Manager, Engineering

Samuel, Son & Co.; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Samuel, Son & Co. in Birmingham, AL is seeking an engineering leader to drive design, manufacturing support, and capital projects in a fast-paced metal fabrication environment.

This role requires strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and a track record of delivering design and process improvements across manufacturing operations. The position offers a path to senior leadership and a mix of office and shop floor work.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field and equivalent experience.
• 7–10 years of progressive engineering experience in manufacturing preferred.
• Prior management experience preferred.
• Experience in metals, tube manufacturing, or fabrication preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership in design, problem solving, and capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and manage engineering personnel with focus on safety and continuous improvement.
• Set departmental priorities and align resources with strategy and customer needs.
• Provide technical direction and support succession planning.
• Oversee design reviews, specifications, and documentation for accuracy and standards.
• Lead quoting and launch of new products to meet cost and customer expectations.
• Establish engineering standards, controls, and approval processes.
• Lead manufacturability reviews and resolve design or process concerns.
• Provide engineering support to improve safety, quality, efficiency, and cost.
• Develop and optimize processes, tooling, and procedures.
• Drive structured problem solving and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead projects from concept to implementation with scope, schedule, budget, safety, and performance goals.
• Develop business cases and implementation plans; coordinate internal/external resources.
• Support new products, capacity planning, and strategic growth.
• Ensure compliance with customer, quality, and regulatory requirements; lead audits and corrective actions.
• Serve as liaison with customers, suppliers, operations, quality, and maintenance.

Skills

Engineering design

Manufacturing engineering

Process improvement

Lean manufacturing

Leadership

Team development

Analytical skills

Project management

Problem solving

Communication skills

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

CAD

ERP systems

Data analysis software

Project management software

Job description

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS / RESPONSIBILITIES

Engineering Leadership

• Lead, develop, and manage engineering personnel while fostering safety, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Establish departmental priorities and align engineering resources with customer, operational, and business strategy objectives.
• Provide technical direction, develop team capability, and support succession planning.

Engineering Design & Technical Oversight

• Oversee engineering design reviews, calculations, specifications, and technical documentation to ensure accuracy and alignment with customer requirements, applicable standards, and manufacturing capabilities.
• Oversee quoting of new products and the launch of new awards to ensure they align with established/quoted cost and customer expectations.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, design controls, best practices, and technical approval processes.
• Lead manufacturability reviews and resolve design, material, tooling, and process concerns in collaboration with customers and internal teams.

Manufacturing Support & Process Improvement

• Provide engineering support to improve safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, capacity, reliability, and cost performance.
• Develop and optimize manufacturing processes, tooling, equipment requirements, and engineering procedures.
• Lead structured problem solving and targeted continuous improvement initiatives that address recurring operational or quality issues.

Capital Projects & Business Growth

• Lead engineering, equipment, tooling, automation, and facility projects from concept through implementation, ensuring approved scope, schedule, budget, safety, and performance objectives are achieved.
• Develop technical scopes, business cases, and implementation plans and coordinate internal and external resources.
• Support new products, customer opportunities, capacity planning, and other strategic growth initiatives.

Quality, Compliance & Customer Partnership

• Ensure engineering activities comply with customer requirements, quality systems, company standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Lead engineering participation in customer, internal, and third-party audits and ensure timely completion of corrective actions.
• Serve as a technical liaison with customers, suppliers, operations, quality, maintenance, supply Chain, and commercial teams.
• Incorporate safety, environmental, and ergonomic considerations into engineering designs and solutions.

EQUIPMENT KNOWLEDGE

• Microsoft Office applications and ERP systems.
• Engineering design, CAD, manufacturing, project management, and data analysis software.
• Manufacturing equipment, tooling, automation, and process control systems.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a related engineering discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience required.
• Seven to ten years of progressive engineering experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Previous management experience preferred.
• Experience in metals, tube manufacturing, roll forming, fabrication, or another industrial manufacturing environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering design, technical problem solving, process improvement, and capital projects.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong engineering design, manufacturing engineering, and process improvement experience.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement principles.
• Proven leadership and team development capabilities.
• Strong analytical, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple priorities.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met to perform the essential functions of the job.
• Frequent sitting, standing, walking, and computer use.
• Regular presence in manufacturing areas and occasional inspection of equipment and processes.
• Occasional bending, climbing, reaching, or lifting may be required based on operational needs.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment in designated areas.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position works in a combination of office and manufacturing environments and requires regular presence in production areas. The employee must follow established safety requirements and wear required personal protective equipment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

SAMOMM