Manufacturing Engineer

Leoforce; Beloit (WI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Leoforce is seeking a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer to support and improve production processes in a large assembly weld environment. The role emphasizes weld automation, equipment, tooling, fixtures, and production support to enhance safety, quality, efficiency, and throughput.

The ideal candidate has an engineering degree, 3+ years of experience in a large assembly welding environment, and strong understanding of automation as it relates to welding.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Welding Engineering, or a related engineering field.
• 3+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in a large assembly weld environment.
• Strong understanding of weld automation, robotic welding, automated weld equipment, fixtures, tooling, and related manufacturing processes.
• Hands-on experience supporting production, troubleshooting manufacturing issues, and improving processes in a plant or shop floor environment.
• Ability to work closely with welders, production supervisors, quality, maintenance, and engineering teams to solve day-to-day manufacturing challenges.
• Ideally currently working in a manufacturing engineering, weld engineering, process engineering, or similar role.

Responsibilities

• Support, develop, and improve manufacturing processes within a large assembly welding environment.
• Identify and resolve issues related to weld quality, equipment performance, tooling, fixtures, throughput, downtime, scrap, and overall process efficiency.
• Support weld automation initiatives, including automated weld equipment, robotic welding systems, tooling, fixtures, and process improvements that increase repeatability, quality, and productivity.
• Troubleshoot production issues and participate in root cause analysis to resolve recurring manufacturing, quality, equipment, and process problems.
• Develop and maintain work instructions, standard operating procedures, process documentation, and manufacturing standards to support consistent production execution.
• Evaluate current manufacturing processes and recommend improvements tied to safety, quality, delivery, cost, cycle time, downtime, throughput, and labor efficiency.
• Support equipment, tooling, fixture, and layout improvements to improve production flow and manufacturing capability.
• Partner with quality, maintenance, engineering, operations, and production leadership to drive practical, floor-focused improvements.
• Collect and review production data related to scrap, rework, cycle time, downtime, throughput, quality, and process performance.
• Support new product, equipment, and process introductions, including process setup, documentation, validation, operator training, and production readiness.
• Assist with continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing waste, improving consistency, increasing capacity, and strengthening manufacturing performance.

Skills

Hands-on

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing/Mechanical/Industrial/Welding Engineering

Tools

Inventor

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

ERP systems

Job description

Manufacturing Engineer

Experience: Mid Level

Salary: $80,000 - $115,000 per year

Job Details

Manufacturing Engineer

We are seeking a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer to support and improve production processes in a large assembly weld environment. This role is focused on improving safety, quality, efficiency, throughput, and consistency across manufacturing operations, with a strong emphasis on weld automation, equipment, tooling, fixtures, and production support.

The ideal candidate will have an engineering degree, at least 3 years of experience in a large assembly welding environment, and a strong understanding of automation as it relates to welding. This person should be comfortable working closely with production teams, troubleshooting manufacturing issues on the floor, and helping implement practical improvements that make the operation safer, faster, more repeatable, and more efficient.

Primary Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Welding Engineering, or a related engineering field.
• 3+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in a large assembly weld environment.
• Strong understanding of weld automation, robotic welding, automated weld equipment, fixtures, tooling, and related manufacturing processes.
• Hands-on experience supporting production, troubleshooting manufacturing issues, and improving processes in a plant or shop floor environment.
• Ability to work closely with welders, production supervisors, quality, maintenance, and engineering teams to solve day-to-day manufacturing challenges.
• Ideally currently working in a manufacturing engineering, weld engineering, process engineering, or similar role.

Key Responsibilities

• Support, develop, and improve manufacturing processes within a large assembly welding environment.
• Work closely with production teams to identify and resolve issues related to weld quality, equipment performance, tooling, fixtures, throughput, downtime, scrap, and overall process efficiency.
• Support weld automation initiatives, including automated weld equipment, robotic welding systems, tooling, fixtures, and process improvements that increase repeatability, quality, and productivity.
• Troubleshoot production issues and participate in root cause analysis to resolve recurring manufacturing, quality, equipment, and process problems.
• Develop and maintain work instructions, standard operating procedures, process documentation, and manufacturing standards to support consistent production execution.
• Evaluate current manufacturing processes and recommend improvements tied to safety, quality, delivery, cost, cycle time, downtime, throughput, and labor efficiency.
• Support equipment, tooling, fixture, and layout improvements to improve production flow and manufacturing capability.
• Partner with quality, maintenance, engineering, operations, and production leadership to drive practical, floor-focused improvements.
• Collect and review production data related to scrap, rework, cycle time, downtime, throughput, quality, and process performance.
• Support new product, equipment, and process introductions, including process setup, documentation, validation, operator training, and production readiness.
• Assist with continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing waste, improving consistency, increasing capacity, and strengthening manufacturing performance.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Experience with robotic welding systems, weld cells, automated fixtures, PLC-controlled equipment, or other industrial automation used in welding operations.
• Experience with tooling and fixture design or improvement.
• Experience supporting capital equipment projects, equipment installation, commissioning, or startup activities.
• Working knowledge of CAD tools such as Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar software.
• Experience with ERP systems, routers, production planning inputs, or manufacturing documentation.
• Exposure to Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, structured problem-solving, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience supporting Design for Manufacturability or Design for Assembly efforts.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers, technicians, operators, or production team members.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a practical, hands-on Manufacturing Engineer who enjoys being close to production and solving real manufacturing problems. This person should have direct experience in a large assembly weld environment and understand how weld automation can improve quality, consistency, throughput, safety, and efficiency.

This person does not need to come from one specific industry, but they do need to understand welding operations, automated or semi-automated weld processes, tooling, fixtures, equipment, and production support. They should be comfortable working on the floor, asking questions, partnering with operators and supervisors, and translating technical solutions into practical improvements.

A strong candidate will be able to support day-to-day production issues while also helping drive longer-term improvements around process standardization, weld automation, equipment performance, documentation, and continuous improvement.

Physical Requirements & Safety

This role requires the ability to work in a manufacturing environment. Employees may be required to stand, walk, sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, handle materials, and occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities include close vision.

Employees are required to wear all assigned PPE in designated work areas. Safety glasses, steel toe or non-slip safety shoes or boots, and hearing protection are required at all times on the production floor. This is a drug and alcohol-free work environment. Being impaired or under the influence of legal or illegal drugs is strictly prohibited while working.

A bit about us

Our client is a highly respected manufacturer specializing in engineered metal products for demanding industrial applications. The operation requires strong coordination between engineering, production, quality, maintenance, and operations to deliver safe, efficient, high-quality manufacturing outcomes. The team is focused on improving production processes, strengthening standard work, supporting equipment and automation, and continuously improving quality, cost, safety, and throughput.

Why join us

This is a strong opportunity for a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer who wants to make a direct impact on production performance. This role will support and improve manufacturing processes, troubleshoot technical issues on the floor, work with equipment and automated machinery, support new product and equipment introductions, and help drive continuous improvement across the plant. It is a great fit for someone who enjoys working closely with operators, engineers, quality teams, and production leaders to solve real manufacturing challenges.

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