Principal Advanced Manufacturing Engineer (Louisville Metropolitan Area)

The Principal Advanced Manufacturing Engineer (AME) is a member of a product line AME team responsible for providing manufacturing support New Product Introduction (NPI), Cost-Out and Plant Productivity projects. The AME shall develop, manage and execute capital equipment and high-volume manufacturing process projects to meet the required budget and launch schedules. The AME is a key liaison between NPI programs and the factory operations teams; ensuring plant priorities and objectives are clearly understood and considered. This includes providing input for design for manufacturability, applying lean principles to process designs and transferring process knowledge to the applicable factory personnel. The role requires strong experience with manufacturing equipment and automation systems used in high-volume production environments as well as Openness to leveraging AI-assisted tools and technologies to support technical documentation creation, review, process standardization, and knowledge management activities.

Technical Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and manage capital equipment procurement projects: Including specification development utilizing GE Appliances & industry standards, supplier selection, early supplier engagement, technical reviews, factory layout development, installation and qualification of equipment. Ensure all tooling and equipment is reliable and robust and designed to maximize Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Own the program metrics as applicable to your assigned projects: capital equipment & tooling budgets, program schedule, reliability, quality and labor targets. Work with the program team to perform trade-off analysis on competing metrics if necessary and drive decisions based on overall business impact.
• Facilitate/lead the use of the Production Preparation Process (3P) and Lean manufacturing principles while developing manufacturing equipment and processes. Utilize cross-functional participation to ensure that the equipment and processes are compatible with the entire value stream. Efforts should include right-sized equipment, workstation design, material presentation, standard work and single piece flow.
• Demonstrated willingness to embrace emerging digital technologies, including AI-assisted tools, to improve engineering documentation, process development, project execution, and collaboration efficiency.

Standards and Compliance:

• Ensure all equipment used in factories complies with Industry and Governmental Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) standards.
• Utilize Human Organizational Performance (HOP) principles to ensure that all equipment / tooling / processes are implemented with the health and safety of the operators in mind.
• Work with functional leaders to ensure equipment & processes support business initiatives of Bill of Process (BoP), Lean Manufacturing, Ergonomic Design and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Cross-functional Work and Leadership:

• Work with factory operations and Lean teams to understand Value Stream and how your projects impact this. Ensure material flow, workstation set up, model mix, etc. are considered when workstations / equipment is designed.
• Utilize the 9-Step Process for tooling and equipment design; consult Critical Process leaders as applicable to ensure development of robust processes for part / product generation. Work with cross-functional team to develop Manufacturing Control Plans (MCP) and Manufacturing Control Instructions (MCI).
• Work with the design team to ensure Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFMA) is considered part design.
• As a Principal AME, participate in growing the AME organization’s capability. This includes mentoring, guiding and helping more junior team members as well as adding to the body of knowledge of the department (training, developing new manufacturing processes, supporting Hoshin objectives, etc.)

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering or related discipline OR equivalent hands-on experience in technical/manufacturing disciplines
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in manufacturing equipment and processes.

Preferred Skills:

• Proficiency in AutoCAD
• Prior involvement in New Product Introduction (NPI) programs
• Proven success in managing capital equipment projects, including supplier selection, installation, and qualification.
• Experience applying Lean manufacturing principles.
• Strong communication and leadership skills to engage with diverse teams, from shop floor operators to senior management.

Travel:

• Up to 10% domestic and/or international travel.