Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Right from the start, American Locker has continually led the industry we invented with an unstoppable series of innovative solutions - like inventing the first coin-operated locker. Our years of innovative American manufacturing have led us to create the widest range of customized solutions in the industry. Our smart locker systems are built to satisfy any solution with maximum security; intelligent key-less lockers that accept credit cards, charge laptops, send text messages, and more.

We’re seeking a Manufacturing Engineering Manager to provide leadership for the American Locker manufacturing business and be accountable for overall operational and financial performance. In this role, you will lead manufacturing readiness activities for products moving from prototype through production, manage production releases and execution, rapid prototyping and new product introduction lead the way for continuous improvement and operational efficiency.


What You'll Do:

Manufacturing Engineering & Production Readiness

• Lead manufacturing readiness activities for products moving from prototype through production
  

• Develop and maintain routing, work instructions, and labor standards
  

• Ensure BOMs, drawings, and specifications are complete and ready for production
  

• Coordinate first-article builds and production launches
  

• Partner with Product/Design Engineering and Operations to resolve manufacturability issues
  

• Identify and address engineering gaps that create production delays, rework, or inefficiencies
  

Production Release & Execution

• Support the release of work orders into production systems such as MIE Trak
  

• Ensure jobs have the engineering information and documentation needed for successful execution
  

• Troubleshoot manufacturing engineering issues affecting production
  

• Improve consistency in how work moves from order to instruction to build
  

• Partner with Operations to address production constraints and recurring issues
  

Rapid Prototyping & New Product Introduction

• Lead manufacturing engineering activities for prototypes and new product introductions
  

• Provide hands-on support for prototyping, particularly in sheet metal fabrication
  

• Translate product concepts and designs into practical manufacturing processes
  

• Develop repeatable processes for moving new products into production
  

• Identify manufacturability risks early and work cross-functionally to resolve them
  

Continuous Improvement & Operational Efficiency

• Lead and support Lean and Six Sigma improvement initiatives within manufacturing
  

• Analyze labor, cycle times, workflow, and production constraints
  

• Improve cell layouts, material flow, ergonomics, and standard work
  

• Identify opportunities to reduce scrap, rework, and non-value-added labor
  

• Partner with Operations on Kaizen events and continuous improvement activities
  

• Track results and ensure improvements are sustained
  

Engineering Change & Quality

• Manage the Engineering Change Order (ECO) process within manufacturing
  

• Ensure engineering changes are communicated and implemented effectively on the production floor
  

• Lead or participate in root cause analysis for engineering-related defects
  

• Develop and implement corrective actions in partnership with Quality and Operations
  

• Support ISO requirements and quality system compliance
  

• Identify recurring issues and help drive permanent solutions
  

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop a small manufacturing engineering team, currently consisting of two direct reports
  

• Set clear priorities, expectations, and accountability for the team
  

• Assign and manage day-to-day manufacturing engineering work
  

• Coach and develop team members while building stronger technical capability
  

• Establish practical processes and structure where additional clarity or consistency is needed
  

• Escalate significant risks, resource needs, and priorities to manufacturing leadership
  

What Success Looks Like

• Manufacturing processes are clearly documented, repeatable, and increasingly scalable
  

• Production disruptions caused by engineering gaps are reduced
  

• New products transition successfully from prototype to production
  

• Routings, work instructions, BOMs, drawings, and labor standards are accurate and maintained
  

• Improvements in efficiency, throughput, scrap, rework, and quality can be demonstrated
  

• Engineering changes are implemented consistently and timely
  

• Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Product/Design Engineering work effectively together
  

• The manufacturing engineering team has clear priorities and accountability
  

Key Metrics

• Labor variance vs. standard
  

• Scrap and rework
  

• Cycle time and throughput
  

• First-pass yield / first-article success
  

• ECO cycle time
  

• Repeat defects and corrective action effectiveness
  

• Production disruptions attributable to engineering issues
  

Requirements

At A Minimum, You Should Have:

• 5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience
  

• Previous experience leading or managing manufacturing engineering employees or technical teams
  

• 3+ years of hands-on sheet metal manufacturing experience
  

• Experience with rapid prototyping and new product introduction (NPI)
  

• Experience developing routings, work instructions, and labor standards
  

• Working knowledge of BOMs, drawings, specifications, and engineering change processes
  

• Strong background in Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma
  

• Demonstrated experience solving manufacturing and production problems cross-functionally
  

• Experience working in or improving an established manufacturing environment
  

Leadership & Mindset

• Hands-on leader who is comfortable working directly with the team and on the manufacturing floor
  

• Takes ownership and follows issues through to resolution
  

• Comfortable working in an environment where processes continue to evolve
  

• Able to establish structure and improve processes without over complicating them
  

• Uses data and practical problem-solving to make decisions