Design Engineering Manager

Design Engineering Manager

Job Description

Department: Engineering

Job Status: Full Time

FLSA Status: Salary Exempt

Reports To: President

Location: Ponca City, OK

Amount of Travel Required: N/A

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Positions Supervised: Design Engineering team

POSITION SUMMARY: The Design Engineering Manager position is responsible for New Project development, Quality, Lean Manufacturing and Plant fixture development. In this position, the manager would be responsible for overseeing the development of new product designs, quality systems and plant manufacturing processes as they apply to Lean Manufacturing.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (The following duties and responsibilities are all essential job functions, as defined by the ADA, except for those that begin with the word "may.")

• Advanced Quality Plan (AQP) Management: Maintains an AQP to ensure that new products meet both quality and timing requirements.
• Design Review Scheduling: Coordinates design reviews to ensure manufacturability before the build process begins, identifying potential issues early.
• Easel Board Process Leadership: Leads and schedules Easel Board process for first-time builds, ensuring that all necessary steps and checks are completed.
• Workload and Priority Management: Maintains and manages a system to organize workload and prioritize tasks effectively to meet deadlines and objectives.
• Drawing Standards & Manufacturing Process Integration: Establishes and maintains drawing standards that incorporate manufacturing processes for accurate and efficient production.
• Process and Procedure Development: Develops and continuously improves procedures to raise product quality and operational standards.
• Permit and Quality Systems Management: Maintains an organized permit system and ensure quality systems are in place to meet the highest standards for products being shipped.
• Root Cause and Corrective Action System: Implements and manages a system for identifying and addressing root causes of quality issues or escapes, ensuring corrective actions are taken promptly.
• War Board and Performance Tracking: Maintains weekly updates on the War Board and matrices to track performance, focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational goals.
• Tool Calibration Management: Ensures a system is in place for the calibration of tools used in product verification, maintaining accuracy and reliability.
• Traceability System Maintenance: Manages and maintains a robust system of product traceability, ensuring full tracking from production to delivery.
• Quality Checklist Creation: Develops detailed quality checklists for each stage of the manufacturing process for new products, ensuring consistent standards are upheld.
• Documentation Control: Maintains a reliable system for the storage and retrieval of critical documentation, ensuring that all records are easily accessible when needed.
• Stamping and RFI Programming: Oversees the stamping and RFI programming for high-pressure parts, ensuring proper identification and compliance.
• Product Identification & VIN Stamping: Manages the stamping of product identification tags and VIN numbers on trailers after the blast process, ensuring proper identification for traceability.
• 5-S Inspection Documentation: Supports the Production Manager by maintaining 5-S inspection documentation, ensuring that cleanliness, organization, and safety protocols are followed.
• Kaizen and Continuous Improvement: Drives and leads Kaizen principles to foster a continuous culture of improvement, optimizing processes and team efficiency.
• Fixture Development & Validation: Develops and ensures the proper functionality of manufacturing fixtures, confirming they work as intended before full-scale production.
• Drawing Control & Fixture Tracking: Maintains systems for drawing control and track the development of new fixtures, ensuring that all updates are logged and tracked efficiently.
• Storage & Identification of Fixtures: Implements a system to identify and properly store fixtures when not in use, maintaining organization and preventing loss.
• Safety Compliance: Consistently observes and enforces all safety regulations, ensuring a safe working environment for all team members.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Successfully passes background check, pre-employment drug screening, an any pre-employment aptitude and/or competency assessment(s) including pre-employment Pulmonary Function Test (PFT.)
• In-person, predictable attendance

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE LEVEL

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or relevant related work experience; Masters degree Preferred
• A minimum of five to ten years of Manufacturing and related Engineering experience required in various Manufacturing Engineering functions
• Proven experience working with Lean Manufacturing principles
• Experience leading a design team environment preferably with a small to medium size company

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, COMPETENCIES, AND ABILITIES

• Teamwork and Leadership: Working with diverse personalities and bringing a team together is essential for fostering collaboration and maintaining a positive work environment. This requires empathy, conflict resolution, and motivation skills.
• Strong Organizational Skills: The ability to prioritize work and manage multiple tasks efficiently is crucial for meeting deadlines and ensuring productivity, especially in fast-paced environments.
• High Proficiency in Blueprint Reading and Critical Analysis: Understanding blueprints and identifying critical features ensures that projects are executed with accuracy and that potential issues are caught early in the design or production process.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing and 6-S: Lean Manufacturing focuses on reducing waste and optimizing efficiency, while 6-S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain, Safety) promotes cleanliness, organization, and workplace safety. Applying these practices can enhance productivity and reduce errors.
• Strong Communication Skills: Strong speaking, writing, and listening skills are necessary to clearly convey ideas, instructions, and feedback. This also helps build rapport and trust within teams and with stakeholders.
• Strong Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to think critically and solve problems quickly can minimize downtime, resolve operational issues, and optimize processes.
• High Proficiency with Office Tools: Using Excel for data analysis, PowerPoint for presentations, and Word for documentation are essential in nearly every professional role to communicate, report, and present information effectively.
• Ability to work efficiently under Stringent deadlines: While maintaining high-quality standards, ensuring that deadlines are met without sacrificing attention to detail or safety.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Design Engineering Manager works indoors in an office setting, primarily sitting for extended periods of time at a desk station, keyboarding and using repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and or fingers. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus while reading and staring at computer monitor. They will also need to speak clearly and audibly, as well as have the ability to hear, understand, and distinguish speech and /or other sounds (e.g., building alarms) deriving from in person speech, telephone, or other remote speech. No adverse environmental conditions are expected. While in the office, they may be called upon to stand, kneel, push, pull, reach overhead, stoop, crouch, climb, and lift; therefore, the employee should be able to lift 25 lbs. independently.

Work hours may include or includes early morning, late evenings, and weekends, depending on business necessity.

AAP /EEO STATEMENT

The Company is committed to the cause of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants, thus abiding by all applicable state and federal laws. Our practices regarding employment, job promotion, compensation, training, and termination do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, veteran's status, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. It is expected that all employees, both management and staff, will fully support these non-discriminatory policies.

The company has reviewed this job description to ensure essential functions and duties have been included. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities.

Last Revised 02/2025