Assistant General Manager – Design Engineering || Savli - Vadodara (Guj.)

Pluga Franklin Electric; Vadodara; On-site; INR 350,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

Pluga Franklin Electric in India seeks an Assistant General Manager – Design Engineering to lead the design and engineering of submersible pumps, motors and related components, driving new product development and engineering standards.

You will oversee hydraulic design, mechanical and electrical engineering, DFMEA, ECN/ECR processes, and design for manufacturability, delivering robust, cost-effective solutions aligned with BIS/IEC standards and customer requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level engineering in mechanical/production preferred.
• 15–20 years in pump and motor design engineering.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior engineering leadership role.
• Experience with submersible pump/motor manufacturing and NPD.

Responsibilities

• Lead complete design and engineering activities for submersible pumps and motors.
• Develop modular product platforms to reduce lead time and complexity.
• Oversee NPD lifecycle from concept to production and validation.
• Coordinate prototype development and testing; ensure design verification plans.
• Own DFMEA and risk management; manage ECN/ECR processes.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Strategic thinking

Customer-centric mindset

Pumps & motors

Education

B.E./B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Creo

AutoCAD

CATIA

Autodesk Inventor

Job description

• Coordinate prototype development.
• Hydraulic passage design.
• Performance curve development.
• Local supplier development.
• Alternate component qualification.
• Identify potential design failure modes.
• Define design verification requirements.

Department: Engineering

Location: India

Description

The Assistant General Manager – Design Engineering will lead the design and engineering function for submersible pumps, submersible motors and associated components, with responsibility for new product development, product improvement, design validation, engineering standards, cost optimization, manufacturability and technical support to manufacturing, quality, sourcing, sales and after-sales functions. The position will be responsible for developing robust, reliable, cost-effective and manufacturable pump and motor designs that meet customer requirements, applicable Indian/international standards and the company's quality, performance and cost objectives. The role will also drive design standardization, localization, value engineering, technology development, product rationalization and continuous improvement across the product portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Design & Product Engineering:

• Lead the complete design and engineering activities for :Submersible pumps, Submersible motors, Water-filled motors, Oil-filled motors, Pump-motor assemblies, Hydraulic components, Mechanical components, Electrical components, Motor winding and electromagnetic systems, Sealing and bearing systems, Cable entry and protection systems, Thrust and radial bearing arrangements
• Develop new products based on: Market requirements, Customer specifications, Application requirements, Competitor benchmarking, Cost targets, Performance requirements
• Review and approve engineering designs, drawings, calculations and technical specifications.
• Establish design methodologies and engineering standards for various product families.
• Ensure proper configuration management of products, drawings, BOMs and engineering changes.
• Develop modular and standardized product platforms to reduce engineering lead time and manufacturing complexity.

2. New Product Development – NPD

Lead the complete NPD/NPI lifecycle from concept to commercial production: Market Requirement → Concept Design → Engineering → Prototype → Testing → Validation → Pilot Production → Field Trial → Product Release

Responsibilities include:

• Evaluate feasibility of new product concepts.
• Prepare product specifications and design inputs.
• Develop preliminary designs and engineering concepts.
• Coordinate prototype development.
• Establish design validation and verification plans.
• Conduct design reviews at appropriate stages.
• Coordinate laboratory and field testing.
• Analyze prototype performance and implement design modifications.
• Ensure successful product industrialization.
• Prepare final engineering documentation before product launch.

3. Hydraulic Design – Submersible Pumps

Provide technical leadership for hydraulic design and optimization, including:

• Pump hydraulic selection and sizing.
• Impeller design and optimization.
• Diffuser/bowl design.
• Stage configuration.
• Hydraulic passage design.
• Pump head and discharge calculations.
• Efficiency optimization.
• NPSH considerations where applicable.
• Pump operating range analysis.
• Performance curve development.
• BEP optimization.
• Hydraulic balancing.
• CFD-based hydraulic analysis, where applicable.
• Evaluation of pump performance against customer duty requirements.
• Improvement of hydraulic efficiency and reduction of energy consumption

4. Motor Design & Electrical Engineering

• Lead electrical and mechanical design of: Water-filled motors, Oil-filled motors, High efficiency motors, Permanent magnet and advanced motor technologies
• Develop: Stator and rotor designs, Winding specifications, Thermal management systems, Insulation systems, bearing arrangements, Improve motor efficiency, reliability, and operating life, Support development of IE3/IE4 energy-efficient motor platforms.

5. Design for Manufacturing & Assembly – DFM/DFA

Work closely with Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering to ensure that products are designed for efficient and reliable manufacturing.

Responsibilities:

• Review designs for manufacturability.
• Reduce unnecessary machining operations.
• Optimize component tolerances.
• Reduce assembly complexity.
• Improve component interchangeability.
• Standardize components.
• Reduce number of unique parts.
• Identify opportunities for automation.
• Improve assembly ergonomics.
• Develop poka-yoke solutions.
• Optimize manufacturing processes through design changes.
• Ensure design tolerances are realistic and process-capable.

6. Value Engineering & Cost Reduction

Lead engineering-driven cost reduction initiatives.

Typical areas:

• Material optimization.
• Component standardization.
• Reduction of material weight.
• Copper reduction.
• Casting optimization.
• Machining optimization.
• Sheet-metal optimization.
• Bearing optimization.
• Seal optimization.
• Alternate material development.
• Local supplier development.
• Alternate component qualification.
• Design simplification.
• Reduction of BOM complexity.
• Design-to-cost initiatives.

7. Product Testing & Validation

Develop and implement comprehensive testing protocols for new and modified products.

Coordinate:

• Prototype testing.
• Performance testing.
• Endurance testing.
• Reliability testing.
• Thermal testing.
• Hydraulic performance testing.
• Motor performance testing.
• Insulation resistance testing.
• High-voltage testing.
• No-load/load testing.
• Overload testing.
• Locked-rotor testing where applicable.
• Starting performance testing.
• Vibration and noise testing.
• Mechanical seal testing.
• Bearing endurance testing.
• Environmental testing.
• Field validation.

  8. Design FMEA / Risk Management

  Own or guide DFMEA activities for new and existing products.

  Responsibilities include:

  • Identify potential design failure modes.
  • Evaluate severity, occurrence and detection.
  • Define preventive controls.
  • Define design verification requirements.
  • Implement corrective actions.
  • Review DFMEA after field failures and engineering changes.
  • Maintain design risk registers.
  • Work closely with Quality, Manufacturing and Supplier Quality teams on PFMEA/design-risk alignment.

    9. Engineering Change Management

    Control all engineering changes through a structured ECN/ECR process.

    Responsibilities:

    • Review Engineering Change Requests.
    • Evaluate technical impact.
    • Assess cost implications.
    • Assess impact on inventory and existing production.
    • Evaluate customer impact.
    • Review tooling implications.
    • Coordinate prototype validation.
    • Obtain required approvals.
    • Release revised drawings/BOMs.
    • Ensure effective implementation on the shop floor.
    • Maintain engineering change history.

    10. Standards & Regulatory Compliance

    Ensure product designs comply with applicable:

    • BIS standards
    • IS standards
    • IEC standards
    • ISO requirements
    • Relevant pump and motor standards
    • Customer-specific specifications
    • Applicable energy-efficiency requirements
    • Product certification requirements

    11. Quality & Reliability Improvement

    • Analyze product failures using:
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
    • Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA)
    • 8D Methodology
    • Fishbone Analysis

    Lead corrective and preventive action programs.

    Improve product reliability through design enhancements.

    Support warranty reduction initiatives.

    12. Team Leadership & People Development

    • Lead and mentor Design Engineers, Product Development Engineers, CAD Engineers, and Testing Engineers.
    • Establish a high-performance engineering culture.
    • Conduct performance reviews and development planning.
    • Build engineering capability through training and coaching.
    • Ensure succession planning for critical engineering positions.

    13. Supplier Technical Development

    • Work closely with Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Quality to:
    • Develop new suppliers.
    • Evaluate alternate materials/components.
    • Approve engineering samples.
    • Conduct supplier technical evaluations.
    • Review supplier drawings.
    • Establish component specifications.
    • Validate alternate materials.
    • Support localization.
    • Reduce dependency on single-source components.
    • Improve supplier component quality.

    Cross-Functional Responsibilities 16. Organizational Responsibilities

    • Develop annual engineering objectives and budgets.
    • Drive continuous improvement initiatives.
    • Promote safety, quality, and innovation culture.
    • Support strategic growth initiatives.
    • Participate in management review meetings and business planning activities.

    Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

    Skills and Abilities

    • Communication and problem-solving
    • In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with: Submersible Pumps and Motors, Booster Pumps, Dewatering Pumps, Slurry Pumps. Hydropneumatic Systems
    • Strong leadership and interpersonal communication.
    • Strategic thinking and customer-centric mindset.

    Technical competencies

    Design Software

    • SolidWorks
    • Creo
    • AutoCAD
    • CATIA
    • Autodesk Inventor

    Analysis Tools

    • ANSYS
    • CFD Software
    • Motor Design Software
    • FEA Analysis Tools

    Engineering Knowledge

    • Pump hydraulics
    • Electrical motor design
    • GD&T
    • DFMEA/PFMEA
    • APQP
    • Lean Manufacturing
    • Six Sigma
    • Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

    Education and Experience

    • B.E./B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering, or Production Engineering.
    • 15-20 years of experience in pump and motor design engineering.
    • Minimum 5 years in a senior engineering leadership role.
    • Proven experience in submersible pump and motor manufacturing industry.
    • Experience in new product development and commercialization.
    • Exposure to global markets and international standards preferred.

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