Industrial Engineer

General Job Description: Industrial Engineer

The Industrial Engineer serves as a strategic liaison between the Supply Chain and Engineering departments, reporting directly to the Director of Engineering. The position is based out of our Naperville, IL office, the role requires significant weekly presence at our fulfillment center in Glendale Heights, IL. This cross-functional, hands-on role oversees comprehensive supply chain operations for electronic device production and refurbishment, including support for production planning, forecasting, procurement, vendor relations, and inventory control to optimize the entire product lifecycle from production to final delivery. The candidate will drive operational efficiency by analyzing and improving production processes to minimize costs. Beyond core logistics, the candidate must be versatile, take initiative by providing technical support in manufacturing, testing, and troubleshooting, perform root cause analysis, and spearhead process and quality assurance.

Duties:
• Supply Chain Optimization: Analyze and improve logistics and supply chain processes to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
• Inventory & Warehouse Management: Oversee inventory strategies, establish and oversee rigorous inspection protocols for incoming and outgoing goods.
• Data Analysis: Analyze process data, identify root causes of quality issues, and implement corrective actions.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Partner with suppliers to improve quality, implement corrective actions on non-conforming products, and evaluate supplier performance.
• Engineering & Supply Chain Liaison: Translate early-stage Bills of Materials (BOMs), and Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) into actionable production, sourcing and procurement plans.
• Material Risk Management: Proactively identify material obsolescence risks, component shortages, or supply issues, and work with engineering to validate alternative components.
• Manufacturing Process Validation: Analyze manufacturing workflows and validate assembly processes to reduce lead times. Utilize lean techniques, time studies, and simulation to improve efficiency without compromising quality.
• Performance Metrics: Develop, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) and supplier performance to ensure supply chain goals are met.
• Compliance & Auditing: Audit production processes to ensure adherence to company, customer, and industry standards.
• Collaboration: Work with production, engineering, and supply chain teams to resolve quality problems and improve manufacturing capabilities.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering to review new product designs for manufacturability (DFMA) and with Supply Chain to align material delivery with production schedules.
• Documentation: Create standard operating procedures (SOPs), active work instructions, quality reports, and technical documentation.
• Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action: Investigate reported field anomalies and work with design teams to quickly address to determine root cause. Ensure root cause fix is implemented correctly in the manufacturing process.
• Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement : Provide feedback and recommendations for continuous process improvements to drive efficiencies, improve quality, and reduce costs.
• Additional Responsibilities: Other duties as assigned by supervisor. Duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on business needs.

Supervisory Responsibilities:
• None.

Competencies/Technical Skills:

• Strong analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in AutoCAD design software is plus.
• Advanced Excel skills (Data analysis, modeling).
• Excellent communication skills and teamwork skills.
• Ability to troubleshoot electronic circuits and do root cause analysis reports.
• Strong hand skills and attention to detail.
• Comfortable using DMMs, microscopes, oscilloscopes, and various other test equipment; soldering skills a plus.
• Must have the ability to learn quickly and urgently diagnose issues.
• Detail-oriented, accurate and able to meet deadlines.
• Identifies ways to reduce production costs through recommendations to improve processes and improve performance.
• Stay up to date with the latest manufacturing trends and advancements.

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years in Industrial, electronics sourcing, engineering support, or supply chain roles, preferably within a hardware development or manufacturing environment.

• Electronics Background: Specific experience with electronics testing and hardware troubleshooting.

• Liaison Experience: Proven experience acting as a bridge between Engineering (Design) and Supply Chain/Operations teams.