Senior Manufacturing Engineer: Plant Layout & LeanOps

Path Robotics; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Path Robotics is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to shape how we build our robotic welding cells as we scale. You will lead lean and continuous improvement on the build floor and plan the production layout for our new facilities.

You will collaborate with supply chain and build leadership, develop value streams, run kaizen events, and ensure flow from receiving to shipment. A strong background in manufacturing engineering, CAD, and Lean Six Sigma is essential, and relocation to Columbus,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Industrial or Mechanical Engineering.
• 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in a production environment, ideally low-volume, high-mix assembly of complex electromechanical equipment, machinery or automation systems.
• Proven experience leading production facility layout projects, such as a new building, plant expansion or line relocation, from concept through move-in.
• Hands-on lean manufacturing practitioner with measurable results from value stream mapping, kaizen, 5S, standard work and pull systems.
• Proficient in CAD for layout work (AutoCAD and/or SolidWorks) and comfortable reading engineering drawings.
• Comfortable with data: time studies, capacity models and line balancing analysis in Excel or similar tools.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred.
• Experience with robotics, welding or industrial automation is a plus.
• Clear communicator who can lead cross-functional projects and earn buy-in from technicians through senior leadership.
• Self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity and limited resources in a fast-growing company.
• Must be local to Columbus, Ohio or willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Lead production layout planning for our new buildings, from initial concept through move-in, including process flow, material flow, workstation design, storage strategy, utilities, equipment placement and traffic patterns for both material and people.
• Partner with supply chain and build leadership to develop layouts that support today's volume and planned growth.
• Plan and manage the transition of production into new space with minimal disruption to build schedules.
• Design intra-factory material flow from receiving and storage through kitting, line-side delivery, WIP movement and shipment of finished cells, so flow is built into the new buildings from the start rather than added later.
• Map current-state and future-state value streams across build, kitting and test, and use the data, along with simulation where it helps, to drive prioritized improvements on the floor.
• Lead continuous improvement events (kaizen, 5S, standard work) that reduce lead time, WIP, rework and cost; push changes to the floor quickly, measure the impact and iterate.
• Build takt time, line balancing and capacity models to size workstations, staffing and floor space.
• Identify and resolve flow imbalances caused by inventory processes, layouts, part shortages or staffing constraints, and drive fixes with Supply Chain, Quality and design engineering.
• Develop standard work, work instructions and visual management with technicians and supervisors on the floor.
• Design fixtures, tooling and material presentation (kanban, point-of-use storage) that improve flow and ergonomics.
• Define and track KPIs such as cycle time, throughput, first-pass yield, on-time delivery, line-side material availability, inventory accuracy, WIP dwell time and material-driven downtime, and report progress to operations leadership.
• Work with ERP and inventory system owners to keep material movement data accurate and visible in real time.
• Work with design engineering on design for manufacturability and assembly as new products and configurations are released to the floor.
• Coach engineers and technicians in lean tools and structured problem solving (A3, root cause analysis, PDCA).

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Lean manufacturing

CAD software

Lean Six Sigma

Time studies

Education

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing/Industrial/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Job description

Path Robotics is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to shape how we build our robotic welding cells as we scale. You will lead lean and continuous improvement on the build floor and plan the production layout for our new facilities.

You will collaborate with supply chain and build leadership, develop value streams, run kaizen events, and ensure flow from receiving to shipment. A strong background in manufacturing engineering, CAD, and Lean Six Sigma is essential, and relocation to Columbus,