Product & Manufacturing Lead

ProFound People; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

ProFound People in Sydney, Australia is seeking an experienced Product & Manufacturing Lead to head the mechanical engineering function and drive the transition from prototype to scalable production with contract manufacturers, including Asia.

This hands-on leadership role requires deep design, manufacturing, and systems engineering knowledge, with the ability to establish robust release processes, partner with suppliers, and deliver cost-effective, world-class products at scale.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of engineering experience with leadership responsibilities
• Proven track record taking products from prototype to production
• Strong understanding of DFM, DFA, tolerances, RCA, and V&V
• Experience establishing engineering release processes and change control
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and suppliers

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the mechanical engineering team, allocating resources across projects
• Own the mechanical design process from concept through production release
• Drive DFM, DFA, Design for Serviceability and tolerance analysis
• Establish documentation, drawing control, and engineering change processes
• Lead transition from in-house prototypes to contract manufacturing
• Collaborate with contract manufacturers and suppliers on tooling, assembly, and quality
• Drive cost reduction and yield improvement in manufacturing
• Review supplier capabilities, quality, lead times and costs
• Resolve technical manufacturing issues and support sourcing decisions
• Develop product release criteria and manufacturing readiness reviews

Skills

Engineering leadership

Design reviews

Systems engineering

DFM / DFA

Root cause analysis

Documentation control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Mechatronics/Manufacturing Engineering

Job description

Location: Sydney, Australia (with periodic travel to suppliers and contract manufacturers in China) Reports To: Chief Technology Officer

$ Strong salary and equity

Direct Reports: Senior Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, future engineering and pilot manufacturing team as required

Need to be hands on, Solid Design, Product development and Manufacturing experience

About the Role We are seeking an experienced Product & Manufacturing Lead to lead our mechanical engineering function while driving the transition of our products from prototype to scalable commercial manufacture.

This is a hands on leadership role suited to an engineer who has taken products from concept and prototype through to production with contract manufacturers, ideally in China or Asia. You will provide technical leadership to the design team, establish robust engineering and product release processes, and work closely with suppliers and manufacturing partners to ensure products are reliable, cost effective, and manufacturable at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership

• Lead and develop the mechanical engineering team, mentoring engineers and allocating resources across projects
• Conduct design reviews and maintain engineering standards

Product Development

• Own the mechanical design process from concept through production release
• Apply systems engineering principles throughout development and industrialisation
• Drive DFM, DFA, and Design for Serviceability initiatives
• Establish documentation, drawing control, and engineering change processes
• Lead the transition from in house prototypes to contract manufacturing
• Work directly with contract manufacturers and key suppliers on tooling, assembly processes, and quality
• Drive manufacturing cost reduction and yield improvement
• Identify, evaluate, and qualify suppliers and manufacturing partners
• Review supplier capability, quality performance, lead times, and cost
• Resolve technical manufacturing issues and support sourcing decisions

Quality & Product Release

• Develop product release criteria and manufacturing readiness reviews
• Implement engineering change control and support corrective action processes

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent
• 10+ years engineering experience, including leading engineering teams
• Proven track record taking products from prototype to production, working directly with contract manufacturers
• Strong understanding of DFM, DFA, Design for Serviceability, tolerance analysis, root cause analysis, and product verification & validation
• Experience managing engineering documentation and change control

Highly Desirable

• Experience with Chinese contract manufacturers
• Experience with electromechanical products or industrial, agricultural, energy, or environmental equipment
• Exposure to ISO9001 quality systems
• Startup or scale up experience

Personal Attributes

• A strong engineering leader first and manager second
• Equally comfortable reviewing CAD models and discussing factory processes
• Pragmatic, commercially minded, and collaborative
• Comfortable in a fast moving scale up environment and hands on when required

Success in the First 12 Months

• Build a cohesive, high performing engineering team
• Establish formal engineering review and product release processes
• Prepare products for successful contract manufacturing
• Reduce product cost through design and manufacturing improvements
• Develop strong relationships with manufacturing partners
• Create a clear roadmap from prototype builds to scalable production