Manufacturing Engineering Manager

About the Company

Our client is an established manufacturer of high-volume residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment with company-owned facilities across the United States. The Nashville plant is a lean, high-throughput metal fabrication and assembly operation focused on thermal and fluid-handling products. You would lead a manufacturing operation earning more than $ 1 million a day.

Position Overview

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager leads the manufacturing engineering function at the Nashville plant. This is a high-impact leadership role focused on driving capital investment with strong ROI, delivering meaningful cost savings, sustaining lean manufacturing excellence, and supporting new product introductions. The ideal candidate leads from the front, partners closely with the Plant Manager on strategic and day-to-day decisions, and develops a team of manufacturing engineers while remaining willing to engage directly on the floor when needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Capital Investment & Cost Reduction
• Identify, justify, and execute CapEx projects with strong ROI. Own cost-out and cost-savings initiatives that deliver measurable financial impact. Prioritize projects that improve quality, efficiency, and future product launches.
• Lean Manufacturing & Operations Support
• Lead and strengthen continuous-flow, JIT, seamless changeover, Kaizen, and 5S practices. Support day-to-day production by rapidly identifying and resolving line issues. Maintain a strong process eye—able to recognize opportunities and gaps on the shop floor.
• New Product Introduction
• Partner with Product Engineering and Operations to introduce new products into manufacturing. Use NPI as an opportunity to raise process capability and deploy improved equipment or methods.
• Team Leadership
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of approximately 7 direct manufacturing engineers (plus a supervisory layer). Foster a high-performing group that balances strategic project work with operational support. Participate in weekly strategy meetings with Plant Manager, Supply Chain, and Production leadership on production levers and multi-year factory plans.
• Process & Equipment Ownership
• Drive process validation for any change affecting production lines (supplier, design, or equipment). Interface with vendors on equipment and fixtures. Support plant layout and facility improvements for better space utilization and flow.
• Automation & Continuous Improvement
• Identify and implement automation or process improvements where they deliver clear ROI and cost savings. Leverage data and forward-looking tools (including analytics where applicable) to surface improvement opportunities.

Required Qualifications

• 8 years of experience and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
• Proven track record leading CapEx portfolios and delivering documented cost savings.
• Demonstrated success building or elevating lean manufacturing environments (continuous flow, changeover reduction, Kaizen, 5S).
• Experience supporting both day-to-day operations and new product introductions.
• Lead-from-the-front leadership style with the ability to mentor engineers while engaging hands-on when required (~80% leadership / 20% hands-on).
• Strong process eye and collaborative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Maintenance, and Product Engineering.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in metal fabrication, heater or thermal assembly, or similar high-volume assembly environments.
• Exposure to automation projects that delivered measurable ROI.
• Working knowledge of CAD tools (AutoCAD, SolidWorks) for reviewing and light editing of drawings.
• Prior experience in a related industry (thermal, fluid handling, or similar discrete manufacturing).

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will be someone who can clearly articulate the meaningful changes they have driven in prior roles, demonstrates strong process improvement skills, and is energized by both strategic CapEx/cost-reduction work and the day-to-day reality of supporting a high-volume factory. We value results and leadership style over rigid years-of-experience requirements.