Lead Manufacturing Engineer

SEL Engineering Services; Idaho; On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP ownership

401(k) plan

Comprehensive benefits

Paid holidays

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Tuition assistance

Engineering development programs

Job summary

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Lewiston, ID, seeks a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to provide technical leadership for NPI, production readiness, and manufacturing technology development. You will collaborate with engineering, operations, and product teams to ensure our products can be built safely, reliably, and economically while developing the capabilities of those around you.

In this role, you’ll guide process planning, risk reduction, validation, and successful product launches, drive

Qualifications

• Engineering background with strong manufacturing expertise.
• Experience leading projects and cross-functional teams.
• Skilled in quality, industrial, mechanical, automation, or NPI engineering.
• Data-driven approach using Lean principles and structured problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for NPI, production readiness, and technology development.
• Lead manufacturing readiness for new products, including process planning and validation.
• Drive improvement initiatives, risk reduction, and on-time, budget-conscious launches.
• Mentor developing engineers and shape manufacturing capabilities across the org.
• Collaborate across engineering, operations, and product teams to ensure scalable production.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional

Lean manufacturing

NPI engineering

Data-driven problem solving

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics AX

Power BI

Jira

Confluence

Microsoft Project

Job description

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is looking for a people-oriented Lead Manufacturing Engineer to join our Manufacturing Division in Lewiston, Idaho.

In this role, you'll provide technical leadership for new product introduction (NPI), production readiness, process improvement, and manufacturing technology development. You'll work across engineering, operations, and product teams to ensure our products can be built safely, reliably, and economically while developing the capabilities of those around you.

A typical day as a Lead Manufacturing Engineer might include:

• A mix of technical leadership, strategic problem-solving, and working directly with stakeholders across the organization.
• Leading manufacturing readiness efforts for new products, guiding teams through process planning, risk reduction activities, validation efforts, and successful production launches.
• Driving organizational alignment, establishing best practices, and helping teams execute complex projects on schedule and within budget.
• Analyze product and process designs using Design for Manufacturing, Assembly, and Automation principles, ensuring solutions support long‑term manufacturing capability and scalability.
• Leading teams through root cause investigations, continuous improvement initiatives, and production transformation efforts while serving as a technical mentor for developing engineers.
• Helping to shape the future of manufacturing by developing new engineering technologies, analytical approaches, business systems, and operational strategies that improve performance across the organization.

Design quality, technical rigor, and collaboration are critical parts of this role, so expect to participate in reviews, provide technical guidance, and influence decisions that impact manufacturing performance across multiple products and facilities. While leading projects and technical initiatives, you'll focus on delivering measurable results while developing engineering capability throughout the organization.

This job might be for you if:

• You have an engineering background and strong manufacturing expertise.
• You enjoy solving complex technical and operational challenges.
• You have experience leading projects and cross‑functional teams.
• You are skilled in quality, industrial, mechanical, automation, or NPI engineering.
• You use data, Lean principles, and structured problem solving to deliver results.You communicate effectively and develop those around you.

It is a plus if you have:

• Leadership: We're looking for someone who has successfully led manufacturing readiness efforts for complex products and has experience influencing technical direction across teams and organizations. Experience leading NPI programs, implementing manufacturing technologies, and driving large‑scale process improvement initiatives is highly valuable.
• Technical: Experience with PFMEA, process capability analysis, production system design, and Lean manufacturing transformations is a significant advantage.
• Software: Experience with Microsoft Dynamics AX, Power BI, manufacturing software platforms, and project management tools such as Jira, Confluence, or Microsoft Project is also highly desirable. Engineers who enjoy mentoring others, building organizational capability, and establishing best practices will thrive in this role.

About Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

SEL designs, manufactures, and supports products and systems that protect, monitor, control, and automate electric power systems. Our technologies help detect faults, prevent equipment damage, and reduce the impact of power outages. Our mission is to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical. Employees contribute to practical, high‑quality solutions used every day, where attention to detail and quality directly support the reliability of the electric grid.

Location: Lewiston, ID

This position is located in Lewiston, ID where you'll enjoy an unmatched quality of life. Enjoy the smaller town life: country space, freedom from traffic, easy access to recreational activities in nearby mountains, rivers, and forests, as well as great schools and universities.

Competitive pay. Superior benefits. Inspiring work.

People are at the core of our company and we hire employee‑owners. We welcome you to learn more about how we support employees.

• We're 100% employee owned. Retirement benefits include an employer funded stock ownership plan (ESOP) and personal 401(k) options.
• We offer top tier medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• We recognize the importance of a healthy life balance and offer: 10 paid holidays, annual vacation accrual starting at 12 days, 9 paid sick days, and paid family and medical leave that covers 90% of your pay.
• We foster growth and development of our employees through avenues such as STEM courses, apprenticeships, tuition assistance, and engineering development programs.

Ask our team about other benefits including wellness, fertility, ado