Manufacturing Engineer, Projects

Leatherman Tool Brand; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Leatherman Tool Brand in Portland, OR is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer, Projects to translate product designs into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes and drive continuous improvement. You will lead new product introductions, capital projects, and process optimization across design, manufacturing, quality, sourcing and supply chain to deliver reliable, cost-effective production.

The right candidate will enjoy hands-on problem solving on the factory floor, use data to guide decisions,

Qualifications

• B.S. in Manufacturing, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Proficiency in 3D modeling and drafting.
• Knowledge of PFMEA, DMAIC, and DoE.
• Fixture design methodology and tolerance communication (GD&T).
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead New Product Introduction and Manufacturing Engineering efforts to develop robust processes.
• Oversee Capital Projects and advanced manufacturing initiatives from requirements to implementation.
• Support Continuous Improvement with problem solving, SPC, capability studies, Lean and Six Sigma.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Quality, and Supply Chain to meet cost, quality, and schedule targets.

Skills

3D modeling

Drafting

PFMEA

DMAIC

DoE

Fixture design

GD&T

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

B.S. in Manufacturing/Industrial/Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Build the Processes Behind Products Trusted Around the World

At Leatherman, great products start with great manufacturing. We’re looking for a Manufacturing Engineer, Projects who enjoys turning product designs into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes—and finding better ways to make things every day.

In this role, you'll support new product introductions, continuous improvement, cost reduction, and factory capital projects. You'll work across Product Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing, Supply Chain, and external partners to solve manufacturing challenges, improve process capability, and bring new technologies and equipment into our factory.

If you enjoy being close to the product and the manufacturing floor, solving complex problems, and seeing your engineering work turn into real-world results, we'd love to meet you.

Why Leatherman?

For more than 40 years, Leatherman has built premium multipurpose tools trusted by people around the world. As a privately held company founded by Tim Leatherman, we remain committed to innovation, quality, continuous improvement, and investing in our people.

Our culture is built around four behaviors:

Empowerment — Own your impact.
Take ownership, make decisions, and help move the work forward.

Hunger — Raise the bar.
Challenge what's possible and continually look for ways to make our products and processes better.

Courage — Speak honestly. Move boldly.
Bring forward ideas, address challenges, and help us make better decisions.

Curiosity — Ask. Experiment. Learn.
Explore new technologies, test ideas, learn from the results, and keep improving.

What You'll Do

New Product Introduction & Manufacturing Engineering

• Partner with Product Design engineers to understand design intent and provide design-for-manufacturing (DFM) feedback.
• Develop robust and capable manufacturing processes to support new and existing products.
• Design and develop tooling, gauging, and fixturing for part processing and inspection.
• Create and update process prints based on process capability and tolerance stack-ups.
• Apply modeling, drafting, and document-control best practices.
• Create and maintain thorough product and process documentation.
• Review DFMEAs and perform PFMEA studies to inform project risks, control plans, and PPAP content.
• Use and test Leatherman products to better understand the consumer experience beyond documented product requirements.

Capital Projects & Advanced Manufacturing

• Lead new and re-engineered capital equipment projects from requirements development and quotation through runoff, installation, and implementation.
• Analyze equipment capacity and recommend solutions that support continued factory growth.
• Work with third-party partners on projects such as prototype builds and automation integrations.
• Identify opportunities to introduce advanced manufacturing technologies that improve capability, productivity, quality, and cost.

Continuous Improvement & Problem Solving

• Support problem-solving teams in identifying root causes and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Perform statistical analysis, including capability studies and control charts, and interpret results to guide engineering decisions.
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma tools to improve manufacturing processes.
• Calculate process times and labor and material costs to support manufacturing and product decisions.
• Identify and execute opportunities for continuous improvement and cost reduction.
• Support Leatherman's Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost (SQDC) objectives.

Cross-Functional & Supplier Partnership

• Build strong working relationships across Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Quality, Product Management, and Supply Chain to ensure products meet cost, quality, and schedule targets.
• Partner with suppliers to identify design-for-manufacturing opportunities and establish controlled, capable processes.
• Work with external partners as needed to successfully deliver engineering projects.

What You'll Bring

Required

• Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Proficiency in 3D modeling and drafting.
• Understanding of engineering and problem-solving tools such as PFMEA, DMAIC, and Design of Experiments (DoE).
• Demonstrated knowledge of fixture design methodology.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and communicate tolerances using GD&T.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively across engineering, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, and other functions.

Preferred

• Three or more years of manufacturing engineering experience.
• Experience with new product introduction and manufacturing process development.
• Experience leading or supporting capital equipment projects.
• Experience with statistical process control, capability studies, Lean, and Six Sigma.
• Experience working with suppliers, automation integrators, or other external manufacturing partners.

The Engineer We're Looking For

Technical ability matters, but so does how you approach the work.

We're looking for someone who is curious, action-oriented, collaborative, resilient, and comfortable taking ownership. You should enjoy working through ambiguity, getting onto the manufacturing floor, using data to understand problems, and partnering with others to develop practical solutions.

You’ll be successful here if you can move comfortably between CAD models and the factory floor, statistical analysis and hands‑on problem solving, product design and production reality.

Most importantly, we’re looking for an engineer who sees a manufacturing challenge and thinks:

“There has to be a better way to do this.”

Then helps us build it.

Our Hiring Process

Please allow 30-60 minutes to complete your application. Our application questions are an important part of our selection process and help us understand your engineering experience and problem-solving approach beyond your résumé.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.