Senior Manager, Manufacturing Engineering

NextGenEnergyJobs; Somerville (MA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems seeks a senior Manufacturing Engineering leader to guide multi-site teams in developing scalable, automated manufacturing for HTS magnets. You will define strategies, standardize processes, and drive cross-functional execution from R&D to production.

The role requires 10+ years in manufacturing engineering and 5+ years in leadership, with strong process/automation expertise and ability to travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a technical engineering field.
• 10+ years’ experience as a manufacturing engineer supporting complex electro-mechanical systems.
• 5+ years’ experience leading manufacturing engineering organizations, including managers.
• Experience leading manufacturing engineering teams across multiple production lines, facilities, or sites.
• Experience taking products from R&D into production with scalable automated processes.
• Strong background in process development, tooling, automation, production scale-up, and factory operations.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional organizations and drive execution in fast-paced technical environments.
• Experience developing manufacturing strategies, staffing plans, capital roadmaps, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Proficiency in work instruction writing, process mapping, capacity modeling, production planning, and manufacturing systems development.
• High self-motivation and ability to operate in ambiguous, high-growth environments with troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally.
• Willingness to travel or work nights/weekends/on-call as required.
• Work in a facility with industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop manufacturing engineering teams across multiple sites and levels.
• Define and execute the manufacturing engineering strategy supporting production, quality, capacity, and cost objectives.
• Establish standardized manufacturing processes, tooling strategies, work instructions, and best practices.
• Own process development of the manufacturing line for HTS magnets from R&D to full-scale production.
• Develop and qualify manufacturing techniques, automation strategies, process flows, and work instructions.
• Drive transition from manual to scalable semi-automated and automated manufacturing systems.
• Coordinate cross-functional milestones and schedules to meet strategic targets and production goals.
• Communicate risks, status, resource needs, and priorities to senior leadership.
• Lead resolution of complex manufacturing discrepancies with focus on continuous improvement, throughput, quality, and safety.
• Develop capacity models, staffing plans, factory layouts, and capital equipment roadmaps for expansion.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, and Design Engineering to improve readiness.
• Implement and standardize DFM, PFMEA, SPC, and Lean across sites.
• Influence make-vs-buy decisions and manage vendor relationships.
• Drive KPI implementation and data-driven manufacturing decisions.
• Build organizational capability through mentoring and developing leaders.
• Foster accountability, collaboration, urgency, and continuous improvement.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field

Job description

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems:

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop manufacturing engineering teams across multiple sites, including managers, technical leads, and engineers
• Define and execute the manufacturing engineering strategy supporting production, quality, capacity, and cost objectives across CFS1 and Fusionova
• Establish standardized manufacturing processes, tooling strategies, work instructions, and operational best practices across facilities
• Own process development of the manufacturing line for HTS magnets from low-volume R&D builds through full-scale production
• Develop and qualify manufacturing techniques, automation strategies, process flows, and work instructions for superconducting magnet components and assemblies
• Drive transition from manual processes to scalable semi-automated and automated manufacturing systems
• Organize cross-functional project milestones and schedules to meet company strategic targets and production goals
• Communicate manufacturing risks, project status, resource requirements, and operational priorities to senior leadership
• Lead resolution of complex manufacturing discrepancies with a focus on continuous improvement, throughput, quality, and safety
• Develop manufacturing capacity models, staffing plans, factory layouts, and capital equipment roadmaps to support future factory expansion
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, and Design Engineering to improve production execution and manufacturing readiness
• Implement and standardize DFM (design for manufacturability), PFMEA (process failure mode and effects analysis), statistical process controls, and Lean manufacturing methodologies across sites
• Influence make-vs-buy decisions and manage relationships with external vendors and manufacturing partners
• Drive implementation of KPIs, operational metrics, and data-driven manufacturing decision making
• Build organizational capability through hiring, mentoring, coaching, and developing managers and technical leaders
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, urgency, operational excellence, and continuous improvement

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field is required
• 10+ years’ experience as a manufacturing engineer supporting complex electro-mechanical systems
• 5+ years’ experience leading manufacturing engineering organizations, including experience managing managers
• Experience leading manufacturing engineering teams across multiple production lines, facilities, or sites
• Experience taking products from R&D into production, including development of scalable and automated manufacturing processes
• Strong background in process development, tooling, automation, production scale-up, and factory operations
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional organizations and drive execution in fast-paced technical environments
• Experience developing manufacturing strategies, staffing plans, capital roadmaps, and operational improvement initiatives
• Proficiency in work instruction writing, process mapping, capacity modeling, production planning, and manufacturing systems development
• High self-motivation and ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, high-growth environments with excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally
• Perform activities such as typing, standing, stooping, and sitting, for extended periods of time
• Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
• Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call