Manufacturing Engineering Leader—NPI & Industry 4.0

Grey Search + Strategy; Maple Grove (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Grey Search + Strategy seeks a Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead the Maple Grove, MN manufacturing engineering team, owning process design, tooling, layout, and continuous improvement for AHU, DX, Chiller, and CDU lines. You will drive NPI readiness and hands-on problem solving on the plant floor.

You will lead safety, quality, and Industry 4.0 initiatives, justify capital equipment, and collaborate with Design Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to accelerate production ramp and site

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing Engineering, or related technical field.
• 7–10 years of manufacturing engineering experience, including 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading NPI from design release through production ramp.
• Strong working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and 80/20 methodologies.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing documentation (BOMs, routings, work instructions).
• Proficiency with CAD/CAM software and manufacturing simulation tools.
• Proven ability to lead, develop, and manage a technical team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of manufacturing engineers, maintenance — setting goals, prioritizing projects, and building technical capability.
• Serve as the manufacturing engineering owner within NPI programs, accountable for process readiness, tooling, and manufacturability at each program gate, partnering with Design Engineering and Program Management for on time launch.
• Implement Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFM/DFA) practices early in the design cycle.
• Design, build, and continuously improve manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures, and plant layout to maximize safety, quality, throughput, and cost efficiency.
• Develop and justify capital equipment requests; approve capital expenditures.
• Eliminate production bottlenecks through line balancing, time studies, and capacity planning.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and 80/20 methodologies, driving measurable gains in yield, cycle time, first-pass quality, and OEE.
• Ensure manufacturing processes are qualified and controlled via PFMEA and control plans, partnering with Quality on critical characteristic identification.
• Maintain accurate, compliant manufacturing documentation — routings, BOMs, work instructions, and process plans.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for manufacturing and hardware nonconformances.
• Own safety risk assessment and sign-off for new or changed manufacturing processes, ensuring compliance with OSHA and applicable pressure-vessel/refrigerant-handling codes.
• Drive automation, digital tooling, and Industry 4.0 adoption at the plant level — connected equipment, dashboards, and visual management.
• Partner with Supply Chain on component manufacturability and tooling/vendor qualification.
• Adopt and contribute to manufacturing engineering best practices shared across Gradian's plant network.
• Report manufacturing engineering performance metrics to plant leadership, using data to guide decisions

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

NPI leadership

Lean Manufacturing

80/20 methodologies

ERP/MRP experience

CAD/CAM software

Data-driven decision making

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

CAD/CAM software

Manufacturing simulation tools

MES

Job description

Grey Search + Strategy seeks a Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead the Maple Grove, MN manufacturing engineering team, owning process design, tooling, layout, and continuous improvement for AHU, DX, Chiller, and CDU lines. You will drive NPI readiness and hands-on problem solving on the plant floor.

You will lead safety, quality, and Industry 4.0 initiatives, justify capital equipment, and collaborate with Design Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to accelerate production ramp and site