Plastic Engineering Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

We are seeking an experienced Production Engineering Manager to lead manufacturing engineering, maintenance, tooling, and facilities functions within a high-volume automotive manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for optimizing manufacturing systems, equipment, tooling, automation, and plant infrastructure while driving safety, quality, productivity, reliability, and continuous improvement.

Position Responsibilities Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate Production Engineering personnel.
• Provide strategic direction for Production Engineering, Maintenance, Tool & Die, and Facilities functions.
• Establish departmental objectives, performance metrics, and development plans.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession plans, technical capabilities, and workforce development programs.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives focused on operational efficiency, equipment uptime, cost reduction, and plant competitiveness.

Manufacturing Engineering

• Direct engineering activities supporting HVAC and automotive manufacturing operations.
• Oversee injection molding, automated and manual assembly, leak testing, functional testing, vision inspection, and robotic manufacturing systems.
• Develop, validate, and improve manufacturing processes to meet customer and operational requirements.
• Drive improvements in cycle time, scrap reduction, labor efficiency, machine utilization, and equipment reliability.
• Support process engineering, automation, and manufacturing technology initiatives.

Maintenance, Tooling & Facilities

• Direct maintenance, tooling, skilled trades, and facilities operations across all shifts.
• Establish preventive, predictive, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs.
• Improve equipment reliability, uptime, OEE, asset life-cycle performance, and maintenance response.
• Oversee tooling design support, maintenance, repairs, refurbishment, and production readiness.
• Manage facility systems including electrical, HVAC, compressed air, water systems, building infrastructure, and utilities.
• Lead troubleshooting of critical equipment, tooling, and facility issues.
• Manage contractors, equipment suppliers, and service providers.

Program Launch & Industrialization

• Lead manufacturing readiness activities for new product launches and engineering changes.
• Support APQP activities, including PFMEA, Process Flow Diagrams, Control Plans, Capacity Studies, Run-at-Rate activities, and production validation.
• Manage equipment procurement, tooling readiness, process validation, ramp-up, and launch timing.
• Coordinate launch activities with customers, suppliers, and internal teams.

Operational Excellence

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for production, quality, and equipment issues.
• Monitor KPIs such as OEE, first-pass yield, throughput, downtime, MTBF, and MTTR.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, TPM, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Implement manufacturing best practices and appropriate Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Drive plant-wide cost reduction and process improvement projects.

Capital & Budget Management

• Develop and manage engineering operating and capital budgets.
• Prepare capital expenditure requests and equipment justifications.
• Lead the specification, sourcing, installation, and commissioning of production equipment and automation systems.
• Manage capital projects to ensure completion on schedule and within budget.
• Plan equipment utilization and production capacity according to business requirements.
• Develop capital investment strategies for automation, equipment modernization, infrastructure, and capacity expansion.

Quality, Compliance & Safety

• Support compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, customer-specific requirements, and internal standards.
• Ensure manufacturing processes meet quality, traceability, and process capability requirements.
• Support customer and internal audits and corrective action activities.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with EHS requirements.
• Lead risk assessments for new processes, equipment, and tooling.
• Support safe manufacturing systems and ergonomic improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Maintenance, and Design Engineering.
• Coordinate engineering activities to ensure production capacity, equipment readiness, and workforce capability meet customer demand.
• Coordinate maintenance shutdowns, facility projects, and major equipment installations.

Prerequisites

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive manufacturing or production engineering experience in an automotive manufacturing environment.
• Alternatively, an advanced degree with approximately 8+ years of relevant experience.
• 5–8 years of leadership experience managing engineering personnel and manufacturing projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading Production Engineering and Maintenance organizations.
• Proven experience managing capital budgets, equipment reliability programs, tooling operations, and manufacturing launches.
• Experience in high-volume, automated manufacturing operations.
• Strong experience with HVAC, thermal systems, plastics, injection molding, or large-scale assembly environments.
• Experience with manufacturing automation, robotics, electrical and controls systems.
• Strong knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, and other automotive quality systems.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, OEE, and TPM principles.
• Strong business acumen, analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and project management capabilities.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

Certifications (Preferred, but not Required)

• Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• PMP certification or equivalent project management experience.
• TPM certification or demonstrated TPM leadership experience.

What the Role Offers

• Salary: $130,000–$140,000 per year.
• Opportunity to lead Production Engineering, Maintenance, Tool & Die, and Facilities functions.
• Leadership responsibility within a high-volume automotive manufacturing environment.
• Opportunity to influence manufacturing technology, automation, reliability, and operational excellence.
• Exposure to major capital projects, new product launches, and advanced manufacturing initiatives.
• Opportunity to drive Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and TPM programs.
• Collaborative work with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Design Engineering, and other cross-functional teams.
• Career growth through expanded engineering and manufacturing leadership responsibilities.

Why Shelbyville?

This role offers an opportunity to contribute to a major automotive manufacturing operation in Shelbyville, supporting advanced production systems, engineering initiatives, automation, and continuous improvement. The area provides access to a strong manufacturing workforce and established automotive supply-chain infrastructure, making it a practical environment for professionals seeking to grow their leadership careers in automotive manufacturing.