Manager Production Engineering

JTEKT Bearings North America
Location: Dahlonega, GA
Level 108

SUMMARY/PURPOSE
The primary responsibility of this position is to lead the Manufacturing Engineering and Maintenance department. This position leads and monitors primary functions of maintaining property/grounds, building/facilities, manufacturing equipment, supporting equipment, production process standard’s development, and manufacturing engineering functions including capital planning, tracking and procurement, tooling, facility layout, new item launch and cost improvement.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and ACCOUNTABILITIES:
• Capital and Expense Project Management: Creates short- and long-term plans with initial cost estimates and justifications and oversees execution of plan helping team members develop detail plans, obtain funding and manage through project completion.
• Production Help Chain: Provide engineering and maintenance resources to address and problem solve daily production issues that arise from safety concerns, product quality, machine reliability or unexpected events.
• Cost Improvement: Identify cost improvement projects, estimating monthly savings, forecasting timing and assigning resources for business planning. Oversee the execution of the plan using engineering and maintenance resources and aid in calculating and reporting monthly savings results of completed projects.
• Fixed Asset Management: Perform periodic fixed asset inventory. Ensure new capital equipment is added to asset listing. Manage equipment retirement, storage and disposal.
• Tooling Design & Sourcing: Ensure engineering competency, CAD systems and organization for creating and maintaining production tooling. Ensure engineers work with purchasing to develop initial tooling and component sourcing and setup in crib inventory system.
• Maintenance Management: Ensures equipment preventive maintenance is being performed, equipment downtime response and repairs are efficient, and maintenance talent is being managed. Indirectly oversees maintenance contractor activities through maintenance supervisor.
• Facility & Infrastructure Maintenance: Maintain and practice risk management of plant systems that include waste water, compressed air, electrical distribution, coolant systems, HVAC, fire suppression, roof, ventilation, water delivery, natural gas, and bulk chemical storage. Plant champion for chemical management contractor. Aids and supports EHS coordinator. Also, maintains current facilities layout and ensure engineering resources for creating proposal plant layouts and facility changes as needed.
• Product & New Item Launch: Oversee engineering team to ensure manufacturing methods are being optimized, samples and new items are being scheduled and managed and records are being maintained in adherence to customer specific and automotive standards.
• Engineer Growth and Development: Supervise engineers as team and individually helping them grow professionally by providing training opportunities, advanced projects, presentation opportunities and providing constructive feedback.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
This position is responsible for supervising employees in accordance with policies and procedures. This position will be required to supervise and lead 8 or more direct reports. The Engineering Manager is responsible for defining, implementing and maintaining the best organization possible to support his essential duties and responsibilities.

Other desirable skills and experience:
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability.
• Excellent written, verbal communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Thorough knowledge of automotive quality management systems and requirements
• Knowledge and demonstrated ability to lead TPS techniques including lean and 5S
• Strong project management skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Effective interpersonal skills with internal and external customers.
• Good presentation skills.

Compliance and Ethics:
• Ensure JTEKT compliance and ethics standards are maintained in all areas of responsibility.
• Safeguard Compliance by following all laws, rules, and regulations.
• Make Ethical choices when planning specific courses of action.

Education and Experience:
• BS in Engineering or related field with 10 years’ experience or a MS Degree with 7 years of experience.
• 5 or more years of related direct supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of electronics, machine shop general, tool design, product test design, metallurgy, wage and salary administration, manpower planning, recruiting and staffing, plant employee relations and fixed and cost accounting
• Skills in blueprint reading, cost analysis, facilities layout, hydraulic systems, plant/facilities engineering, pneumatics, process control SPC, budget manageme