NPI Engineer: Precision Manufacturing & Lean Launch

Actalent; Big Lake (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plans

Dental plan

Vision plan

Life Insurance

AD&D

Short-term disability

Long-term disability

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

Actalent is seeking an NPI Engineer for a permanent, onsite role in Big Lake, MN. You will lead product and process development from quote to production, collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, and sales to ensure robust, cost‑effective production in a precision machining environment.

You will develop lean processes, SOPs, and process controls while guiding CNC tooling, fixture design, and BOM/BOO management within an ISO‑regulated setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent
• Experience with CAM software for CNC programming and toolpath development
• Lean/Six Sigma training with practical application in manufacturing environments

Responsibilities

• Lead product and process development from quote to production launch.
• Collaborate with customers to provide manufacturability feedback and influence design for manufacturing and assembly.
• Coordinate NPI activities within the department and across cross‑functional teams.
• Develop key process variables for machining and secondary operations.
• Create and maintain BOO and BOM structures within the ERP system.
• Assist in PFMEA, control plans, qualification activities, and Gage R&R studies.
• Own the first‑run manufacturing process and ensure process output meets targets.
• Design, document, and improve processes and work instructions for lean operations.
• Create and execute engineering tests to validate processes, tooling, and fixtures.
• Assist in CNC toolpath design and CNC programming methodologies for complex machined components.
• Design tools and fixtures for precision machining applications.
• Support costing and quoting with process assumptions and cycle times.
• Partner with manufacturing to drive process improvements and lean practices.
• Collaborate with sales/customer teams to align capabilities with requirements.

Skills

Process development

Machining background

NPI experience

Lean manufacturing

PFMEA

Gage R&R

ERP systems

ISO compliance

CAD software

Tooling design

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

CAM software

Job description

Actalent is seeking an NPI Engineer for a permanent, onsite role in Big Lake, MN. You will lead product and process development from quote to production, collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, and sales to ensure robust, cost‑effective production in a precision machining environment.

You will develop lean processes, SOPs, and process controls while guiding CNC tooling, fixture design, and BOM/BOO management within an ISO‑regulated setting.