Senior Smart Manufacturing Consultant

Flexware Innovation, Llc.; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Job summary

Flexware Innovation is seeking a Senior Consultant to join our Smart Manufacturing practice. This role leads the value case and executive narratives of advisory engagements and carries them through to execution.

You will work directly with manufacturing clients to identify value, build business cases, and deliver readouts that fund programs. The successful candidate will combine management consulting rigor with an engineering foundation, able to engage plant operations and executives credibly,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related discipline; MS/MBA preferred.
• 5+ years in manufacturing/industrial operations and in management or consulting.
• Experience owning client-facing deliverables end to end for manufacturing or industrial clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead stakeholder intake and engagement planning, including decision-maker identification and scope definition.
• Identify and coach internal client champions, socializing recommendations with steering committees ahead of executive readouts.
• Own client deliverables end to end across value assessments, readiness, executive alignment, and roadmaps.

Skills

Structured problem-solving

Financial analysis

Executive communication

Prioritization & judgment

Client relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

MS or MBA preferred

Tools

MES

OT

IIoT

Data platforms

Job description

What Flexware Does

Manufacturers are the backbone of innovation--powering industries, improving lives, and keeping the world moving forward. That’s where Flexware Innovation comes in. Behind every great product is a complex web of machines, technology, data, and people working together to make it happen. Flexware partners with manufacturers to guide their strategy and execute the solutions that bring it to life.

What Flexware Does

Manufacturers are the backbone of innovation--powering industries, improving lives, and keeping the world moving forward. That’s where Flexware Innovation comes in. Behind every great product is a complex web of machines, technology, data, and people working together to make it happen. Flexware partners with manufacturers to guide their strategy and execute the solutions that bring it to life.

Founded in 1996, Flexware’s teams of talented advisors and engineers leverage technology across industrial controls, manufacturing systems integration, software development, data engineering and management, and the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technologies.

Flexware is made up of problem-solvers, builders, and collaborators who care deeply about doing work that matters. We roll up our sleeves, dive into the details, and create solutions that stand the test of time, because our customers count on us to keep production moving.

Today, Flexware is growing with fresh momentum and purpose. We’re investing in innovation, in our people, and in a culture where you can do your best work while living a balanced, meaningful life

What You Will Do

We are seeking an exceptional Senior Consultant to join our Smart Manufacturing practice. Reporting to a Senior Manager within our Smart Manufacturing practice, this role leads the value case and executive narrative of Smart Manufacturing advisory engagements and carries them through into execution.

The successful candidate will work directly with manufacturing and industrial operations clients to identify where value sits, prioritize use cases, build business cases with client finance leadership, and deliver executive readouts that convert assessments into funded programs. This position requires management consulting rigor combined with a working engineering foundation and credibility with both plant operations and executive stakeholders.

Engagement Delivery & Client Leadership

• Lead stakeholder intake and engagement planning, including decision‑maker identification, scope definition, and alignment of client subject‑matter experts
• Engage client finance and operations leadership early as partners in validating the value case, and lead stakeholder readouts to secure direction on priority use‑case streams
• Identify and coach internal client champions, and socialize recommendations with steering committees ahead of executive readouts

Analysis, Value & Prioritization

• Review client P&L and operating KPIs, build value trees, and develop value hypotheses for Smart Manufacturing initiatives
• Prioritize use cases on value and ease of implementation, link each to a specific value lever, and narrow broad candidate sets to a quantified, defensible shortlist
• Validate business cases with the client's finance function and assess organizational readiness, including change capacity, champions, and leadership risk

Deliverables & Business Development

• Own client deliverables end to end across a range of engagement types, such as value and business‑case assessments, organizational readiness, executive alignment, and implementation roadmaps, adapting scope and approach to each client’s needs
• Develop concise, executive‑ready deliverables that maintain a single coherent narrative across workstreams
• Convert assessments into execution statements of work, owning the value case, commercial framing, and proposal narrative; support pre‑sales conversations and proposal development
• Build reusable methods, templates, and tooling that make each engagement faster than the last, and contribute thought leadership on manufacturing value realization and applied AI ROI
• Remain engaged through implementation as the value and outcome owner, working alongside Flexware's architecture, controls, MES, and software engineering teams
• Please note that we are not interviewing candidates that require sponsorship now or in the future**

Education & Experience

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE DONE BEFORE

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Systems, or related discipline) or equivalent experience; advanced degree (MS, MBA) preferred
• 5+ years of combined experience in manufacturing or industrial operations and in management, operations, or industrial solution consulting, including time at an established consulting practice
• Demonstrated experience owning client‑facing deliverables end to end for manufacturing or industrial operations clients

Consulting & Analytical Skills

• Strong structured problem‑solving capabilities, with the ability to frame problems, develop hypotheses, and drive to recommendations under time pressure with incomplete data
• Proficiency in financial analysis and business case development, including value trees, ROI and NPV modeling, and linking operational levers to P&L line items
• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills, with direct experience building and delivering readouts to senior client leadership
• Strong judgment on scope and prioritization

Technical Expertise & Industry Knowledge

• Understanding of manufacturing operating metrics (OEE, yield, scrap, changeover, downtime) and how each affects financial performance
• Working engineering foundation and familiarity with manufacturing systems (MES, OT, IIoT, data platforms) sufficient to engage credibly with client engineering teams and assess solution feasibility
• Comfort working with data and analytics, including validating how figures are derived

Professional Capabilities

• Client‑facing experience with ability to build relationships and credibility from the plant floor to the executive level
• Ownership orientation, with accountability for outcomes rather than recommendations alone
• Self‑motivated, collaborative, and adaptable, with the ability to be staffed across varied engagement types in a small, fast‑moving practice and contribute as a senior member of an established team

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in an advisory or strategy role at a top‑tier management, operations, or industrial consulting firm
• Hands‑on experience with MES, OT, IIoT, or Industry 4.0 systems
• Lean Six Sigma certification or continuous improvement / plant operations background
• Pre-MBA manufacturing or plant experience
• Proposal, SOW, or pre‑sales authorship experience; prior P&L or budget ownership
• Demonstrated proficiency leveraging generative AI tools to enhance productivity, including experience establishing best practices for responsible AI tool usage within professional services terms

Work Environment & Travel

• This is a remote position with flexibility to work from anywhere within the continental United States
• Periodic travel to Flexware headquarters in Fishers, IN may be required
• Travel to client sites is expected at approximately 30-40% depending on project assignments

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.