Frontline Associate Jobs in Kitchener, ON (NOW HIRING)

Sr. Associate, Manufacturing Engineering, Frontline 

Reference #39805

Waterdown, Ontario

Role Overview

The Operations Engineering - Mechanical Frontline role is a key Manufacturing Engineering position directly supporting a production cell team. This role is focused on quality, reliability, and on-time delivery, and plays a critical part in ensuring daily operational success on the shop floor. As a primary Manufacturing Engineering contact, the successful candidate will troubleshoot issues in real time, drive root cause resolution, and support continuous improvement efforts. This role requires strong collaboration, ownership, and the ability to manage moderately complex manufacturing challenges with increasing autonomy.

Primary Responsibilities

Frontline Manufacturing Support

• Act as the primary Manufacturing Engineering point of contact for a production cell team
• Troubleshoot and resolve mechanical, electro-mechanical, and electro-optical manufacturing issues in real time
• Support daily production activities by ensuring timely resolution of manufacturing and quality issues
• Attend and actively contribute to daily cell stand-up meetings

Quality & Issue Resolution

• Participate in daily MRB meetings, supporting NCR disposition and closure
• Perform structured root cause analysis (8D) and implement corrective actions
• Identify recurring issues and support development of sustainable solutions
• Ensure alignment with product specifications and quality standards

Process Development & Documentation

• Develop and maintain manufacturing processes and procedures for MX products
• Create and update PFMEA, control plans, SPC strategies, tooling, and test procedures
• Author and maintain work instructions, assembly procedures, and MES documentation
• Translate engineering product specifications into effective manufacturing processes

Change Management & Implementation

• Review engineering and production change requests for impact to manufacturing processes, product flow, and quality
• Implement approved changes and ensure proper documentation and communication
• Support smooth integration of changes into production

Continuous Improvement

• Identify inefficiencies and opportunities for process improvement within the cell
• Support and lead Lean initiatives (5S, flow improvements, point-of-use, etc.)
• Contribute to yield improvements (FPY, rolling yield) and reduction of defects
• Present manufacturing engineering updates at monthly cell sustaining meetings

Collaboration & Team Contribution

• Collaborate closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, and other support teams
• Communicate technical issues, risks, and updates effectively to stakeholders
• Support team goals and contribute to overall cell performance
• Assist and support other Manufacturing Engineers as needed
• Quickly and effectively resolves shop floor issues to minimize production impact
• Demonstrates ownership of cell performance and manufacturing processes
• Consistently delivers high-quality work with minimal supervision
• Identifies and implements practical process improvements
• Builds strong working relationships within the cell and across functions
• Contributes to improved yield, quality, and on-time delivery
• Balances assigned work with autonomy and identifies additional value-adding actions within the cell
• Applies manufacturing tools effectively and identifies improvement opportunities
• high-quality outputs and proactively identifies risks in the production environment
• Provides proactive updates and clearly communicates issues and solutions to stakeholders
• Works cross-functionally to resolve issues and achieve production goals
• Uses data and structured methods to resolve common and moderately complex issues
• Manages multiple priorities and delivers reliably in a fast-paced environment
• Takes responsibility for resolving issues and meeting commitments
• Identifies opportunities to improve processes and support operational goals
• Adapts quickly and builds technical capability through hands-on experienceS
• upports team members and contributes to a collaborative environment
• Demonstrates a strong work ethic, reliability, and positive attitude

Desired Skills & Knowledge 

• Experience in manufacturing engineering within a high-tech assembly environment
• Strong knowledge of electro-mechanical manufacturing and process engineering
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve production issues in real time
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles
• Strong organizational and attention-to-detail skills
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings and electrical schematics
• Strong verbal and written technical communication skills

Assets:

• AS9100 experience
• Experience with SolidWorks, Composer, AutoCAD, or MES systems
• Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt (or equivalent experience)

Education & Experience

• Requires practical knowledge of job area.
• Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of 2 years of prior related experience.
• Graduate Degree or equivalent with 0 to 2 years of prior related experience.
• In lieu of a degree, minimum of 6 years of prior related experience.

*This posting is for a current vacancy.  In the province of Ontario, Canada, the pay range for this position will be $75,000 to $99,000. 

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