Group Leader - Production Engineering, Paint

Group Leader - Production Engineering, Paint

Group Leader, Production Engineering - Paint

Position Summary

The Paint Process Engineer Group Leader provides technical and people leadership for a team of engineers responsible for supporting and optimizing paint shop operations, including pretreatment, E-coat, primer, topcoat, and sealer processes. This position establishes team priorities and objectives while ensuring the achievement of safety, quality, cost, delivery, environmental, and operational performance targets.

The role is responsible for supporting current production, new model launches, capital projects, continuous improvement initiatives, and the development of engineering team members. The ideal candidate combines strong engineering expertise, leadership capability, project management experience, financial accountability, and practical mechanical aptitude to drive manufacturing excellence across paint operations.

Essential Job Functions

The essential functions described below are intended to broadly define the expectations of the role.

• Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate a team of Paint Process Engineers and technical specialists.
• Establish team goals and priorities aligned with department and plant objectives.
• Promote a strong safety culture by ensuring compliance with all safety standards, supporting risk assessments, incident investigations, and corrective action implementation.
• Support daily paint shop operations by troubleshooting process, equipment, automation, and coating quality issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, throughput, cost reduction, waste elimination, and operational efficiency.
• Improve first-pass quality and reduce paint defects through data analysis, root cause investigation, and corrective action implementation.
• Lead paint process development, validation, and launch activities for new vehicle models, engineering changes, and product enhancements.
• Ensure paint process readiness for vehicle launches through equipment validation, process trials, production ramp-up activities, and launch support.
• Partner with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Manufacturing Engineering, Purchasing, and suppliers to achieve departmental and plant objectives.
• Develop, manage, and execute departmental operating and capital budgets while ensuring responsible utilization of resources and achievement of financial targets.
• Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, automation initiatives, and implementation of emerging manufacturing technologies.
• Apply practical mechanical aptitude and hands-on problem-solving skills to support Kaizen activities, equipment improvements, and process optimization efforts.
• Lead supplier and contractor activities from project planning through implementation, startup, and final acceptance.
• Assess manufacturing process effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement through statistical analysis, process capability studies, and performance metrics.
• Develop, monitor, and report key performance indicators related to quality, productivity, cost, environmental compliance, and equipment performance.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations, customer requirements, company policies, and applicable industry standards.
• Lead cross-functional teams in resolving plant-wide issues and implementing sustainable countermeasures.
• Utilize Lean Manufacturing principles, structured problem-solving methods, and continuous improvement tools to improve operational performance.
• Develop succession plans and growth opportunities for engineering team members.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the Associate for this role. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Five (5) years or more of experience in automotive paint operations, coatings, manufacturing process engineering, or a related manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated leadership experience leading engineers, technical teams, or major cross-functional projects.
• Experience developing, managing, and executing departmental operating and capital budgets.
• Proven ability to partner with equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams to successfully execute projects and process improvements.
• Working knowledge of automotive paint systems, robotic application equipment, process controls, and paint quality standards.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with demonstrated success supporting equipment improvements, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience utilizing Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen methodologies, and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word.
• Strong communication, leadership, organizational, analytical, and project management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within an automotive OEM manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of SAP or similar enterprise business systems.
• Experience utilizing project management and workflow tools such as Microsoft Project, Ariba, Jira, CAD Systems (Auto-Cad, SolidWorks, CATIA) or similar platforms.
• Experience with robotic paint application systems, automated process controls, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis, process capability evaluation, and advanced quality improvement methodologies.
• Experience leading major equipment installations, commissioning activities, or manufacturing launches.

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a diverse workforce.