Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Department: US Operations and Manufacturing Engineering Reports To: VP of Operations Website: IRISS.com | YouTube: IRISS Role Summary IRISS is seeking a Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead manufacturing engineering activities across our US operations in Bradenton, Florida. The Manufacturing Engineering Manager leads end-to-end manufacturing engineering for IRISS US operations, including process development, production readiness, technical support, automation, factory expansion, machinery capacity, layouts, material storage, and engineering standards. The manager leads Lean deployment, line balancing, and productivity improvement across fabrication, paint, drying and baking, assembly, and warehouse operations, and coordinates business capital projects from justification through commissioning and verification of results. Primary Responsibilities Manufacturing Engineering Leadership Lead manufacturing engineering priorities, resources, and execution across US operations; develop assigned engineers and technical personnel and coordinate external technical support. Establish, validate, and maintain standard cycle times for every station and cell through time studies; document operating assumptions and revalidate after process changes. Maintain process flows, routings, tooling, setup and labor standards, and standard work. Apply cycle times to capacity planning, line balancing, staffing, and production targets. Lead manufacturability reviews, process development, trials, and production readiness for new products, engineering changes, and equipment introductions. Provide technical support for production problems; establish process controls with Quality and ensure changes are validated, documented, and supported by operator training. Machinery Capacity Planning Maintain a capacity model for all production machinery and key processes using demonstrated cycle times, setup times, product mix, shifts, staffing, downtime, and yield. Compare available capacity with current and forecast demand; identify bottlenecks, quantify capacity gaps, and recommend equipment, automation, shift, or process improvements. Partner with Planning and Production to validate achievable output and line balance. Provide capacity scenarios and investment recommendations for SIOP and business planning. Layout, Material Storage and Factory Expansion Own current and future factory layouts covering machinery, manufacturing cells, assembly, warehouse storage, material staging, utilities, and movement of people and materials. Design material flow, rack and storage requirements, point-of-use inventory, replenishment routes, and handling methods with Warehouse, Planning, and Production. Lead manufacturing engineering planning for factory expansion, equipment relocation, and new production areas, including space, capacity, utilities, installation sequencing, and startup readiness. Coordinate with facility teams, contractors, and equipment suppliers to achieve safe, practical layouts and phased transitions that protect production continuity. Productivity and Process Improvement Lead measurable productivity improvements across punch, press brake, stud insertion, welding, paint, drying and baking, assembly, and warehouse operations. Use time studies, line balancing, bottleneck analysis, setup reduction, and improved tooling and work methods to increase good output per labor hour and reduce lead time. Improve paint and oven throughput through preparation and wash flow, cart and rack loading, part spacing, batch size, handling, and validated process settings while maintaining finish and curing quality. Improve warehouse receiving, put-away, storage, picking, kitting, and production replenishment methods to reduce travel, handling, congestion, and material errors. Automation and Equipment Development Develop and execute an automation roadmap, prioritizing punch, press brake, stud insertion, and spot welding; evaluate additional opportunities across assembly, finishing, and material handling. Define equipment, tooling, fixture, controls, and integration requirements; evaluate suppliers and business cases based on safety, quality, capacity, cost, reliability, and return on investment. Coordinate trials and acceptance testing with representative parts and product mix; verify performance, safeguards, training, and maintenance readiness before production handover. Lean Management, Safety and Process Quality Deploy and sustain Lean management across the factory floor and warehouse, including 5S, visual management, standard work, daily performance reviews, and structured problem solving. Lead Kaizen events and a prioritized continuous improvement program with baselines, targets, owners, due dates, and follow-up checks; coach leaders and teams to sustain improvements. Reduce process hazards and ergonomic risks through equipment, fixture, layout, and work method improvements; coordinate technical and safety reviews before process changes. Partner with Quality to implement error-proofing and process controls, reduce scrap and rework, and verify corrective action effectiveness. Validate productivity and cost benefits with Operations and Finance. Business Capital Project Coordination Serve as the business capital project coordinator, consolidating requirements and maintaining the capital project pipeline and execution tracker with functional owners and Finance. Prepare or coordinate scopes, technical specifications, business cases, equipment comparisons, cost estimates, schedules, and acceptance criteria for proposed investments. Coordinate approved projects through procurement support, facility preparation, installation, commissioning, training, and handover; track budgets, milestones, risks, supplier deliverables, and scope changes. Report project status and accelerate variances promptly; verify startup performance and realized benefits against approved objectives with the business owner. Qualifications and Core Competencies Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial, or a related engineering discipline, or an equivalent combination of technical education and relevant experience. Progressive manufacturing engineering experience, typically 7 or more years, including leadership of engineering teams or major technical programs. Demonstrated results in machinery capacity planning, factory layouts, line balancing, automation, Lean deployment, productivity improvement, and capital project execution. Experience in sheet metal fabrication and assembly; knowledge of punch, press brake, stud insertion, welding, paint and oven processes, and warehouse material flow is strongly preferred. Strong CAD, data analysis, financial justification, project coordination, and communication skills. Lean or Six Sigma certification is preferred; ability to lead change and develop teams is essential. Initial Performance Goals During the first 90 to 180 days, the Manufacturing Engineering Manager will: Assess manufacturing engineering capabilities and establish a prioritized action plan for US operations. Establish a cycle time study plan for every station and cell; validate priority standards and use them to baseline capacity, labor productivity, and constraints. Develop a factory layout, material storage, and expansion roadmap with phased requirements and capital recommendations. Launch Lean and productivity projects across priority fabrication, finishing, assembly, and warehouse areas, with measurable results and sustainment checks. Establish the automation roadmap and business capital tracker; agree performance targets and reporting routines with Operations leadership. Measures of Success Capacity and Flow: Validated standard cycle time coverage by station and cell; machinery capacity; bottleneck throughput; cycle time and work in process reduction. Productivity: Good output per labor hour across fabrication, paint and ovens, assembly, and warehouse activities; verified cost benefits. Layouts and Expansion: Space and storage utilization; reduced travel and handling; installation and startup readiness against approved milestones. Lean, Safety and Quality: 5S and standard work sustainment; verified risk reduction; lower scrap, rework, and recurring defects. Automation and Capital: Accepted performance against project objectives; budget and schedule delivery; verified benefits and complete handover. Engineering Capability: Reliable standards and documentation; timely production readiness; closure of technical issues; development of assigned personnel. Accountability This role owns manufacturing engineering standards, technical capacity and layout planning, improvement delivery, and capital coordination. Production and Warehouse own daily execution; Planning owns production schedules; Quality owns product acceptance. Capital approval and purchasing commitments remain with authorized business leaders. #J-18808-Ljbffr