Manufacturing Engineer

Tes Recruiting; Cookeville (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

TES Recruiting partners with a growing manufacturer to hire a Manufacturing Engineer for a brand-new facility in Cookeville, TN. You will train at an established site before transitioning to the new operation, gaining hands-on experience across process development, equipment startup, and production support.

You’ll work with cross-functional teams to drive Lean initiatives and continuous improvement, review drawings and specs, and help launch manufacturing processes from the ground up as the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering.
• 2+ years of manufacturing or related industrial experience.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes, drawings, and problem-solving.
• Experience with Lean manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement is a plus.
• Proficient with Excel or similar tools for data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day manufacturing engineering activities and production needs.
• Develop processes, procedures, workflows, and documentation for the new facility.
• Collaborate with project and manufacturing engineers during installation, startup, testing.
• Review drawings, specifications, and quality docs to ensure parts meet requirements.
• Create and update work instructions and SOPs.
• Collect and analyze production, scrap, downtime, and quality data to identify trends.
• Troubleshoot manufacturing and quality issues and implement corrective actions.
• Support Lean, 5S, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Work cross-functionally with production, quality, maintenance, operations, and engineering.
• Participate in facility startup activities and take on growing responsibilities.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

5S

Six Sigma

Excel data analysis

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

TES Recruiting is partnering with a growing manufacturer seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to help launch and support a brand-new manufacturing facility in the Cookeville, TN area.

This is an opportunity to help build a manufacturing operation from the ground up. The engineer will initially train at an established facility to learn the company's products, processes, equipment, and manufacturing standards before transitioning to the new Cookeville operation.

Working alongside engineering and operations teams, this person will support process development, equipment startup, quality documentation, production troubleshooting, and continuous improvement. The role offers significant exposure to a facility startup and an opportunity to take on greater engineering responsibility as the operation expands.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day manufacturing engineering activities and production needs.


• Help develop manufacturing processes, procedures, workflows, and documentation for the new facility.


• Work alongside project and manufacturing engineers during equipment installation, startup, testing, and transition to production.


• Review drawings, specifications, and quality documentation to help ensure manufactured parts meet requirements.


• Create and update work instructions, standard operating procedures, and other production documentation.


• Collect and analyze production, scrap, downtime, and quality data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.


• Troubleshoot manufacturing and quality issues and help implement corrective actions.


• Support Lean manufacturing, 5S, and continuous improvement initiatives.


• Work cross-functionally with production, quality, maintenance, operations, and engineering.


• Participate in facility startup activities and take on increasing responsibility as the operation grows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.


• 2+ years of manufacturing, engineering, or related industrial experience.


• Understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering drawings, and structured problem-solving.


• Exposure to Lean manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement concepts is a plus.


• Comfortable working with data and using Excel or similar tools to analyze manufacturing performance.


• Strong communication skills and willingness to work closely with production teams in a hands-on manufacturing environment.


• Self-motivated, curious, and eager to contribute to a growing operation.


• Previous exposure to a facility startup, equipment installation, production launch, or expansion is a plus but not required.


• Ability to travel periodically for initial training and facility startup support.