Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Based in St. Louis, MO on site, the Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Watlow Electric Manufacturing, Inc. leads optimization initiatives across complex production processes to meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets, while delivering technical leadership and cross-functional support to manufacturing teams.

Responsibilities

• Own designated manufacturing processes and value streams, serving as the primary technical contact for production issues, nonconformances, and process inquiries.
• Track key performance metrics such as scrap, rework, OEE, throughput, changeover time, and labor productivity; initiate corrective actions when performance diverges from targets.
• Direct structured problem solving using methods such as 5 Whys, Fishbone diagrams, DMAIC, and PDCA to address safety, quality, delivery, and cost challenges.
• Provide operators and technicians with clear standard work, work instructions, and training support.
• Manage capital equipment projects from concept through validation, including requirements scoping, vendor selection, design reviews, FAT/SAT, installation, and production ramp.
• Create and execute equipment validation plans covering process capability, gauging, safety, and reliability to ensure readiness for production use.
• Design or refine tooling, fixtures, and gauging to improve throughput, ergonomics, quality, and ease of use.
• Collaborate with Maintenance on preventive maintenance plans, critical spare strategies, and reliability improvements.
• Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives aimed at reducing scrap, increasing yield, expanding capacity, and lowering conversion costs.
• Champion Lean manufacturing practices (5S/6S, visual management, standard work, flow, pull, SMED, error proofing) within assigned areas.
• Assess and implement automation and digital solutions when they clearly benefit safety, quality, or cost, including robotics/cobots, automated inspection, data collection, SCADA/MES, and AMRs.
• Develop robust business cases with benefits, CAPEX, payback, and IRR, and monitor realized savings.
• Support New Product Introduction and transfers by defining manufacturable processes, layouts, and equipment for new designs.
• Participate in or lead PFMEA, Control Plan, and process capability work for new or changed processes.
• Own engineering changes (ECR/ECO) affecting manufacturing, ensuring risk understanding and changes are validated, documented, and accompanied by training.
• Collaborate with Quality to ensure processes consistently meet internal specifications, customer requirements, and applicable standards.
• Support root cause and corrective actions (RCCA/CAPA) for internal and customer issues, including documentation and communication.
• Ensure equipment, processes, and documentation comply with safety, regulatory, and audit requirements (for example, machine guarding, LOTO, calibration, and record retention).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering with 5+ years of related engineering experience, or a technical degree/certificate with 10+ years of related experience.
• Typically five or more years of experience in manufacturing engineering or closely related roles, with evidence of increasing scope and impact.
• Proven record of reducing scrap, improving throughput, and deploying equipment or automation in a production environment.
• Experience leading cross functional projects from concept through implementation.
• Experience troubleshooting electrical and mechanical issues in manufacturing equipment.

Technologies

• CAD
• GD&T
• SPC
• PLCs
• HMIs
• VFDs
• SCADA
• MES
• Robotics/cobots
• Automated inspection
• AMRs
• Data collection

Benefits

• Annual Incentive Program
• 401(k) plan with company match and performance-based contribution
• Wellness incentives
• Employee Personal Assistance Program
• Dental, medical, vision and disability insurance (short-term and long-term)
• Paid holidays, personal time, and vacation
• Parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement