Sr Equipment Engineer Operations

Senior Equipment Engineer, Operations — Weirton, WV

Location: Weirton, WV
Job Type: contract 
Experience: 5+ years preferred; 7+ years strongly preferred
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Equipment Engineer, Operations to join our Operations Engineering team in Weirton, West Virginia . This role is ideal for a hands-on senior-level engineer who can independently identify equipment issues, determine root causes, and drive practical solutions in a high-volume manufacturing environment.

The Senior Equipment Engineer will leverage strong experience with manufacturing equipment to support production ramp-up, equipment commissioning, reliability, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement . The engineer will take ownership of first-of-its-kind equipment, develop maintenance and reliability strategies, and lead equipment-focused projects that improve safety, quality, throughput, and uptime.

The successful candidate will have strong CAD experience , hands-on troubleshooting capabilities, and experience working directly with manufacturing equipment, including furnaces and robotic systems . The role will support two active projects involving furnaces and robot interaction .

What You’ll Do

• Own the performance, reliability, availability, and continuous improvement of manufacturing equipment.
• Define and implement OEE and equipment performance metrics to identify major loss drivers and prioritize improvement activities.
• Analyze production data, downtime trends, and equipment performance to develop clear problem statements, project scopes, and execution plans.
• Independently identify equipment issues and lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions .
• Lead equipment-focused improvement projects involving mechanical systems, tooling, fixturing, automation, and station layout changes .
• Create, modify, and maintain CAD designs, 3D models, and engineering drawings for tooling, fixtures, equipment modifications, and hardware solutions.
• Develop creative tooling and equipment solutions to improve reliability, ergonomics, quality, throughput, and downtime .
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, controls, and system-level equipment issues in a fast-paced production environment.
• Respond to production events with a system-level and root-cause mindset , coordinating with controls, electrical, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams.
• Support the installation, commissioning, qualification, and production ramp-up of new manufacturing equipment.
• Participate in equipment design reviews, Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), and Site Acceptance Tests (SATs) as the equipment owner.
• Optimize equipment parameters, process settings, and station configurations in collaboration with production and quality teams.
• Support and troubleshoot furnaces and robotic equipment , including equipment-to-robot interactions and automation-related issues.
• Provide hands-on engineering support directly on the manufacturing floor.
• Establish equipment standards, troubleshooting procedures, preventive maintenance strategies, and best practices to reduce repeat failures.
• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Controls, Electrical, Mechanical, Quality, Maintenance, and Production teams.
• Drive projects from problem identification through implementation, validation, and sustained performance.
• Document equipment changes, engineering solutions, lessons learned, and standard work.

What You’ll Bring

• 5+ years of relevant engineering experience , with 7+ years preferred for a Senior-level position.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Electrical Engineering , or a related engineering discipline.
• Strong experience in equipment engineering within a production or manufacturing environment .
• Demonstrated ability to identify equipment problems independently, determine root cause, and implement effective solutions .
• Strong hands-on troubleshooting skills across mechanical, electrical, automation, and system-level equipment .
• CAD experience is required . Ability to create and modify CAD models, drawings, tooling, fixtures, and mechanical solutions.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing equipment and automated production systems.
• Experience with equipment such as:
  • Furnaces
  • Web or powder handling equipment
  • Mixers
  • Resistance welders
  • Laminators
  • Robotics and automated material handling systems
• Experience working with furnaces and robotic systems , including interactions between equipment and robots, is highly desirable.
• Experience supporting new equipment installation, commissioning, FATs, SATs, and production ramp-up .
• Experience with OEE, downtime analysis, equipment performance metrics, and reliability improvement .
• Ability to work effectively under production pressure and make sound technical decisions quickly.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Controls, Manufacturing, Quality, Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering teams.
• Strong communication, documentation, project management, and organizational skills.
• Comfortable working hands-on on the manufacturing floor and interacting directly with production teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with first-of-a-kind manufacturing equipment or new technology introduction.
• Experience owning equipment through design, installation, commissioning, ramp, and production .
• Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience developing tooling, fixtures, jigs, and equipment modifications .
• Familiarity with PLC/controls systems and industrial automation .
• Experience with equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, and failure-mode analysis.
• Experience using production data to identify equipment loss drivers and prioritize improvement projects.
• Experience working with robotic automation and robot-to-equipment integration.

Key Skills

Manufacturing Equipment | Equipment Engineering | CAD | Mechanical Engineering | Robotics | Furnaces | Automation | Equipment Reliability | OEE | Root Cause Analysis | Troubleshooting | Tooling | Fixturing | Commissioning | FAT | SAT | Continuous Improvement | Production Ramp | Manufacturing Engineering

Work Environment

This is a hands-on manufacturing engineering role based in Weirton, WV . The engineer will spend significant time supporting equipment directly on the production floor and must be comfortable working in a high-volume manufacturing environment, responding to production issues, and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity for a senior-level equipment engineer to take meaningful ownership of advanced manufacturing equipment and directly influence equipment reliability, production throughput, quality, and operational performance . The role provides the opportunity to work on new equipment, automation, furnaces, robotics, and first-of-its-kind manufacturing systems while driving projects from concept through production.

If you are a hands-on Senior Equipment Engineer who can quickly identify equipment problems, determine root cause, develop CAD-based solutions, and drive issues to resolution, we would like to hear from you