Senior Manager, Manufacturing Engineering & Facilities

Sapphire Technologies; Cypress (CA); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

Sapphire Technologies is seeking a hands-on leader to build and guide manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, and facilities capabilities in Cypress, CA. The role focuses on developing a scalable production system for complex electro-mechanical equipment and coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure readiness and performance.

The leader will shape factory readiness, capacity, product quality, and cost, while partnering with Design Engineering to improve manufacturability and with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years in manufacturing/industrial engineering or related field.
• 5+ years leading technical teams or cross-functional programs.
• Experience developing and improving assembly processes, tooling, documentation, equipment, and capacity analysis.
• Experience managing capital, equipment, facility, or infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of DFM/DFA, lean manufacturing, and production-readiness practices.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and specifications.
• Strong PM, financial analysis, communication, and stakeholder management.
• Ability to blend hands-on technical work with functional leadership.
• Experience with factory startup/expansion/relocation or manufacturing transfer.
• Experience with suppliers/contract manufacturers on technical transfer.
• Familiarity with ERP, digital manufacturing documentation, CAD or layout tools, and maintenance-management systems.
• Experience in ISO 9001 or similar quality-management environment.

Responsibilities

• Establish and manage the manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, and facilities function.
• Develop and manage phased roadmap for manufacturing capability, facility readiness, equipment investment, process improvement, and technical staffing.
• Define process flows, assembly sequences, routings, work instructions, tooling requirements, and production-readiness criteria.
• Partner with Design Engineering on design for manufacturability and assembly, including accessibility and tolerances.
• Plan and support pilot and production-intent builds, resolve readiness issues, and incorporate lessons learned.
• Own the integrated facility plan for manufacturing, testing, material flow, equipment, storage, office, collaboration, and customer-facing areas.
• Define operational requirements for facility utilities and high-power electrical infrastructure.
• Develop capacity models and evaluate bottlenecks, labor content, line balance, material movement, and space utilization.
• Apply Lean Six Sigma, standardized work, visual management, 5S, and continuous improvement.
• Manage tooling, fixtures, equipment, and manufacturing test infrastructure.
• Develop and manage capital and facilities projects with scope, cost, schedule, and vendor performance.
• Support supplier APQP and PPAP through manufacturing-feasibility reviews and production-readiness reviews.
• Collaborate with Production, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and external partners.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Industrial engineering

Leadership

Project management

Lean manufacturing

DFM/DFA

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical problem solving

Facilities planning

ISO 9001 knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or related

Tools

CAD

ERP systems

Job description

Senior Manager, Manufacturing Engineering & Facilities

Cypress, United States |

• Compensation The annual salary range for this position is from $$154,581 to $$209,139; salary is commensurate with level of experience.
• Industry Manufacturing
• City Cypress
• State/Province California
• Country United States
• Job Type Operations

Job Description

About Us:

Sapphire Technologies delivers power and cooling to energy infrastructure. Our FreeSpin ® In-line Turboexpander recovers the energy wasted when high-pressure gas is stepped down, converting it into clean electricity and low-temperature cooling. To better serve our customers in the data center industry, we are now expanding our high-speed turbo-machinery offerings into oil-free compressors for chilling applications.

Our hands-on engineering team takes products from concept to field deployment, with work spanning rotating machinery, power electronics, controls, and systems integration.

We are a mission-driven organization with one common goal: building a more sustainable world. Our employees are our biggest asset, and we are looking for change agents to join us on our journey.

Position Summary:

Sapphire Technologies is seeking a hands-on leader to buildand lead the manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, and facilitiescapabilities required to support the company's growth. This role is responsiblefor developing the production system, including manufacturing processes,facility layout, assembly and test infrastructure, tooling, equipment, capacityplanning, technical documentation, and equipment reliability.

The position supports industrialization and productionof complex electro-mechanical equipment, including rotating machinery andassociated electrical systems. It translates product designs and businessrequirements into safe, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing methods andfactory infrastructure. This role also leads integrated planning forproduction, testing, material flow, offices, and customer-facing areas.

This is a functional leadership role with significanthands-on involvement and will shape how an emerging energy-technology businessbuilds and scales its manufacturing capabilities. The successful candidate willinfluence manufacturing decisions early in product development and have adirect impact on factory readiness, capacity, product quality, cost, andoperational performance. It does not directly manage production operators orown daily production scheduling at this time and will be responsible for hiringand interviewing for future roles in Process Engineering, ManufacturingEngineering, and Industrial Engineering as we continue to scale.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and Manage the manufacturingengineering, industrial engineering, and facilities function in alignment withproduct, production, and growth plans.
  
• Develop and Manage a phased roadmap formanufacturing capability, facility readiness, equipment investment, processimprovement, and technical staffing.
  
• Establish and Manage process flows, assemblysequences, routings, work instructions, tooling requirements, andproduction-readiness criteria.
  
• Partner with Design Engineering on design formanufacturability and assembly, including accessibility, tolerances, assemblymethods, serviceability, and testability.
  
• Plan and support pilot and production-intentbuilds, resolve manufacturing-readiness issues, and incorporate lessons learnedinto products and processes.
  
• Own the integrated facility plan formanufacturing, testing, material flow, equipment, storage, office,collaboration, and customer-facing areas.
  
• Define operational requirements for facilityutilities, high-power electrical infrastructure, production test systems,lifting and handling equipment, environmental conditions, and supporting services.
  
• Develop capacity models and evaluatebottlenecks, labor content, line balance, material movement, work-in-process,ergonomics, and space utilization.
  
• Apply Lean Six Sigma manufacturing methods,standardized work, visual management, 5S, and structured continuousimprovement.
  
• Manage the specification, technical evaluation,installation, commissioning, and production hand-off of tooling, fixtures,equipment, and manufacturing test infrastructure.
  
• Develop and Manage capital and facilitiesprojects, including scope, cost, schedule, supplier performance, commissioning,and operational acceptance.
  
• Support supplier APQP and PPAP throughmanufacturing-feasibility reviews, process-risk assessments, validationevidence, technical transfers, and production-readiness reviews.
  
• Collaborate with Production, Engineering,Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and external partners to deliverbusiness objectives.
  

Base Pay Range:

Theinformation below is a general guideline. Actual compensation depends on the candidate’s experience and qualifications, as well as market and business factors.

Salary Range: $154,581 - $209,139

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing,industrial engineering, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalentcombination of relevant education and directly applicable experience.
• 10+ years of progressively responsibleexperience in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering,industrialization, or a closely related function.
• 5+ years leading technical teams or substantialcross-functional manufacturing programs with responsibility for priorities,resources, and deliverables.
  
• Experience with developing and improvingassembly processes, production tooling, manufacturing documentation, equipmentimplementation, facility or production layouts, and capacity analysis.
  
• Experience managing capital, equipment,facility, or infrastructure projects from requirements through implementation.
• Working knowledge of DFM/DFA, engineering changecontrol, structured problem-solving, lean manufacturing, andproduction-readiness practices.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings,technical specifications, and manufacturing requirements.
• Strong project-management, financial-analysis,communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to combine hands-on technical work withfunctional leadership in a growing organization.
• Experience supporting a factory startup,expansion, relocation, or manufacturing transfer.
• Experience working with suppliers and/orcontract manufacturers on technical transfer and production readiness.
• Familiarity with ERP systems, digitalmanufacturing documentation, CAD or layout tools, and maintenance-managementsystems.
• Experience working within an ISO 9001 orcomparable quality-management environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with rotating equipment, motors,generators, turbo-machinery, precision assemblies, or comparable industrialequipment.
• Experience defining operational requirements forhigh-power electrical infrastructure, production test systems, and supportingutilities in an industrial environment.
• Exposure to electrical assembly, powerelectronics, instrumentation, liquid cooling, or electro-mechanical productiontesting.

This role is primarily on-site and involves work in office, manufacturing, equipment-installation, and test environments. Appropriate personal protective equipment and adherence to site safety requirements are required. Some activities may require coordination outside normal operating hours. Travel to suppliers, manufacturing partners, or other company locations may be required.

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and financial security of our employees. Eligible team members receive paid vacation, paid sick time, comprehensive health benefits, and participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

Additional Information:

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow other instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor. Management reserves the right to change, rescind, add, or delete the duties and responsibilities of positions within this job classification at any time.

Sapphire Technologies is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or veteran status. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, and benefits.