Design for Manufacturing (DfM) Engineer

Ny Teknik; Trollhättans kommun; On-site; SEK 900,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

GKN Aerospace Trollhättan seeks a senior DfM Engineer to strengthen Manufacturing Engineering Design and lead ME activities in demonstrator projects, early product development, and future programs.

The role sits in ME Design at the interface between product design and industrialization, driving DfM and Zero Defect from early design phases to ensure robust, manufacturable solutions and a smooth handover to NPI. Strong English skills are required.

Qualifications

• University degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Extensive experience in Manufacturing Engineering within product development environments.
• Strong knowledge of DfM, DFMEA/PFMEA, and Zero Defect principles.
• Experience from early product development, demonstrator programs, and NPI / industrialization.
• Solid understanding of production processes, process capability, and tolerance management.
• Experience working in cross functional and global engineering organizations.
• Ability to lead without formal line authority and influence design decisions.
• Strong communication skills in English; Swedish is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate Manufacturing Engineering activities in demonstrator and product development projects.
• Drive Design for Manufacturing (DfM) and Zero Defect implementation within the Design System.
• Ensure robustness against manufacturing and assembly variation (DfR) as part of manufacturability.
• Work with Product Areas to integrate manufacturing aspects into architecture, tolerances, and materials.
• Lead early manufacturability and robustness assessments (DfM reviews, DFMEA/PFMEA, tolerance analysis).
• Define and secure production prerequisites, process concepts, and manufacturing assumptions pre-design freeze.
• Align with Product Area structures, process capabilities, and industrial strategy.
• Act as ME interface towards Design, Technology, Quality, and Product Areas during LCG 1–4.
• Ensure robust handover to industrialization / NPI programs at LCG 4.
• Maintain ownership of manufacturing requirements and design intent across lifecycle (LCG 1–9).
• Contribute to continuous improvement of DfM standards and practices.

Skills

DfM

Zero Defect

DFMEA/PFMEA

Product development

Cross-functional

English communication

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Job Summary

We are looking for a senior DfM Engineer to strengthen our Manufacturing Engineering Design capability and lead Manufacturing Engineering activities in demonstrator projects, early product development, and future product programs.

The role is part of ME Design within the Engineering organization, which consists of Design and ME Design, and operates at the interface between product design and industrialization.

In this role, you drive Design for Manufacturing (DfM) and Zero Defect principles from the earliest design phases, ensuring robust, manufacturable, and industrialization ready product solutions. You work closely with Design, Technology, and Product Areas (Operations) and are accountable for the design requirements across the product lifecycle, with a strong focus on early phases.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate Manufacturing Engineering activities in demonstrator and product development projects.
• Drive Design for Manufacturing (DfM) and Zero Defect implementation within the Design System.
• Ensuring that the design is robust against manufacturing and assembly variation (Design for Robustness – DfR), as part of the manufacturability property.
• Work closely with the Product Areas to ensure manufacturing aspects are integrated into product architecture, requirements, tolerances, and material selection.
• Lead early manufacturability and robustness assessments (DfM reviews, DFMEA/PFMEA, tolerance and variation analysis).
• Define and secure production prerequisites, process concepts, and manufacturing assumptions prior to design freeze points.
• Ensure alignment with Product Area industrial structures, process capabilities, and industrial strategy.
• Act as the primary ME interface towards Design, Technology, Quality, and Product Areas during LCG 1–4.
• Ensure a complete and robust handover to industrialization / NPI programs at LCG 4.
• Maintain ownership of manufacturing requirements and design intent across the full product lifecycle (LCG 1–9).
• Contribute to continuous improvement of DfM standards, methods, and best practices.

Scope of Work Across Life Cycle Gates

• LCG 1–2: Influence product concepts through early DfM principles, process capability understanding, and risk identification.
• LCG 3: Secure robust design maturity, validated manufacturability, and defined process concepts prior to design freeze.
• LCG 4: Ensure a complete and Zero Defect aligned handover to industrialization (NPI).
• LCG 5–9: Retain responsibility for manufacturing requirements, design intent, and Zero Defect alignment throughout the product lifecycle.

Job Qualifications & Personal Skill

• University degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Extensive experience in Manufacturing Engineering within product development environments.
• Strong knowledge of DfM, DFMEA/PFMEA, and Zero Defect principles.
• Experience from early product development, demonstrator programs, and NPI / industrialization.
• Solid understanding of production processes, process capability, and tolerance management.
• Experience working in cross functional and global engineering organizations.
• Ability to lead without formal line authority and influence design decisions.
• Strong communication skills in English; Swedish is beneficial.

Personal Attributes

• Structured, analytical, and proactive mindset.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills.
• Ability to balance technical depth with system level thinking.
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and driving fact based decisions.
• Passion for quality, robustness, and continuous improvement.

Application

Form of employment: Permanent

The selection process takes place continuously. The position may therefore be filled before the application deadline. Therefore, do not wait with your application!

Last date for application: 2026-09-01. Please note that, due to the summer holiday period, the selection process and subsequent feedback will take place after the summer.

Contact: Head of ME, Per-Anders Atterklev, [e-mail]

We have determined our recruitment and marketing channels. Therefore, we kindly request no contact from recruitment agencies, media sales, or similar entities. The position requires that you undergo and be approved according to the current regulations for security protection. For positions where GKN's customer has requirements for security classification, this may, in some cases, involve specific citizenship requirements.