Production Engineering Manager

JMJ PHILLIP; Shelbyville (TN); On-site; USD 130,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

JMJ PHILLIP is seeking an experienced Production Engineering Manager to lead manufacturing engineering, maintenance, tooling, and facilities in a high-volume automotive setting in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The role focuses on optimizing manufacturing systems, equipment, tooling, automation, and plant infrastructure while driving safety, quality, productivity, reliability, and continuous improvement.

You will guide cross-functional teams, manage capital projects, and ensure on-time readiness for

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a mechanical or manufacturing engineering discipline; automotive background preferred.
• 10+ years progressive manufacturing or production engineering experience in automotive.
• 5–8 years leadership experience managing engineering personnel and projects.
• Experience leading Production Engineering and Maintenance organizations.
• Experience managing capital budgets, tooling operations, and launches.
• Strong knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC and automotive quality systems.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, OEE and TPM principles.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering, maintenance, tooling, and facilities functions for high-volume automotive manufacturing.
• Drive safety, quality, productivity, reliability, and continuous improvement.
• Establish objectives, metrics, and development plans for the department.
• Oversee capital projects, equipment procurement, and plant modernization.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and reduce costs.
• Coordinate launches with customers, suppliers, and internal teams.
• Manage contractors, equipment suppliers, and service providers.
• Provide strategic direction and develop succession plans for the teams.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial/Plastics Engineering or related field

Advanced degree (MS/MBA) + years of experience

Tools

HVAC systems

Injection molding

Robotics & automation systems

Automation equipment maintenance

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Production Engineering Manager to lead manufacturing engineering, maintenance, tooling, and facilities functions within a high-volume automotive manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for optimizing manufacturing systems, equipment, tooling, automation, and plant infrastructure while driving safety, quality, productivity, reliability, and continuous improvement.

Position Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate Production Engineering personnel.
• Provide strategic direction for Production Engineering, Maintenance, Tool & Die, and Facilities functions.
• Establish departmental objectives, performance metrics, and development plans.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession plans, technical capabilities, and workforce development programs.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives focused on operational efficiency, equipment uptime, cost reduction, and plant competitiveness.

Manufacturing Engineering

• Direct engineering activities supporting HVAC and automotive manufacturing operations.
• Oversee injection molding, automated and manual assembly, leak testing, functional testing, vision inspection, and robotic manufacturing systems.
• Develop, validate, and improve manufacturing processes to meet customer and operational requirements.
• Drive improvements in cycle time, scrap reduction, labor efficiency, machine utilization, and equipment reliability.
• Support process engineering, automation, and manufacturing technology initiatives.

Maintenance, Tooling & Facilities

• Direct maintenance, tooling, skilled trades, and facilities operations across all shifts.
• Establish preventive, predictive, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs.
• Improve equipment reliability, uptime, OEE, asset life-cycle performance, and maintenance response.
• Oversee tooling design support, maintenance, repairs, refurbishment, and production readiness.
• Manage facility systems including electrical, HVAC, compressed air, water systems, building infrastructure, and utilities.
• Lead troubleshooting of critical equipment, tooling, and facility issues.
• Manage contractors, equipment suppliers, and service providers.

Program Launch & Industrialization

• Lead manufacturing readiness activities for new product launches and engineering changes.
• Support APQP activities, including PFMEA, Process Flow Diagrams, Control Plans, Capacity Studies, Run-at-Rate activities, and production validation.
• Manage equipment procurement, tooling readiness, process validation, ramp-up, and launch timing.
• Coordinate launch activities with customers, suppliers, and internal teams.

Operational Excellence

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for production, quality, and equipment issues.
• Monitor KPIs such as OEE, first-pass yield, throughput, downtime, MTBF, and MTTR.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, TPM, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Implement manufacturing best practices and appropriate Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Drive plant-wide cost reduction and process improvement projects.

Capital & Budget Management

• Develop and manage engineering operating and capital budgets.
• Prepare capital expenditure requests and equipment justifications.
• Lead the specification, sourcing, installation, and commissioning of production equipment and automation systems.
• Manage capital projects to ensure completion on schedule and within budget.
• Plan equipment utilization and production capacity according to business requirements.
• Develop capital investment strategies for automation, equipment modernization, infrastructure, and capacity expansion.

Quality, Compliance & Safety

• Support compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, customer-specific requirements, and internal standards.
• Ensure manufacturing processes meet quality, traceability, and process capability requirements.
• Support customer and internal audits and corrective action activities.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with EHS requirements.
• Lead risk assessments for new processes, equipment, and tooling.
• Support safe manufacturing systems and ergonomic improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Maintenance, and Design Engineering.
• Coordinate engineering activities to ensure production capacity, equipment readiness, and workforce capability meet customer demand.
• Coordinate maintenance shutdowns, facility projects, and major equipment installations.

Prerequisites

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive manufacturing or production engineering experience in an automotive manufacturing environment.
• Alternatively, an advanced degree with approximately 8+ years of relevant experience.
• 5–8 years of leadership experience managing engineering personnel and manufacturing projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading Production Engineering and Maintenance organizations.
• Proven experience managing capital budgets, equipment reliability programs, tooling operations, and manufacturing launches.
• Experience in high-volume, automated manufacturing operations.
• Strong experience with HVAC, thermal systems, plastics, injection molding, or large-scale assembly environments.
• Experience with manufacturing automation, robotics, electrical and controls systems.
• Strong knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, and other automotive quality systems.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, OEE, and TPM principles.
• Strong business acumen, analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and project management capabilities.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

Certifications (Preferred, but not Required)

• Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• PMP certification or equivalent project management experience.
• TPM certification or demonstrated TPM leadership experience.

What the Role Offers

• Salary: $130,000–$140,000 per year.
• Opportunity to lead Production Engineering, Maintenance, Tool & Die, and Facilities functions.
• Leadership responsibility within a high-volume automotive manufacturing environment.
• Opportunity to influence manufacturing technology, automation, reliability, and operational excellence.
• Exposure to major capital projects, new product launches, and advanced manufacturing initiatives.
• Opportunity to drive Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and TPM programs.
• Collaborative work with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Design Engineering, and other cross-functional teams.
• Career growth through expanded engineering and manufacturing leadership responsibilities.

Why Shelbyville?

This role offers an opportunity to contribute to a major automotive manufacturing operation in Shelbyville, supporting advanced production systems, engineering initiatives, automation, and continuous improvement. The area provides access to a strong manufacturing workforce and established automotive supply-chain infrastructure, making it a practical environment for professionals seeking to grow their leadership careers in automotive manufacturing.