Gear Design Engineering Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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UCT is looking for a talented Manager, Design Engineering to join us in Carrollton, TX! 

The Design Engineering Manager leads the design engineering function responsible for production process equipment, fixtures, tooling, workstations, handling systems, and related mechanical design support across manufacturing operations. This role manages a team of design and equipment-focused engineers, establishes priorities, schedules projects, and ensures design work is completed safely, effectively, and on time.

The Design Engineering Manager provides technical leadership for fixture design, production tooling, process equipment requirements, equipment procedures, equipment upgrades, and global design/build support. This position partners closely with Process Engineering, Operations, Quality, Safety, Customer Engineering, and site leadership to improve equipment performance, reduce cost, support new product introduction, and sustain world-class parts clean engineering services.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manages the design engineering team by establishing priorities, assigning work, scheduling projects, and ensuring required tasks are completed on time.
• Maintains a balanced department with the technical skills, flexibility, and experience needed to support both short- and long-range business requirements.
• Leads design engineering support for production process equipment, fixtures, baskets, tooling, workstations, part-handling systems, and related production support hardware.
• Oversees part fixture design with emphasis on safety, ergonomics, manufacturability, process effectiveness, repeatability, and cost control.
• Directs the development, maintenance, and evaluation of production tooling required for efficient and effective part processing.
• Provides leadership for workstation and equipment design related to wet process operations, including etch, strip, rinse, passivation, spray, and other liquid process applications.
• Supports design requirements for surface treatment and coating-related processes, including media blasting, mechanical surface texturing, TWAS, arc spray, ALD, electro/electroless deposition, and other vapor phase or surface treatment processes.
• Develops and maintains process equipment requirements, specifications, design standards, drawings, layouts, and technical documentation.
• Leads and supports equipment design projects, installations, upgrades, development efforts, and production implementation activities.
• Ensures equipment work procedures are properly developed and maintained, including preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, RFC, IQ, OQ, and related operating documentation.
• Reviews and approves drawings, fixture designs, tooling concepts, equipment layouts, technical documentation, and design change packages as appropriate.
• Uses sound engineering methods, design review practices, and data-driven analysis to support recommendations and technical conclusions.
• Leads or supports training material development, examinations, and certifications related to process equipment maintenance, operation, and safe use.
• Coordinates with Process Engineering, Operations, Quality, Customer Service, Safety, Environmental, and other internal teams to ensure effective engineering support is provided.
• Works with customer-facing and technical teams to ensure design solutions support customer requirements, new product introduction, Copy Exact requirements, and global manufacturing consistency.
• Leads design and product improvement efforts that reduce material cost, improve labor efficiency, increase safety, improve quality, and enhance equipment performance.
• Supports cost reduction, continuous improvement, and productivity initiatives related to fixtures, tooling, equipment, and production workstations.
• Participates on technical, safety, environmental, and cross-functional committees as assigned.
• Recommends new equipment, facility modifications, tooling improvements, or process design changes necessary to improve safety, capacity, operating effectiveness, quality, or operating cost.
• Coordinates with senior engineering leadership on capital equipment needs, design requirements, implementation planning, and installation execution.
• Ensures all design engineering activities comply with applicable safety standards, company procedures, OSHA requirements, EPA regulations, and other relevant regulatory obligations.
• Conducts or supports accident and incident investigations, identifies corrective and preventive actions, and ensures required documentation is completed in accordance with company expectations.
• Ensures the department maintains appropriate safety procedures, job-task risk assessments, PPE requirements, housekeeping practices, and employee safety expectations.
• Selects, trains, develops, evaluates, coaches, and recommends personnel actions for employees within the function.
• Provides timely feedback, performance coaching, technical mentoring, and development opportunities for employees.
• Delegates effectively, removes obstacles, and develops engineering talent capable of supporting current and future business needs.
• Other duties may be assigned at the discretion of the Company.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong mechanical design capability with practical experience designing equipment, fixtures, tooling, baskets, handling systems, and production support hardware.
• Advanced SolidWorks capability, including design modeling, drawing creation, fixture design, equipment layouts, and failure modeling or failure analysis support (FEA).
• Strong understanding of mechanics, pneumatics, hydraulics, wet chemistry environments, and production equipment used in semiconductor-related processing.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and identify critical quality characteristics.
• Familiarity with semiconductor technology, semiconductor tool consumables, critical cleaning technology, parts cleaning methodologies, surface treatment, coating technologies, and CAD implementation.
• Strong technical troubleshooting skills with a hands-on, practical approach to solving production and equipment problems.
• Ability to develop and maintain equipment specifications, work procedures, training materials, design standards, and technical documentation.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, SPC, DOE, and other structured problem-solving or process improvement methods.
• Strong project management ability, including prioritizing multiple projects, balancing resources, managing schedules, and driving completion across functional teams.
• Ability to work collaboratively with individuals at all levels, both within and outside the organization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical information clearly in one-on-one, group, and cross-functional settings.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, including coaching, feedback, delegation, talent development, conflict resolution, and team building.
• Ability to foster collaboration across teams and support organizational goals through effective coordination of people, methods, costs, schedules, and technical priorities.
• Self-directed, organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable taking ownership of complex technical and organizational challenges.

Educational/Certification Requirement:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Mechanical Engineering degree preferred.
• Master’s degree in Engineering or related technical field preferred.
• Lean, Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or similar continuous improvement certification preferred.

Work Experience Requirements:

• Minimum of five years of engineering experience in a manufacturing, semiconductor, parts cleaning, process equipment, surface treatment, or systems manufacturing environment.
• Prior experience leading engineers, technicians, cross-functional project teams, or technical personnel is strongly preferred.
• Experience with equipment design, fixture design, tooling development, production workstations, process equipment upgrades, and manufacturing support is preferred.
• Experience supporting semiconductor processing, critical cleaning, coating, wet process equipment, or production equipment reliability is preferred.

Preferred / Negotiable Robotics and Automation Experience:

The following experience is preferred but not required. Candidates with strong design engineering leadership experience may be considered even if they do not possess all robotics or automation qualifications.

• Experience with robotic handling systems, robotic process equipment, or automation used in production environments.
• Familiarity with robotic programming, robotic path development, or process programs for thermal spray, grit blast, coating, ECP, or related production processes.
• Experience integrating sensors, data acquisition, or equipment monitoring into process equipment design.
• Exposure to predictive process variation control, equipment data collection, or global equipment data acquisition implementation.
• Experience supporting new automated process cell design, equipment start-ups, process transfers, or best-known-method sharing across multiple sites.
• Familiarity with failure analysis of robotic, coating, blast, surface treatment, or automated production processes.
• Experience working with globally distributed or cross-functional technical teams on automation, robotics, or advanced process equipment projects.

Work Environment:

This job is performed both in a professional office environment and on the production floor. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally be exposed to fumes or airborne particles, moving mechanical parts, vibration, wet process areas, production equipment, and moderate to loud noise levels in manufacturing areas.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to sit, climb stairs, maintain balance, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust optical focus.

Travel Requirements:

Limited off-site and/or overnight travel away from the primary work location may be required. Occasional domestic or international travel may be required to support equipment projects, process transfers, global design standards, customer requirements, or site start-ups.

Note:

This job description may not represent a complete list of job duties or responsibilities. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may be added at any time and without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ultra Clean Technology is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, and any other characteristic protected under laws and regulations.