Manufacturing Innovation Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Manufacturing Innovation Advanced Technology Engineer

Georgetown, Kentucky

On-Site | Contract Opportunity

$50–$55 per Hour

Position Highlights

• Full-time hours
• On-site position in Georgetown, KY
• Long-term contract opportunity
• PTO
• Paid holidays
• Competitive pay and benefits
• Benefits begin Day 1

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Manufacturing Innovation Advanced Technology Engineer to support the development and deployment of advanced AI and computer vision technologies within high-volume manufacturing environments.

This role will focus on developing production-grade machine learning models for industrial vision inspection systems, accelerating model training, optimizing AI solutions for edge hardware, and integrating vision systems with manufacturing equipment and industrial networks.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Innovation Manager, this position will support the Production Engineering Division and SOAR Group's efforts to improve manufacturing competitiveness through innovative technology solutions.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in industrial machine vision, edge AI, machine learning, and manufacturing technology, along with the ability to take projects from concept through production launch.

Key Responsibilities

Model Development & Training

• Design and implement computer vision models for defect detection, segmentation, and classification
• Accelerate training cycles using synthetic data, active learning, and domain randomization to address rare defects and specification variance
• Develop and deploy production-grade machine learning models for industrial vision inspection systems across manufacturing lines
• Utilize synthetic data pipelines and augmentation techniques to improve model robustness and reduce training time
• Manage the full model lifecycle, including data collection, labeling, validation, rollout, monitoring, and retraining

Production Deployment

• Package models and services using Docker and manage deployments through Kubernetes or equivalent orchestration tools
• Implement version control, rollback strategies, and observability for latency, model drift, and false-positive/false-negative metrics
• Deliver containerized software optimized for production and edge environments

Edge Optimization

• Optimize inference for edge and embedded hardware, including NVIDIA Jetson and Intel accelerators
• Ensure AI solutions meet strict real-time latency requirements for moving-line inspection
• Ensure consistent system performance under varying lighting, optics, and surface conditions
• Utilize technologies such as ONNX Runtime and TensorRT to optimize models for embedded hardware

Integration with Manufacturing Systems

• Integrate vision systems with PLCs, encoders, triggers, and industrial networks
• Utilize industrial communication protocols including OPC-UA, MQTT, and REST
• Align technology deployments with Toyota's ICS+, GALC, and TVIP architecture standards for plant-level connectivity and reliability
• Collaborate with automation, IT, engineering, and manufacturing teams to ensure robust integration of AI solutions

Data Strategy & Quality Control

• Lead data collection campaigns and manage annotation workflows
• Establish quality gates for model validation and production readiness
• Monitor inspection accuracy and balance false-positive rates against flow-out risk
• Implement drift detection and audit false-out risks
• Perform root cause analysis for inspection failures and develop corrective actions

Reliability & Sustainment

• Ensure uptime and availability targets are met through proactive monitoring and system maintenance
• Support calibration and measurement system analysis (MSA)
• Establish and maintain backup and restore processes
• Monitor production performance and continuously improve system reliability

Manufacturing Innovation & Project Management

• Develop new technologies focused on Production Engineering and manufacturing competitiveness
• Lead projects from concept through launch for the first introduction of new technologies into manufacturing
• Create project schedules, establish punch lists, and manage established due dates and milestones
• Develop detailed scopes of work and manage vendors and contractors
• Provide regular project status updates to leadership and stakeholders
• Research innovative technology solutions and conduct trials in manufacturing environments
• Develop business case justifications and recommendations for technology purchases when trials demonstrate successful results
• Collaborate with internal and external teams across Toyota, including North American Manufacturing Centers (NAMCs), Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC), Toyota Technical Center (TTC), Production Engineering support shops, IT/One Tech teams, automation teams, and Plano divisions
• Support the successful integration of robust AI solutions into high-volume manufacturing environments

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in industrial machine vision and edge AI deployment
• Proficiency in Python and C++
• Strong knowledge of machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch and TensorFlow
• Hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience with ONNX Runtime, TensorRT, and optimization for embedded hardware
• Experience integrating vision systems with PLCs and industrial communication protocols such as OPC-UA and MQTT
• Experience managing the complete machine learning model lifecycle, including data collection, labeling, validation, deployment, monitoring, and retraining
• Experience with object detection, classification, and segmentation
• Familiarity with mainstream object detection and semantic/instance segmentation models
• Experience with industrial cameras, lighting, optics, and trigger-based image capture
• Understanding of inspection accuracy and the balance between false positives and flow-out risk
• Experience with project management, including developing scopes of work, creating schedules, managing vendors/contractors, and providing project status updates
• Ability to travel to North American Manufacturing Centers (NAMCs), including Canada and Mexico, as well as Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) in Japan

This is an exciting opportunity to help introduce emerging AI and computer vision technologies into manufacturing and directly contribute to improving manufacturing competitiveness.



Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Statement

Reliance One, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

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