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Production Engineering Manager
Highly Marelli USA, Inc. · Shelbyville, TNtoday
$100k – $115kfrom the posting
BS-level Management / Director roles on Crosslinked list a median of $166k (85 that show pay).
Lead production engineering, maintenance, tooling and facilities for high-volume automotive HVAC manufacturing.
Thermoplastics · Management / Director roles, by email
Apply Worth knowing
Why it is interesting. Own the full manufacturing stack — molding, tooling, automation and facilities — for high-volume automotive thermal systems.
Might not be for you. Heavy people-management and maintenance/facilities scope; 10+ years automotive experience required, little bench R&D.
Mostly desk workManages people Senior hires only
Adjacent materials roleInjection molding process development and optimization; plastic component manufacturing and assembly; heat staking, ultrasonic welding
- Seniority
- Manager
- Work
- On-site
- Type
- Full-time
- Degree
- BS
- Experience
- 10+ yrs
- Industry
- Automotive
- Role
- Management / Director
- Relocation
- Offered
Materials
Techniques
Benefits
relocation assistanceprofessional development assistance401(k) matching
Role details
The Production Engineering Manager leads the Production Engineering, Maintenance, Tool & Die, and Facilities functions for HVAC manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for the development, launch, optimization, reliability, and continuous improvement of manufacturing systems, equipment, tooling, automation, and plant infrastructure to achieve customer quality requirements, operational excellence objectives, safety standards, and financial targets.
Provides leadership to manufacturing engineers, process engineers, maintenance leaders, tool and die personnel, and technical support teams supporting high-volume automotive production. Responsible for ensuring manufacturing process capability, equipment uptime, tooling readiness, preventive and predictive maintenance effectiveness, facility reliability, capital planning, and successful product launches throughout the product life cycle.
Partners closely with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Design Engineering to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective manufacturing operations while supporting future business growth and strategic objectives.
ESSENTIAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
Leadership & Organization
- Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate Production Engineering personnel.
- Establish departmental objectives, performance metrics, and development plans.
- Build and maintain a high-performance engineering culture focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and continuous improvement.
- Support succession planning and technical competency development within the engineering organization.
- Provide direct leadership and strategic direction for Production Engineering, Maintenance, Tool & Die, and Facilities functions.
- Develop organizational capability through coaching, succession planning, workforce development, and technical training initiatives.
- Establish long-term strategies for manufacturing technology, equipment reliability, maintenance excellence, and tooling optimization.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives supporting operational efficiency, equipment uptime, cost reduction, and plant competitiveness.
Manufacturing Engineering
- Direct engineering activities supporting HVAC manufacturing operations, including:
- Injection molding processes
- Automated and manual assembly systems
- Leak testing and functional testing equipment
- Vision inspection systems
- Robotic and automated manufacturing systems
- Develop, validate, and improve manufacturing processes to achieve customer requirements and operational targets.
- Drive improvements in cycle time, scrap reduction, labor efficiency, machine utilization, and equipment reliability.
Maintenance, Tooling & Facilities Management
- Direct all maintenance, tooling, skilled trades, and facilities operations across all shifts.
- Ensure manufacturing equipment, tooling, and facility infrastructure are maintained to support production requirements.
- Lead development and execution of preventive maintenance (PM), predictive maintenance, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs.
- Establish maintenance strategies to improve equipment reliability, uptime, OEE, and asset life-cycle performance.
- Oversee tooling design support, tool maintenance, repairs, refurbishment, and readiness for production.
- Drive improvements in machine availability, downtime reduction, maintenance response time, and tooling performance.
- Develop long-range maintenance, tooling, and facility improvement plans aligned with business objectives.
- Oversee facility systems including electrical, HVAC, compressed air, water systems, docks, building infrastructure, and utilities.
- Manage contractor activities, equipment suppliers, and service providers to achieve quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
- Lead troubleshooting and resolution of critical equipment, tooling, and facility issues affecting production.
- Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements related to facilities and manufacturing equipment.
Program Launch & Industrialization
- Lead manufacturing readiness activities for new product launches and engineering changes.
- Support APQP deliverables, including PFMEA, Process Flow Diagrams, Control Plans, Capacity Studies, Run-at-Rate activities, and production validation.
- Manage manufacturing launch timing, equipment procurement, tooling readiness, process validation, and ramp-up activities.
- Coordinate launch activities with customers, suppliers, and internal departments.
Operational Excellence
- Conduct root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality, production, and equipment issues.
- Establish and monitor KPIs including:
- OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
- First Pass Yield
- Throughput
- Downtime reduction
- Lead Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen initiatives.
- Implement Best Manufacturing Practices and Industry 4.0 technologies where appropriate.
- Establish and monitor maintenance KPIs including:
- Equipment uptime
- MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
- MTTR (Mean Time To Repair)
- Preventive maintenance completion rates
- Tooling downtime
- Maintenance cost performance
- Lead TPM deployment and reliability-centered maintenance initiatives.
- Drive plant-wide cost reduction projects involving manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, and facilities.
Capital & Budget Management
- Develop and manage engineering operating and capital budgets.
- Prepare capital expenditure requests and equipment justifications.
- Lead specification, sourcing, installation, and commissioning of production equipment and automation systems.
- Support new program quotation from manufacturing engineering side
- Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, and within budget.
- Maintain equipment utilization and plan capacity according to the business plan
- Approve and manage maintenance, tooling, and facility expenditures.
- Develop capital investment strategies supporting equipment modernization, automation, plant infrastructure, and capacity expansion.
- Evaluate equipment replacement plans and life-cycle cost justifications.
Quality & Compliance
- Support compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, customer-specific requirements, and internal standards.
- Ensure manufacturing processes meet product quality and traceability requirements.
- Support customer audits, internal audits, and corrective action activities.
- Drive continuous improvement of process capability and manufacturing controls.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Coordinate engineering activities with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Design Engineering, Purchasing, and Supply Chain.
- Partner with Operations leadership to ensure production capacity, equipment readiness, and workforce capability meet customer demand.
- Coordinate maintenance shutdowns, facility projects, and significant equipment installations with plant leadership.
Safety
- Ensure all engineering activities comply with Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) requirements.
- Lead risk assessments for new processes, equipment, and tooling.
- Support development of safe manufacturing systems and ergonomic improvements.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Have a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Have a minimum of 10 years of progressive manufacturing or production engineering experience in an automotive manufacturing environment.
-or-
An advanced degree and generally 8 plus years of progressive manufacturing or production engineering experience in an automotive manufacturing environment.
- Have a minimum of 5 to 8 years of leadership experience managing engineering personnel and manufacturing projects.
- Demonstrated experience leading Production Engineering and Maintenance organizations.
- Proven experience managing capital budgets, equipment reliability programs, tooling operations, and manufacturing launches.
Preferred
- Tier 1 automotive supplier experience.
- HVAC, thermal systems, plastics, or assembly manufacturing experience.
- Experience leading launches for OEM customers.
- Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
- PMP certification or equivalent project management experience.
- TPM certification or demonstrated TPM leadership.
The incumbent must also
- Demonstrate successful leadership of high-volume automated manufacturing operations.
- Have experience managing capital projects and manufacturing equipment installations.
- Possess strong business acumen and problem-solving abilities.
- Have excellent communication, organizational, and project management skills.
- Be able to coordinate multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Be able to maintain confidential information.
- Be able to pass all required background checks and pre-employment testing.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to those who are able to perform the essential duties of the job.
SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Technical
- Injection molding process development and optimization.
- Plastic component manufacturing and assembly.
- Automated assembly systems and robotics.
- Heat staking, ultrasonic welding, vibration welding, and joining technologies.
- Leak testing, functional testing, and end-of-line validation systems.
- Vision inspection systems.
- Manufacturing equipment troubleshooting and process validation.
- GD&T and engineering drawing interpretation.
- Statistical process control (SPC) and process capability analysis.
- Equipment reliability and maintenance systems.
- Hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
- Electrical and controls systems.
- Industrial facility management.
- Predictive and preventive maintenance methodologies.
- Tooling management and life-cycle optimization.
- Maintenance planning and scheduling systems.
- Skilled trades leadership and workforce development.
Quality Systems
- IATF 16949
- APQP
- PPAP
- PFMEA
- Control Plans
- MSA
- SPC
- 8D Problem Solving
Continuous Improvement
- Lean Manufacturing
- Six Sigma
- Kaizen
- Value Stream Mapping
- OEE Improvement
- TPM Principles
Computer Systems
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems.
- Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES).
- Experience with project management software and data analysis tools.
Pay: $100,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
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