NPI Operations Engineer Manager

01 Hypertherm, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 103,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit-Sharing

Employee Stock Ownership

Global employee-owned company

Community Service Time (5 days/year)

No-layoff philosophy

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Hypertherm Associates in Kent, WA seeks a Manufacturing Readiness Lead to drive NPIs, engineering changes, and product lifecycle transitions. You will ensure ready manufacturing systems, documentation, materials, tooling, and supplier readiness for successful launches.

Collaborate with engineering, quality, and supply chain to develop scalable, manufacturable processes, lead cross-functional launch execution, and guide a small team through new product introductions and engineering change

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or a related technical field with 6+ years of experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing supporting NPI, production launch, process development, and engineering changes.
• Strong knowledge of NPI, manufacturing readiness, engineering change management, BOMs, process flows, standard work, and work instructions.
• Working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA, control plans, process validation, PLM, ERP, MRP, and MES systems.
• Ability to lead cross-functional work across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and production teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills using A3, 8D, root cause analysis, MSA, Gage R&R, SPC, and capability analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing readiness for new products, engineering changes, and product lifecycle transitions.
• Ensure accurate manufacturing systems, documentation, materials, tooling, and supplier readiness to support successful launches.
• Partner with engineering and quality teams to develop scalable, manufacturable processes that optimize safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Lead production validation activities, including APQP, PPAP, process capability, and launch quality planning.
• Lead and develop a small team responsible for new product introductions and engineering change implementation.
• Drive cross-functional launch execution, issue resolution, training, and transition to stable production with a "non-event launch" mindset.

Skills

NPI leadership

Manufacturing readiness

Process development

BOMs & process flows

Data analysis

Root cause analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

APQP

PPAP

DFMEA/PFMEA

control plans

PLM/ERP/MRP/MES systems

Job description

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing readiness for new products, engineering changes, and product lifecycle transitions.
• Ensure accurate manufacturing systems, documentation, materials, tooling, and supplier readiness to support successful launches.
• Partner with engineering and quality teams to develop scalable, manufacturable processes that optimize safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Lead production validation activities, including APQP, PPAP, process capability, and launch quality planning.
• Lead and develop a small team responsible for new product introductions and engineering change implementation.
• Drive cross-functional launch execution, issue resolution, training, and transition to stable production with a "non-event launch" mindset.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or a related technical field with 6+ years of experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing supporting NPI, production launch, process development, and engineering changes.
• Strong knowledge of NPI, manufacturing readiness, engineering change management, BOMs, process flows, standard work, and work instructions.
• Working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA, control plans, process validation, PLM, ERP, MRP, and MES systems.
• Ability to lead cross-functional work across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and production teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills using A3, 8D, root cause analysis, MSA, Gage R&R, SPC, and capability analysis.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with pilot, pre-production, and launch builds.
• Experience qualifying tooling, fixtures, equipment, and supplier readiness.
• Hands‑on experience supporting launch ramp, Lean manufacturing, and APQP/PPAP execution.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred.
• Strong Exposure to PLM environments like ARAS or similar.

Location

Onsite, Kent, WA (Relocation assistance available)

Salary

$103,329.00-$172,215.00 Annual This is the base pay range that an applicant can expect to make upon hire. Pay within this range will vary based upon relevant experience, skills, and education among other factors.

Benefits

• Global, 100% employee-owned company for over 50 years
• Profit-Sharing
• Employee Stock Ownership
• Five days/year Community Service Time
• Strong commitment to Environmental Stewardship
• Stable, growing organization with a no-layoff philosophy

Sponsorship

Sponsorship of new applicants for employment authorization, or any other immigration-related support, is not available for this position at this time.

Application Accommodation

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities to the full extent required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Equal Opportunity

Hypertherm Associates is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we welcome all applications. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. At Hypertherm Associates, we are committed to building an inclusive diverse, flexible, and collaborative environment.

Culture

Hypertherm Associates is more than a place to work; it’s a place to call your own. We are 100% Associate-owned with an over 50 year history of no-layoffs.

For positions with multiple levels, we will evaluate your prior experience to determine the level within our organization you are best aligned based upon the job applying.