Job Title: Engineering Manager

Location: Onsite | Erlanger, KY

No relocation assistance or per diem
Travel is approximately 15% to 20%

Compensation: $110,000 starting salary | Up to $125,000 for the right candidate | 5% bonus potential

Top 3 Skills (in order)

Design-heavy leadership
Creative problem solving
Process/validation discipline

Notes

Food-grade and HACCP experience are preferred, not required
Regulated design experience is more important than a specific industry background
Client is looking to fill the role ASAP

Requirements

6 to 8 years of engineering leadership experience with a strong design-focused background
Experience leading mechanical design for custom equipment or engineered-to-order products
Strong creative problem-solving experience with a full-system approach to design decisions
Strong process and validation discipline, including design reviews, documentation, manufacturability, and project execution
Experience leading engineering teams, managing priorities, and controlling schedules, budgets, costs, and technical risk
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Design Engineering, or a related field

Plusses

Experience in regulated manufacturing environments such as food, life sciences, electronics, or aerospace
Food-grade equipment, sanitary design, HACCP, FDA, or CFIA experience
Electrical controls or industrial automation experience
Custom equipment quoting, estimating, ERP, or parts-management experience
PMP, Lean, Six Sigma, Master’s degree, or Professional Engineer license

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**Role Overview: **This is a new leadership role responsible for the engineering function supporting custom manufacturing equipment and engineered solutions. The focus is on strong mechanical design leadership, creative problem solving, process discipline, and the ability to see projects from customer need through design, manufacturing, and delivery.

Core Responsibilities

Lead and develop a team of 7 to 8 designers
Oversee mechanical design, drawings, BOMs, calculations, and design reviews
Lead projects from concept through delivery, including scope, schedule, budget, and risk
Establish engineering, CAD, documentation, and parts standards
Support quoting and technical feasibility for custom solutions
Partner with manufacturing to improve designs for cost, quality, and manufacturability
Coordinate mechanical designs with electrical and automation requirements
Work directly with customers on technical needs and project solutions

Team Environment

Reports to the VP of Operations
Manages 7 to 8 designers
Works closely with Sales, Procurement, Production, Quality, Installation, and external technical partners
Hands-on leadership role where the manager is expected to understand the full engineering and manufacturing process
Client is looking to fill the role ASAP

Requirements

Strong mechanical design and manufacturing background
Experience leading engineering teams, projects, and priorities
CAD experience with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Inventor, CATIA, or similar
Knowledge of manufacturing processes, production methods, and design for manufacturability
Experience establishing engineering standards and technical documentation
Ability to manage project schedules, budgets, costs, and technical risk
Strong customer-facing communication and technical decision-making skills
Ability to travel approximately 15% to 20%, primarily for early-stage project site visits

**Ideal Candidate Background: **Engineering leader from a custom equipment, machinery, automation, or engineered manufacturing environment. The strongest candidate has remained close to design work while leading teams and can balance technical design, project execution, manufacturing needs, customer requirements, and compliance.

Typical Day

Review active design work and engineering priorities
Guide designers through technical and project issues
Review drawings, BOMs, calculations, and design decisions
Coordinate with production, sales, procurement, quality, and installation
Support customer discussions and custom solution development
Monitor project schedules, costs, and engineering deliverables