Industrial Engineer

TechStar Group; Liberty (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

TechStar Group in Liberty, NC is seeking an Industrial Engineer to support battery manufacturing operations, capital projects, production readiness, and continuous improvement. The role will design, analyze, improve, and document manufacturing systems and Production Engineering processes using data and cross-functional collaboration to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.

The successful candidate will demonstrate analytical problem solving, clear ownership of schedule and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, or related discipline.
• Five or more years of industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, production systems, or related experience.
• Experience supporting high-volume manufacturing, automated production, equipment implementation, or production system improvement.
• Hands-on experience with capacity planning, time study, line balancing, labor planning, bottleneck analysis, facility or production layout, material flow, and standardized work.
• Ability to build transparent analytical models with defined inputs, formulas, outputs, and sensitivity to changing conditions.

Responsibilities

• Manufacturing System Design: Analyze production requirements and develop concepts that support safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity targets.
• Design and improve production flow, material flow, staffing concepts, work balance, and facility or equipment layouts.
• Evaluate equipment, process, operator, and material interfaces to identify constraints before implementation.
• Support new line development, model changes, expansion projects, and production system modifications.
• Capacity, Throughput, and Labor Planning: Perform cycle-time studies, bottleneck analysis, line balancing, and utilization analysis.
• Develop capacity models and evaluate equipment, labor, shift, and production assumptions.
• Quantify capacity gaps and compare countermeasure options using defined assumptions and measurable criteria.
• Support workforce planning and standardized work without compromising safety or quality.
• Continuous Improvement and Process Stabilization: Lead kaizen activities focused on productivity, ergonomics, quality, cost, and waste reduction.
• Use structured problem solving to identify root causes, implement countermeasures, and verify effectiveness.
• Support process stabilization, recurrence prevention, and development of sustainable controls.
• Capture measurable before-and-after results and define ownership for sustainment.
• Data Analytics and Performance Management: Develop KPIs, dashboards, reports, and executive summaries for manufacturing and project performance.
• Analyze production data, variation, losses, constraints, and trends using appropriate statistical and visualization methods.
• Define data sources, calculation logic, assumptions, and limitations so analyses are repeatable and auditable.
• Convert analytical findings into prioritized actions, risks, and recommendations.
• Project Execution and Equipment Integration: Support equipment specification, installation, commissioning, trial, production readiness, ramp-up, and handover activities.
• Coordinate with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Facilities, vendors, contractors, and other PE stakeholders.
• Maintain project schedules, action tracking, risk registers, decision records, and readiness criteria.
• Escalate unresolved risks with objective evidence and drive closure of cross-functional issues.
• PE Standards, Technical Writing, and Knowledge Management: Develop, maintain, and improve Production Engineering standards, procedures, technical guides, check sheets, templates, and process maps.
• Translate engineering knowledge, project experience, and lessons learned into clear, controlled, repeatable PE processes.
• Document workflows for design review, project execution, equipment acceptance, commissioning, validation, handover, and recurrence prevention.
• Gather input from subject matter experts, validate technical content, resolve conflicting inputs, and document assumptions or decision logic.
• Apply document hierarchy, naming, revision control, approval, ownership, effective-date, and periodic-review expectations.
• Create visual and written training materials that enable consistent use by engineers, technicians, contractors, and cross-functional partners.
• Monitor adoption and improve documents based on user feedback, audit findings, process changes, and verified lessons learned.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Structured problem solving

Ownership of schedule

Effective communication

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in industrial/manufacturing/related field

Tools

Excel

Job description

12 months contact with possible extension

Overtime: 20%.

Travel: 5% (International or Domestic as required.)

What we’re looking for:

Client’s Production Engineering Battery Manufacturing Engineering Department is seeking an Industrial Engineer to support battery manufacturing operations, capital projects, production readiness, and continuous improvement.

This role will design, analyze, improve, and document manufacturing systems and Production Engineering processes. The successful candidate will use objective data, cross-functional collaboration, and clear technical communication to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and knowledge transfer.

Expected professional attributes:

Analytical and structured problem solving

Clear ownership of schedule, risk, and deliverables

Effective communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders

Continuous improvement and Toyota Way mindset

Ability to convert complex engineering work into clear, usable standards

What you’ll be doing:

Manufacturing System Design

Analyze production requirements and develop manufacturing concepts that support safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity targets.

Design and improve production flow, material flow, staffing concepts, work balance, and facility or equipment layouts.

Evaluate equipment, process, operator, and material interfaces to identify constraints before implementation.

Support new line development, model changes, expansion projects, and production system modifications.

Capacity, Throughput, and Labor Planning:

Perform cycle-time studies, bottleneck analysis, line balancing, and utilization analysis.

Develop capacity models and evaluate equipment, labor, shift, and production assumptions.

Quantify capacity gaps and compare countermeasure options using defined assumptions and measurable criteria.

Support workforce planning and sustainable standardized work without compromising safety or quality.

Continuous Improvement and Process Stabilization:

Lead or support kaizen activities focused on productivity, ergonomics, quality, cost, and waste reduction.

Use structured problem solving to identify root causes, implement countermeasures, and verify effectiveness.

Support process stabilization, recurrence prevention, and development of sustainable controls.

Capture measurable before-and-after results and define ownership for sustainment.

Data Analytics and Performance Management:

Develop clear KPIs, dashboards, reports, and executive summaries for manufacturing and project performance.

Analyze production data, variation, losses, constraints, and trends using appropriate statistical and visualization methods.

Define data sources, calculation logic, assumptions, and limitations so analyses are repeatable and auditable.

Convert analytical findings into prioritized actions, risks, and recommendations.

Project Execution and Equipment Integration:

Support equipment specification, installation, commissioning, trial, production readiness, ramp-up, and handover activities.

Coordinate with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Facilities, vendors, contractors, and other PE stakeholders.

Maintain project schedules, action tracking, risk registers, decision records, and readiness criteria.

Escalate unresolved risks with objective evidence and drive closure of cross-functional issues.

PE Standards, Technical Writing, and Knowledge Management:

Develop, maintain, and improve Production Engineering standards, procedures, technical guides, check sheets, templates, and process maps.

Translate engineering knowledge, project experience, and lessons learned into clear, controlled, repeatable PE processes.

Document workflows for design review, project execution, equipment acceptance, commissioning, validation, handover, and recurrence prevention.

Gather input from subject matter experts, validate technical content, resolve conflicting inputs, and document assumptions or decision logic.

Apply document hierarchy, naming, revision control, approval, ownership, effective-date, and periodic-review expectations.

Create visual and written training materials that enable consistent use by engineers, technicians, contractors, and cross-functional partners.

Monitor adoption and improve documents based on user feedback, audit findings, process changes, and verified lessons learned.

Qualifications/ What you bring (Must Haves):

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Five or more years of industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, production systems, or closely related experience.

Experience supporting high-volume manufacturing, automated production, equipment implementation, or manufacturing system improvement.

Hands-on experience with capacity planning, time study, line balancing, labor planning, bottleneck analysis, facility or production layout, material flow, and standardized work.

Ability to build transparent analytical models with defined inputs, assumptions, formulas, outputs, and sensitivity to changing conditions.

Ability to verify implemented results against planned performance and identify remaining gaps.

Technical Writing and Standards Development

Demonstrated experience authoring or significantly revising engineering standards, procedures, specifications, work processes, technical manuals, playbooks, or training materials.

Ability to structure complex content using clear hierarchy, purpose, scope, roles, inputs, process steps, controls, records, and revision history.

Ability to write precise requirements using objective, testable language and avoid ambiguity, unsupported conclusions, and redundant wording.

Experience facilitating technical reviews and obtaining validation from engineering and cross-functional subject matter experts.

Experience with document control, revision management, approvals, distribution, and periodic review.

Ability to create process maps, check sheets, templates, examples, and visual aids that improve usability.

Data and Communication

Advanced capability with Excel and demonstrated use of manufacturing data analysis or visualization tools.

Ability to communicate analysis, risks, decisions, and recommendations clearly to working-level and leadership audiences.

Ability to distinguish facts, assumptions, requirements, recommendations, and open decisions within technical documents.

Project Ownership

Ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain action and risk visibility, and provide timely status reporting.

Demonstrated cross-functional coordination and issue resolution in a manufacturing or engineering environment.

Ability to work in a manufacturing plant environment, including field observation, PPE use, and support during implementation activities.

Bonus if you have (Preferred):

Manufacturing Environment

Automotive, battery cell, module, pack, clean room, dry room, formation, or high-volume automated manufacturing experience.

Greenfield startup, brownfield modification, equipment commissioning, launch, or ramp-up experience.

Digital Manufacturing and Analytics

Power BI, SQL, Python, Minitab, Tableau, or equivalent analytics capability.

Discrete-event simulation, digital twin, FlexSim, AnyLogic, Plant Simulation, or equivalent modeling experience.

Standards and Governance

Experience developing standards adopted across multiple engineers, departments, sites, or projects.

Experience managing a lesson-learned system, engineering knowledge base, audit process, or standards governance workflow.

Familiarity with industry standards, customer technical standards, quality systems, or controlled document environments.

Lean and Client Methods

Production System, standardized work, kaizen, PDCA, A3, TBP, JKK, value-stream mapping, or similar structured improvement methods.

Experience training or mentoring engineers and facilitating cross-functional improvement activities.