Manufacturing Engineering Tech (Assembly)

Role: Manufacturing Engineer
Location: Houston, TX
Type: FTE Permanent
About Client

Client is developing cutting-edge fuel cell technology for heavy duty mobility and large-scale stationary power applications. Our uniquely redesigned product is a significantly more compact fuel cell with high power density and lower costs of production. Faced with the challenges of climate change and the transition to a decentralized energy system, Client seeks to provide high performance and cost-effective fuel cell solutions to our clients and partners.
We are establishing our US manufacturing operations in Houston, Texas. We are seeking Manufacturing Engineers to industrialize our products in the US - transferring proven process from our Swiss operations, standing up manual stack assembly, commissioning our roll-to-roll production equipment, and working alongside the packaging partners who will integrate our systems. This is a hands-on, build-it role for engineers who want to put a factory on the ground rather than inherit one.
Key Responsibilities

Serve as the on-site engineering presence at packaging and integration partner facilities - reviewing build plans against our design, resolving producibility issues in real time, and supporting first-article builds
Own design-for-manufacture feedback between partner sites, US operations and the engineering team in Nyon
Develop, validate and mature work instructions, process documentation and routings for US operations, in line with the Client quality management system
Lead the transfer of the process of record from Nyon to Houston - including tooling, fixtures, layouts, cycle-time balancing and operator training material
Deploy and commission the manual stack assembly line in the US, building on proven Swiss process and learning
Deploy and commission roll-to-roll production equipment in the US, working alongside the equipment supplier through installation, acceptance testing and process qualification
Establish process windows, capability studies and control plans; qualify processes to the point of repeatable, conforming output
Specify tooling, fixtures, jigs and automation equipment with suppliers
Troubleshoot production, quality and equipment issues on the floor; drive root cause and corrective action
Support supplier quality and certification activities with the necessary process data and documentation
Drive OEE, throughput, yield and cost-reduction improvements using Lean methods
Support safe working practice and EHS compliance in all process and equipment design
Skills and Experience Required

BSc/MSc in manufacturing, mechanical, mechatronic or industrial engineering is mandatory
Minimum 5 8 years of manufacturing engineering experience in an assembly or automation environment
Demonstrated experience installing, commissioning and qualifying production equipment - not only specifying it
Experience writing work instructions and process documentation in a controlled quality system (ISO 9001 or equivalent)
Experience working at or with external manufacturing partners, contract manufacturers or system integrators
Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, line balancing, process validation and statistical process control
Proficiency with CAD and ERP systems
Comfortable operating with ambiguity in a start-up environment; able to work autonomously with internal and external experts
Willing to travel frequently to partner sites within the US, and to Switzerland for extended periods during process transfer (expect 30 50% travel in the first year)
Desirable

Experience with web handling, coating, converting or other roll-to-roll processes
Experience in fuel cell, battery, electrolyzer or comparable electrochemical manufacturing
Experience taking a product from prototype through first production at a new site
Exposure to UL, CSA or CE certification processes
French or German language ability