Sr. Engineer/Manager of Equipment Engineering

As the Equipment Engineering Manager, you will be responsible for building a high-performance team and executing the global strategy for the acquisition, startup, and optimization of custom manufacturing equipment. You will bridge the gap between demand planning and operational execution for both new and existing product lines.

In this leadership capacity, you will collaborate with Manufacturing Process, NPI (New Product Introduction), Facilities, and EHS teams to ensure all assets are designed for maximum safety, efficiency, and optimal Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Team Leadership

• Team Development: Directly manage and mentor a team of Equipment Engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and accountability.

• Equipment Roadmap: Define, own, and drive the execution of the Site Equipment Roadmap to ensure long-term operational scalability.

• Stakeholder Management: Lead capital projects through the entire lifecycle—from initial justification and procurement to commissioning and qualification—by aligning with R&D, Finance, and Operations.

Technical Design & Project Execution

• Advanced Engineering Principles: Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Maintenance and Reliability (DfMR) to ensure equipment is robust and scalable.

• Specification & CAD: Oversee the creation of comprehensive technical specifications and the use of CAD for subcomponent design and flexible tooling/fixtures.

• Safety & Compliance: Lead HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) assessment teams during the design phase to guarantee industry-leading safety standards.

• Capacity Expansion: Establish and scale capabilities for complex processes including membrane formation, precision bonding, wet bench cleaning, and automated packaging.

Operational Excellence

• Continuous Improvement: Baseline current factory capabilities to recommend design changes that improve cost, quality, and reliability.

• Lifecycle Management: Partner with Maintenance and Reliability teams to define Preventative Maintenance (PM) programs, including spares inventory strategy and FMEA-based criticality assessments.

• Project Governance: Utilize core project management techniques to ensure all initiatives remain within scope, budget, and timeline constraints while providing transparent reporting to the executive team.

Candidate Profile

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: BS or MS in Mechanical, Electrical, or Chemical Engineering.

• Experience: 10+ years of industry experience in Equipment Engineering, with a proven track record of progressive leadership and team management.

• Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of manufacturing processes, international safety standards, and regulatory compliance within high-tech environments.

• Project Mastery: Demonstrated success in executing large-scale capital equipment projects with "no surprises" regarding budget or delivery.

Professional Traits

• Collaborative Mindset: Ability to influence cross-functional teams and navigate global organizational structures and diverse cultures.

• Strategic Execution: Proven expertise in standardizing vendor selection, equipment design, and best-in-class project management deployment.

• Self-Driven Leadership: Motivated to perform with minimal guidance, capable of assisting in "classic" engineering needs such as failure analysis, SPC, and yield improvement when required.

• Delivery Excellence: Equipment deployment measured by project quality, cost-efficiency, and safety.

• Operational Impact: Long-term equipment reliability, uptime, and optimized lifecycle performance.

• Knowledge Management: Effective implementation of "Lessons Learned" into future equipment generations.

• Team Growth: Successful recruitment, retention, and development of a high-performance engineering unit.