Senior Manufacturing Engineer

MTM Trailer Manufacturing; Kewanee (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

MTM Trailer Manufacturing in Kewanee, IL seeks a senior manufacturing engineer to lead growth and transformation in heavy fabrication. The role blends shop-floor collaboration with end-to-end capital projects, driving continuous improvement across welding, fabrication, and final assembly.

The candidate will mentor operators, set shop-floor technical standards, and work closely with operations leadership, reporting to the Director of Engineering. Relocation assistance is available.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in manufacturing or process engineering in heavy fabrication (welding, brakes, plate cutting, structural steel/aluminum).
• Genuine experience leading CI/lean programs with measurable results.
• Comfort on the shop floor and proven capital-project management.

Responsibilities

• Lead continuous improvement across fabrication, weld, paint and final assembly.
• Own capital projects end to end from justification to validation.
• Develop technical standards for shop floor and mentor operators.
• Document processes, routings, and standard times; support ERP data.
• Partner with design for DFM and smooth new trailer launches.
• Provide technical leadership and define a bill of process

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Capital-project management

Shop floor collaboration

ERP/MRP fluency

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

MTM Trailer Manufacturing builds premium steel and aluminum end-dump trailers in Kewanee, IL. We are growing fast and investing heavily in our fabrication capability — new weld fixturing, proprietary steel rolling processes, an expanding aluminum line, and other modernized processes across the plant. We are looking for a senior manufacturing engineer to help lead our growth and transformation.

The Role

This is a senior role with an expectation of roughly 50% hands-on shop floor collaboration and 50% leading capital projects end to end. You will own continuous improvement across fabrication, weld, paint and final assembly, help set and develop technical standards for the shop floor, mentor operators, work closely with operations leadership and report directly to the Director of Engineering. We are hiring for depth and leadership with a focus on execution and results.

What You'll Drive

• Continuous improvement & lean manufacturing — lead value-stream mapping, standard work, kaizen events, and cell/line layout across fabrication and assembly, with measurable gains in throughput, OEE, scrap, cost, and safety. This is the heart of the role.
• Capital projects, end to end — justification, design, vendor selection, installation, launch, and validation of material handling and fabrication equipment
• Fabrication process engineering — welding, brake forming, fixturing, weld sequencing, CNC machining and built-in quality on steel and aluminum trailer weldments
• Process documentation & ERP — build and maintain routings, work instructions, standard times, and BOMs; drive data-backed standard costing
• New-product introduction — partner with design engineering on DFM and smooth launch of new trailer configurations
• Technical leadership — drive technical excellence by developing a bill of process specific to MTM’s manufacturing processes

What You Bring

• 5+ years required (7+ preferred) in manufacturing or process engineering in heavy fabrication — welding, press brakes, plate cutting, structural steel and/or aluminum
• Proven continuous-improvement / lean leadership — a track record of running CI or lean programs with quantified results, not just participation
• Genuine comfort on the shop floor combined with demonstrated capital-project management
• Trailer, truck-body, heavy-equipment, or comparable heavy-fabrication manufacturing experience strongly preferred
• Lean / Six Sigma credentials a plus; ERP/MRP fluency (routings, BOMs, standard costing)
• Engineering degree preferred; equivalent hands-on heavy-fab experience will be considered

Why MTM

You will have real ownership and visible impact at a growing manufacturer during a period of heavy capital investment — a high-profile leadership role where the improvements you make show up on the floor and in the numbers. Located in Kewanee, IL, near the greater Quad Cities region. Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate.