expertise in process engineering and/or tooling engineering
• Demonstrated expertise in specifying injection molding equipment, auxiliary systems, and tooling, including development of technical requirements and evaluation of vendor proposals
• Advanced proficiency in scientific injection molding principles and their practical application in production and tooling development
• Proven experience with capacity planning, equipment sizing, and right-sizing manufacturing operations to support growth and efficiency
• Experience leading or significantly contributing to capital projects, including technical justification, capital request development, and execution support
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to align technical decisions with broader business objectives, cost considerations, and long-term strategy
• Functional working knowledge of AutoCAD and SolidWorks sufficient to review layouts, tooling concepts, and equipment integration
• Strong background in data-driven decision making, including use of process data, metrics, and analysis to guide technical direction
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) for technical analysis, documentation, and executive-level communication
• Demonstrated ability to learn and effectively utilize new software tools and systems used by the organization
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage plant personnel, engineering teams, leadership, customers, and external vendors
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving capabilities, particularly for complex, cross-site technical challenges
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities independently
• Commitment to continuous learning, professional development, and staying current with industry best practices and emerging technologies
• A high level of attention to detail combined with systems-level perspective
• Ability to read, write, and speak English fluently