Manufacturing Planning Engineer

Guided Search Partners; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Guided Search Partners seeks a Manufacturing Planning Engineer to drive facility, equipment, and capacity projects across multiple automotive sites. The role emphasizes cross-functional coordination, capital planning, and hands-on layout work within a multi-site manufacturing network.

The ideal candidate combines strong mechanical aptitude with proven program management skills, ready to manage timelines, vendors, and leadership communications while supporting plant expansions and new facility

Qualifications

• Automotive manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience coordinating multiple stakeholders on capital projects.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with facility expansions and manufacturing layouts.
• Ability to document projects and manage timelines.

Responsibilities

• Support plant and corporate manufacturing projects focused on facilities, capital, equipment, capacity.
• Coordinate facility layout, design, and manufacturing planning.
• Manage project timelines, vendors, internal resources, and reviews.
• Present project information to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with internal plant teams, contractors, and equipment managers.
• Document project activity and drive timeline reviews and accountability.
• Support 2D facility and layout work.
• Troubleshoot facility and equipment issues across plants.
• Assist with facility development projects from concept through implementation.
• Support plant expansions and building layout projects.
• Evaluate equipment and support implementation and standardization.

Skills

Automotive manufacturing experience

Project management

Cross-functional coordination

Mechanical aptitude

Facility planning

Capital projects

Layout and 2D planning

Tools

AutoCAD

2D layout software

Job description

Guided Search Partners (GSP)

Guided Search Partners is an Executive Search firm built on Trust, Transparency, Specialization, and Long-term Relationships.

We connect high-performing professionals with organizations that value people, performance, and growth, helping leaders find roles where they can make an impact and build meaningful careers.

About the Opportunity

We're supporting a search for a Manufacturing Planning Engineer with a multi-site automotive manufacturing organization. This is a corporate manufacturing planning and engineering role focused on facilities, equipment, capital projects, capacity, infrastructure, plant expansions, and layout. The work is broad and project-based, supporting manufacturing sites across the network rather than focusing on one product or one production process.

What You'll Do

You'll support plant and corporate manufacturing projects with a focus on facilities, capital, equipment, capacity, and execution.

Key areas of focus include:

• Support manufacturing facilities with project-related, equipment, and facility issues
• Assist with facility development projects from concept through implementation
• Coordinate facility layout, design, and manufacturing planning
• Support plant expansions and building layout projects
• Evaluate equipment and support implementation and standardization
• Support capital equipment and infrastructure projects
• Manage project timelines, vendors, internal resources, customers, reviews, and execution
• Troubleshoot facility and equipment issues across multiple plants
• Support capacity planning and plant-level manufacturing planning
• Assist with equipment operating and maintenance training
• Support plant-to-plant projects
• Work with internal plant teams, customers, contractors, equipment managers, and outside vendors
• Document project activity and drive timeline reviews and accountability
• Present project information to senior leadership
• Support 2D facility and layout work

Who You Are

You are a manufacturing or facilities-focused engineer with strong mechanical aptitude and experience working across plant, equipment, infrastructure, or capital projects.

You are comfortable coordinating multiple stakeholders, asking technical questions, challenging assumptions, and using internal and external resources to move projects forward.

Preferred Experience & Attributes

• Automotive manufacturing experience
• Strong mechanical aptitude
• Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, Plant, or Facilities Engineering background
• Experience with facility expansions
• Capital equipment experience
• Plant infrastructure experience
• Industrial construction exposure
• Capacity planning experience
• Facility layout experience
• Strong project management and coordination skills
• Experience working with vendors, contractors, customers, and plant teams
• AutoCAD or similar 2D layout experience preferred
• Strong technical problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to document projects and manage timeline reviews
• Ability to drive accountability across projects
• Strong critical thinking skills
• Comfortable presenting technical project information to senior leadership
• Ability to learn new manufacturing technologies quickly
• Willingness to travel heavily and on short notice
• Plastics or injection molding experience not required

Why This Role Matters

This role supports large-scale manufacturing projects across the organization, including facility expansions, equipment evaluations, infrastructure, capacity, and plant layout. The new hire will work closely with experienced internal resources and technical vendor partners while taking on broad responsibility for moving complex manufacturing projects forward.