Manufacturing Project Leader

Eaton; Lincoln (IL); On-site; USD 97,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Eaton’s Electrical Sector - ARS division in Lincoln, IL seeks a Manufacturing Project Leader for an onsite role at our Lincoln facility. You will drive manufacturing engineering, capital projects, and automation initiatives to meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost goals.

Relocation assistance is available for US residents. The role requires strong problem-solving, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to deliver sustainable improvements in a high-volume environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution.
• 5+ years of engineering, program management, or CI/OPEX in manufacturing.
• Relocation assistance available; immigration sponsorship not offered.

Responsibilities

• Support site strategy with daily shop-floor and long-term initiatives.
• Own the Manufacturing Engineering roadmap and implement new products/processes.
• Ensure processes meet Eaton MESH safety and quality standards.
• Drive Lean and continuous improvement using VSM, kaizen, standard work, time studies, Six Sigma.
• Lead capital and automation projects including equipment selection and robotics.
• Develop and manage Capital Appropriation Requests with financial justification.
• Maintain manufacturing docs, routings, work instructions, and training matrices.
• Collaborate with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Engineering to resolve issues.
• Participate in interviews and adhere to equal opportunity employment policies.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Project leadership

Engineering problem solving

AutoCAD

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

DMM

Metamation

Job description

Eaton’s Electrical Sector - ARS division is currently seeking a Manufacturing Project Leader. This is an onsite role based at our Lincoln, IL manufacturing facility supporting our Residential & Wiring Devices products. Relocation assistance is available to candidates currently residing in the US.

The Manufacturing Project Leader provides technical leadership for Manufacturing Engineering at the Lincoln, IL facility, supporting fabrication, assembly, and automated manufacturing operations. This role partners with plant leadership and cross-functional teams to deliver safety, quality, delivery, cost, and growth objectives through robust manufacturing processes, continuous improvement, capital execution, and automation strategy. This position owns the manufacturing engineering roadmap and ensures alignment with Eaton policies, MESH safety standards, customer requirements, and applicable regulations.

To be successful in this role, the candidate will combine strong shop-floor execution with disciplined project leadership, technical problem solving, and the ability to drive sustainable improvements across high-volume manufacturing operations.

The expected annual salary range for this role is $97000 - $143000 a year. This position is also eligible for a variable incentive program. Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

What You’ll Do

• Support site strategy by balancing daily shop-floor support with long-term strategic initiatives across fabrication and assembly operations.
• Own the Manufacturing Engineering roadmap to ensure capable processes and effective implementation of new products, processes, and equipment.
• Ensure manufacturing processes meet or exceed Eaton MESH safety and quality standards.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement using value stream mapping, kaizen, standard work, time studies, and Six Sigma tools to improve safety, flow, quality, and productivity.
• Lead capital and automation projects’ portfolio, including equipment selection, tooling, fixtures, robotics, and semi-automated solutions to improve throughput, ergonomics, and cost.
• Develop and manage Capital Appropriation Requests, including financial justification, stakeholder alignment, and disciplined execution of approved projects.
• Maintain manufacturing documentation and standard work, including work instructions, routings, control plans, tooling, gauging, and training matrices.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Engineering to resolve quality issues and improve manufacturability.

Qualifications

Basic (required) Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution.
• Five (5) or more years of engineering, program management, or CI/OPEX experience, supporting a manufacturing environment.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or Process Engineering.
• Demonstrated experience applying lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles in a fabrication and/or assembly environment.
• Previous experience supporting improvements/upgrades to automated equipment/robotics.
• PMP certification.
• Lean Six Sigma certification, Green Belt or Black Belt.
• Experience with automation, tooling, equipment integration, and manufacturing systems.
• Experience with manufacturing engineering systems such as DMM or Metamation.

Keys To Role Success

• Proven ability to lead capital, automation, and continuous improvement projects in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with proficiency in AutoCAD and Microsoft Office tools.
• Practical application of engineering principles to improve fabrication and assembly processes.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, prioritize effectively, and lead teams through change in a continuous improvement culture.

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability-related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.