Contract Embedded Engineer Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

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Job Description

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.

Senior Manager, NPX & Technical Sourcing Engineering

Position Summary

The Senior Manager of NPX (New Product Excellence) & Technical Sourcing Engineering leads a global team responsible for integrating sourcing strategy into product development. This role bridges R&D, Procurement, and Operations to ensure technical sourcing decisions enable scalable, cost-optimized, and manufacturable designs.

This leader drives early design influence, establishes best-in-class DFX and VAVE practices, and builds repeatable tools, playbooks, and processes that elevate sourcing engineering capability across the NPI lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership

• Define and deploy technical sourcing strategies embedded within NPI programs

• Partner with R&D, Manufacturing, and Procurement to align product design with supplier capabilities

• Champion DFX and VAVE to optimize cost, quality, manufacturability, and sustainability

• Establish technology roadmaps and lead supplier innovation and capability engagement forums

• Advise NPI leadership on trade-offs across cost, performance, risk, and scalability

2. Supplier Strategy & Development

• Build and manage a high-performing supplier ecosystem aligned to NPI needs

• Oversee supplier selection, onboarding, and technical readiness

• Ensure robust sourcing strategies and source plans across all NPI programs

• Partner with Category Management to drive cost, capability, quality, and delivery performance

• Standardize supplier engagement through defined processes and best practices

3. NPI Program Execution

• Lead DFX and technical sourcing across all NPI phases (concept through production)

• Drive early make vs. buy decisions aligned to enterprise strategy

• Establish and track KPIs (cost vs. target, supplier readiness, lead time, DFX/VAVE impact)

• Ensure seamless transition from prototype to scalable production

4. Cost Engineering

• Lead Should Cost and Target Costing methodologies across NPI programs

• Improve cost accuracy throughout the product lifecycle

• Support fact-based supplier negotiations in partnership with Procurement

5. Tools, Playbooks & Capability Building

• Develop and deploy a standardized DFX Playbook (DFM, DFA, DFSC, DTC)

• Build scalable tools (target cost models, should-cost tools, supplier assessment frameworks, make vs. buy models)

• Establish repeatable NPI sourcing processes integrated into stage-gate governance

• Drive adoption through training, metrics, and organizational alignment

6. Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a global team of DFX & TSE engineers

• Build capability in DFX, supplier engagement, and cost engineering

• Establish team-level metrics and drive continuous improvement

• Foster a culture of technical rigor, accountability, and innovation

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• 5+ years of experience managing engineering teams

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field (Master’s preferred)

• 12+ years (BS) or 8+ years (MS) of experience across R&D, manufacturing, technical sourcing, or supply chain, with strong NPI focus

• Proven track record leading cross-functional teams and managing supplier relationships in complex product environments

Technical Expertise

• Strong mechanical design foundation, including materials selection, precision mechanisms, and system integration

• Deep expertise in GD&T, tolerance analysis, and DFX (DFM, DFA, DFC/DTC) within product development

• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes (machining, injection molding, sheet metal fabrication)

• Experience with BOM development, cost/COGS modeling, and cost engineering principles

• Proficiency in 3D CAD (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo) and PDM/PLM systems

• Experience working with external suppliers and contract manufacturers

• Familiarity with regulated product environments (e.g., FDA, ISO, UL) and quality systems

• Strong understanding of NPI phase-gate processes and change management

Leadership & Business Skills

• Strong project and program management capabilities, with the ability to lead technical initiatives end-to-end

• Demonstrated ability to influence across engineering, sourcing, and operations stakeholders

• Experience operating in global, cross-functional environments

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking with strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Clear communication and effective collaboration

• Ability to prioritize and execute in fast-paced, complex environments

• High attention to detail with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement