Principal Engineer- Design for Manufacturing

Ingersoll-Rand plc; Lincolnshire (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) plan

Stock grant

Paid time off

Job summary

Ingersoll Rand plc is seeking a Principal Engineer-Design for Manufacturability to lead DFM for silicone and elastomer products. You will drive cost models, tooling strategies, and validation plans, influencing design decisions and manufacturing approaches from prototype through production.

You will mentor engineers, advance LSR/HCR and elastomer molding/extrusion techniques, and partner with cross-functional teams in a regulated medical device context, including Class II/III, to optimize cost

Qualifications

• Deep elastomer processing and DFM experience.
• Experience with cost modeling for elastomer components.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements (medical devices).
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and RFQ/quoting experience.
• CAD tools proficiency and interpreting engineering drawings.

Responsibilities

• Lead DFM evaluations to optimize manufacturability and cost.
• Own technical costing and quotation development for prototypes to production.
• Define tooling and manufacturing strategies, including validation roadmaps.
• Collaborate with Sales, Quality, and Operations across RFQ and NPI phases.
• Mentor engineers and advance elastomer processing capabilities.
• Drive best practices in molding and extrusion technologies in regulated environments.

Skills

Elastomer manufacturing

DFM

Cost modeling

Regulatory knowledge

Cross-functional leadership

Medical-device experience

GD&T

SolidWorks

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Principal Engineer- Design for Manufacturing

Job Overview

The Principal DFM Engineer is responsible for driving design-for-manufacturability (DFM), process feasibility, and cost optimization for silicone and elastomer-based products across the organization.

This role serves as a subject matter expert and strategic leader, owning the quoting process from a technical standpoint while establishing the manufacturing strategy from prototype through full-scale production. Responsibilities include developing detailed cost models, defining tooling approaches, estimating validation requirements, and translating customer designs into robust, scalable manufacturing solutions.

The Principal DFM Engineer plays a critical role in guiding cross-functional decision-making and influencing customer outcomes, directly impacting business growth, margin performance, and long-term capability development. While accountable for quotation and cost modeling, this position is primarily differentiated by its deep technical influence, shaping product design, tooling, and process strategies across the Elastomers Operation Unit. Additionally, this role advances best practices in LSR, HCR, and elastomer molding and extrusion technologies, particularly within regulated environments including Class II and Class III medical devices, while mentoring engineers and elevating organizational DFM capability.

Responsibilities

Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Leadership

• Lead comprehensive DFM evaluations for elastomer components and assemblies, providing actionable recommendations to optimize:
• Manufacturability and scalability
• Yield, robustness, and quality
• Cost efficiency and margin performance
• Regulatory and validation readiness
• Influence customer designs upstream through direct technical engagement and design reviews
• Identify critical-to-quality features, tolerance risks, and process limitations
• Define optimal manufacturing approaches across:
• HCR molding (compression, transfer)
• Extrusion and downstream operations
• Multi-shot, overmolding, and bonded assemblies

Technical Costing & Quotation Leadership

• Serve as the technical owner of RFQs, developing detailed, transparent cost models for prototype through full production
• Translate DFM decisions into:
• Cycle time, cavitation, and capacity strategies
• Tooling concepts and lifecycle strategies (prototype vs production tooling)
• Labor, material utilization, scrap, and secondary operations
• Develop and present:
• NRE, validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), and lifecycle cost considerations
• Partner with Sales and Business Development in customer-facing technical and commercial discussions
• Ensure alignment between technical assumptions, cost structure, and business objectives

Tooling & Manufacturing Process Strategy Development

• Define the end-to-end manufacturing strategy, including:
• Prototyping approach and scale-up pathway
• Tooling phases and capital investment strategy
• Automation and inspection strategies
• Validation and qualification roadmap
• Define and evaluate tooling approaches:
• Multi-cavity vs. family molds
• Cold runner systems, gating, venting, and parting line strategies
• Steel selection, mold class, and lifecycle considerations
• Collaborate with Process Engineering, Tooling, Quality, and Operations to:
• Validate manufacturability assumptions
• Optimize cycle time, yield, and throughput
• Drive early-stage decisions that impact long-term operational efficiency, cost, and capacity

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership

• Act as a technical bridge across:
• Sales / Business Development
• Quality (validation, regulatory requirements)
• Supply Chain (materials, MOQs, lead times)
• Lead technical reviews during RFQ, contract review, and NPI phases
• Ensure manufacturability, cost, and quality assumptions are clearly documented and transferred into execution
• Drive should-cost modeling and cost-out initiatives through improved mold designs, optimized cycle times, or new automation opportunities
• Analyze quote-to-actual performance and refine estimating accuracy
• Establish and standardize:
• DFM guidelines
• Costing methodologies
• Quoting best practices and templates
• Identify and implement improvements in:
• Process efficiency
• Automation strategies

Technical Mentorship & Organizational Impact

• Mentor and develop engineers in DFM, elastomer processing, and cost engineering
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for silicone and rubber processing technologies
• Support capability development and capital investment planning
• Contribute to long-term technology roadmaps and strategic growth initiatives

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials, Polymer, or similar)
• 10+ years of experience in elastomer manufacturing, DFM or process engineering
• Deep expertise in:
• Silicone (LSR, HCR) and rubber materials
• Compression, transfer, and injection molding processes
• Cost modeling and estimating for elastomer components
• Validation requirements (IQ/OQ/PQ), APQP, PPAP
• Interpreting engineering drawings, GD&T, and 3D CAD models
• Regulatory and customer specifications (medical preferred)
• Experience working in cross-functional and customer-facing roles
• Proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks)

Preferred

• Experience in medical device manufacturing (Class II / Class III)
• Experience in technical quoting and cost modeling
• Experience with:
• Mold flow analysis and interpretation
• Automation and high-volume manufacturing systems
• Multi-material molding (overmolding, bonding, insert molding)
• Experience in CDMO environment
• Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing certification
• Strong technical and commercial acumen
• Advanced problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• High level of ownership, accountability, decision-making authority
• Strategic mindset with attention to detail

Travel & Work Arrangements/Requirements

• Fully site based

The pay range for this role is $100-$150k, excluding incentive opportunities. The pay range takes into account a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skills; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and geographic location. Hired applicant will be eligible to receive (discretionary/nondiscretionary) annual bonuses and incentive compensation.

What we Offer

Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to empower you with the tools and support necessary to take charge of your health, ensuring that together, we can continue to make life better. Our range of benefits includes health care options like medical and prescription plans, dental and vision coverage, as well as wellness programs. Additionally, we provide life insurance, a robust 401(k) plan, paid time off, and an employee stock grant, among other offerings. These benefits are our commitment to you, so you can be your best at work and beyond.

Special Accommodation

If you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying for a job, please submit a request.

Ingersoll Rand is committed to achieving workforce diversity reflective of our communities. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request and a member of our team will contact you.