Process Engineer, Ford Energy

Responsibilities

• Lead with Purpose: Apply engineering principles and analytical techniques to establish, optimize, and continuously improve high-volume battery storage manufacturing and assembly processes.
• Innovate: Use your entrepreneurial mindset to drive production throughput, line balancing, and labor efficiency for a massive Greenfield manufacturing site.
• Empower Others: Create a culture of lean manufacturing excellence, fostering an environment where standardized work and data-driven production solutions thrive.
• Greenfield Production Excellence & Manufacturing Systems: Lead the design and implementation of the Ford Energy Production System (FEPS), with a focus on standardized work, line balancing, and optimized workstation layouts.
• Develop labor standards and manpower plans for cell, module, and pack assembly to maximize utilization and efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety, quality, and productivity across all production lines.
• Analyze production constraints and perform equipment cycle time studies to optimize throughput, Jobs Per Hour (JPH), and First Time Through (FTT) quality.
• Design and refine station layouts using CAD, incorporating tooling, material presentation, and error-proofing (Poka-Yoke) for zero-defect manufacturing.
• Conduct ergonomic job evaluations and implement workstation designs that meet high safety standards in automated, high-speed production environments.
• Manage procurement, commissioning, capability validation, and debugging of new production equipment, including vendor site buy-offs.
• Collaborate with Product Design, suppliers, and manufacturing teams to develop optimal process strategies, including gauging, torque strategies, and in-process testing.
• Leadership & Culture: Embrace the Gemba philosophy: Regularly engage on the production floor to identify bottlenecks, verify standardized work adherence, and solve problems in real time.
• Develop "Leaders as Teachers": Mentor Production and Operations teams on lean principles, including takt time vs. cycle time and waste elimination.
• Remove Barriers: Proactively mitigate risks in the launch phase to ensure seamless equipment buy-offs and successful Start-Of-Production(SOP).
• Proactive Problem-Solver: Catalyst who identifies gaps and proposes solutions before they become issues.
• Champion Transparency: Partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Operations to achieve Ford Energy’s Vision, Mission, and Values.
• Strategic Management & Integrity: Establish and track Production Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), scrap rates, and FTT quality.
• Coordinate quality containment actions, dock holds, and special checks to eliminate any impact on the customer, maintaining detailed traceability records.
• Manage quality documentation, including FTT, 8Ds, Scrap, and Dock Audits.
• Lead 8D root-cause resolution for warranty and battery operations concerns in collaboration with Quality, MP&L, and Assembly teams.
• Manage and direct statistical process control (SPC) activities, execute measurement systems analysis (MSA), and variable data analysis to drive process capability (Control Plans).
• Review rejected parts for quality integrity, determine corrective actions, and issue daily quality reports.
• Manage the Engineering Change Management (ECM) process for the production floor, ensuring all process modifications are documented, and process sheets/instructions are updated accurately.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or a related engineering field)
• Experience: 3-5+ years of progressive experience in Industrial Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering within a high-volume production environment. Even better, you may have...
• Experience in Greenfield site development or high-volume automotive, battery, or electronics manufacturing.
• Leverage of Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt).
• Experience with 8D, 5-Why analysis, DMAIC/DMADV methodologies, and lean tools (5S, Kanban, Poka-Yoke, Value Stream Mapping).
• Familiarity with engineering change and release systems (e.g., WERS, CORA, or similar).
• Strong communication, collaboration, and team-building skills.
• Passion for energy systems and U.S. energy independence.
• Technical Knowledge: Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD, MODAPTS, and manufacturing simulation tools.
• Leadership Attributes: Strategic visionary: Translates production data into scalable manufacturing strategies aligned with the growing BESS industry. Decisive under pressure: Makes rapid, data-driven decisions during line balancing and production ramp-up. Adaptable: Leads effectively in an evolving startup environment and supports a 24/7 operation, including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.