Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Kelly Services; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Kelly Services is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer-Automation in Minneapolis, MN to plan, design, and maintain manufacturing processes across filling, kitting, packaging, and shipping. You will lead automation initiatives, drive Lean Six Sigma improvements, and collaborate with Quality, Operations, and R&D to scale production.

The role emphasizes end-to-end project ownership, deploying robotics, PLCs, cobots, and MES integrations while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational

Qualifications

• Requires a master’s degree with 2-5 years of relevant experience or a bachelor’s with 5-8 years or an associate with 10+ years of relevant experience.
• 5+ years of automation or manufacturing engineering experience.
• Mechanical and electrical aptitude.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a strong presence in manufacturing and operational areas, working with frontline employees and leaders to observe work and identify waste and bottlenecks.
• Investigate and identify operational inefficiencies and productivity improvements.
• Use time-studies, line balancing, workload analysis, process mapping, and material-flow assessments to understand performance and opportunities.
• Define and execute automation strategy and roadmap aligned with cost, quality, throughput goals.
• Manage automation projects through planning, design, architecture, building, and deployment.
• Incorporate automation systems including robotics, vision systems, PLCs, and cobots across operations.
• Drive end-to-end process optimization leveraging Lean Six Sigma, data analytics, and digital manufacturing tools to improve KPI (OTD, cycle time, yield, labor).
• Own capital automation projects from concept to commissioning, including business case, specs, vendor selection, FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives with Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and R&D to scale manufacturing and industrialize new products.
• Establish and standardize engineering best practices, automation standards, validation protocols, and documentation systems.
• Champion digital transformation including MES integration and data systems.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Communication

Organization

Collaboration

Troubleshooting

Education

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Associate degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Smartsheet

Minitab

JMP

Job description

Senior Manufacturing Engineer-Automation

Direct Hire | On-Site

Minneapolis, MN

Position Summary:

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for planning, designing, and maintaining manufacturing processes across Filling, Kitting, Packaging, and Shipping. Ensures systems run to specifications and comply with regulations while supporting cross-functional teams to optimize materials, labor, equipment, and systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain a strong presence in manufacturing and operational areas, working directly with frontline employees and leaders to observe work, understanding process challenges, and identify waste, bottlenecks, workload imbalance, waiting, unnecessary movement, rework, and ineffective handoffs.
• Investigate & identify operational inefficiencies and productivity improvements within manufacturing and operational areas.
• Use time-studies, standard-labor analysis, line balancing, workload and capacity analysis, process mapping, and material-flow assessments to understand current performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Define and execute automation strategy and roadmap, aligning with business objectives for cost, quality, throughput, and scalability.
• Manage automation projects through planning, design, architecture, building, and deployment following company procedures.
• Incorporate advanced automation systems; including but not limited to robotics, vision systems, PLCs, and collaborative robots (COBOTs), across manufacturing operations.
• Drive end-to-end process optimization initiatives, leveraging Lean Six Sigma, data analytics, and digital manufacturing tools to deliver sustained KPI improvements (OTD, cycle time, yield, and labor efficiency).
• Own capital automation projects from concept through commissioning, including business case development, equipment specification, vendor selection, FAT/SAT, and full lifecycle validation (IQ/OQ/PQ).
• Lead cross-functional initiatives with Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and R&D to industrialize new products and scale manufacturing processes.
• Establish and standardize engineering best practices, including automation standards, validation protocols, and documentation systems.
• Champion digital transformation initiatives, including integration of MES, data systems, and smart factory technologies.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

• Requires a master’s degree with 2-5 years of relevant experience Or, a bachelor's degree with 5-8 years of relevant experience; Or an associate degree with 10 or more years of relevant experience
• 5+ years of automation or manufacturing engineering experience.
• Mechanical and electrical aptitude required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Lean Six Sigma and CI methodologies.
• Skilled in detailed, accurate, and organized work.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office, Smartsheet, and statistical software (Minitab/JMP).
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to collaborate across departments.
• Ability to troubleshoot equipment and systems.

Working Conditions:

• Work performed in a laboratory and production environment with exposure to chemicals, reagents, and standard lab equipment.
• Standard schedule hours with occasional variation depending on production needs.
• Onsite work required during standard business hours.

Why Kelly ® Engineering?

Your engineering skills are in demand, but how do you find the right fit? Easy. At Kelly Engineering, our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. We connect you with leading organizations where you can collaborate on innovative projects, work with cutting‑edge technologies and accelerate your growth. Whether you prefer the variety and flexibility of short‑term projects or are looking for a long‑term opportunity, we’re here to guide you to the next step in your engineering career.

About Kelly

Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life—just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.

Kelly is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and we take affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in the workforce. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to the Kelly Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Kelly may use AI-powered tools during the recruitment and hiring process. For full details, including how Kelly uses AI, your rights, and how to request a reasonable accommodation, visit the Recruitment Artificial Intelligence Notice (https://www.kellyservices.com/hubfs/myKelly/Resources/Employment_Policies/Recruitment-Artificial-Intelligence-Notice.pdf?hsLang=en) .

Kelly Services is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affir…