Manufacturing Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

POSITION TITLE: Manufacturing Engineer

POSITION OBJECTIVE:

The Manufacturing Engineer drives the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes for fiber optic and broadband products. This hands-on role supports new product introductions, resolves production challenges, ensures documentation accuracy, leads training, and process optimization initiatives. Collaborating with Engineering, Quality, and Operations, the Manufacturing Engineer standardizes and scales processes while ensuring compliance with company and regulatory requirements, enabling operational excellence and business growth.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Process Development & Implementation

• Develop, document, and maintain detailed manufacturing process flows, layouts, instructions, and work instructions.
• Develop and update manufacturing process training materials
• Design and validate tooling, fixtures, and equipment required for production.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) activities including pilot builds, line setup, and process validation.
• Implement and maintain Statistical Process Control (SPC) systems to monitor process performance and ensure product quality.
• Establish and optimize standard cycle times, take time, and line balancing strategies to improve production efficiency, throughput, and resource utilization.
• Conduct process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk) and implement controls to ensure consistent output.
• Develop and maintain control plans and ensure compliance with quality standards.
• Participate in Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews with product engineering teams.
• Record, report, and respond to manufacturing process metrics.

Production Support & Troubleshooting

• Provide real-time technical support to production teams to minimize downtime and disruptions.
• Investigate process deviations, quality defects, and equipment failures.
• Perform root cause analysis using structured problem-solving tools (5 Why, Fishbone, etc.).
• Implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and verify effectiveness.
• Collaborate with maintenance to improve equipment reliability and preventive maintenance plans.
• Monitor daily production metrics and identify trends or abnormal conditions.
• Lead training for trainers and leads on work instruction documents, process flows, and quality validation
• Support operator training and ensure adherence to standard work practices.
• Support qualification efforts of outsourced vendor candidates.

Continuous Improvement & Cost Reduction

• Lead Lean Manufacturing initiatives to eliminate waste and improve process flow.
• Drive cycle time reduction, yield improvement, and scrap reduction projects.
• Optimize material usage and labor efficiency.
• Identify automation and workflow opportunities to improve productivity and safety.
• Analyze production data to identify performance gaps and implement sustainable improvements.
• Support capacity planning and production scaling efforts.
• Contribute to cost reduction initiatives through value engineering and process optimization.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure manufacturing processes comply with internal standards and industry regulations.
• Ensure Engineering Change Order (ECO) is properly incorporated and revised Bill of Materials (BOM) is updated and disseminated as required.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Maintain accurate process documentation and revision control.
• Partner with Quality department to improve process robustness and defect prevention.
• Maintain Learning Management System (LMS) systems in coordination with Document Control, Clinical and Quality Assurance functions

This description of duties is not intended to be all-inclusive or to limit the discretionary authority to assign other tasks of a similar nature and/or level of responsibility.

COMPETENCIES:

Problem Solving-Identifying problems and the solutions to them.

• Identifies standard problems based on a range of factors, most of which are clear.
• Identifies alternate solutions, considering applicable precedents.
• Identifies optimal solutions based on weighing the advantages and disadvantages of alternative approaches.
• Evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions after implementation.

Decision Making- Using critical thinking, good business sense and organizational values to make decisions involving varying levels of risk and ambiguity.

• Apply guidelines and procedures that leave considerable room for discretion and interpretation.
• Makes decisions by weighing several factors, some of which are partially defined and entail missing pieces of critical information.
• Involves the right people in the decision-making process, when applicable.
• Foresees longer-term implications of decisions that are not readily apparent.
• Select new information to share with key stakeholders in order to enhance their understanding and help with decision making.
• Considers emerging opportunities and risks to construct defensible options.

Analytical Thinking- Analyzing and synthesizing information to understand issues, identify options, and support sound decision making.

• Analyzes complex situations, breaking each into its constituent parts.
• Evaluates alternative causes or ways of interpreting complex information.
• Identifies connections between situations that are not obviously related.
• Identifies gaps in information and makes assumptions in order to continue the analysis and/or take action.

Change Management- Conducting change readiness and change impact analyses, preparing communication and employee engagement plans, and developing strategies to address organizational change and related change management issues.

• Develops change management plans for standard unit-level change initiatives.
• Identifies obstacles to the implementation of the change initiative, modifying plans as needed.
• Identifies appropriate change readiness and impact analysis tools, customizing them as needed.
• Prepares communication and stakeholder engagement plans for standard change initiatives.
• Identifies performance measurement criteria and monitors impact of change initiative.

Thinking Strategically- Seeing and synthesizing different sides of an issue, examining the full range of options and outcomes, and building intellectual frameworks to guide analysis and action.

• Integrates and interprets multi-faceted information from varied sources on a range of complex issues.
• Recommends optimal approaches to address critical issues in the immediate and medium-term.
• Recognizes the need for a modified approach to data/ information gathering/ analysis.
• Articulates the impact of own work on aspects of organizational strategy and the impact of organizational strategy on own work.
• Identifies implications of own analysis (e.g., potential impact on certain stakeholders).
• Anticipate how others in own and other affected organizations will respond to and use the information/data generated.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Optical, Electrical, or related field); advanced degree preferred.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience in manufacturing engineering, preferably within fiber-optic, or high-precision electromechanical industries.
• Proven experience developing, validating, and optimizing manufacturing processes for complex assemblies, including process flow definition, work instructions, and control plans.
• Strong expertise in process characterization, DOE, SPC, capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), and root cause analysis methodologies (8D, FMEA, Fishbone).
• Hands-on experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI), including pilot builds, process qualification, and transfer to volume production.
• Ability to develop and validate manufacturing fixtures, tooling, and test methods to ensure repeatability and yield improvement.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Quality, Test, and Supply Chain to resolve manufacturability and quality issues.
• Demonstrated ability to support production through troubleshooting, yield analysis, scrap reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience transferring processes to domestic and international manufacturing sites, including documentation and training support.
• Strong data analysis skills: ability to interpret production metrics, identify trends, and implement sustainable process improvements.
• Attention to detail, organizational skills, and effective written and verbal communication abilities.
• Strong data analysis and technical documentation skills; ability to clearly communicate results and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.
• Familiarity with quality systems and regulatory compliance standards, ISO9001 preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite products.
• Experience in Modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool, Epicor preferre
• Willingness and ability to travel 10-20% domestically and internationally.

BENEFITS for full time:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits.
• 100% company paid Short-term and Long-term disability insurance coverage.
• 100% company paid Basic Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance coverage.
• 100% company paid Business Travel Accident (BTA) insurance.
• 100% company paid Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Additional voluntary benefits are offered.
• 401K plan: Maximum match is 4.5% of the first 6% of contribution.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Clearfield's Time Off Policy includes Personal Time Off (PTO) beginning at three weeks annually. PTO is accrued on the first of the month starting on day of hire. Voluntary Time Off (VTO) eight hours each calendar year, In addition, nine paid holidays per year.

SALARY RANGE: $73,299-$91,624-$109,949, Bonus eligible

An Offer of employment will be extended at a level consistent with the experience and qualifications of the candidate. This information reflects the anticipated salary range for this position at the time of posting. The salary range may be modified in the future and actual compensation may vary from the posting based on various factors such as geographic location, work experience, education and/or skill level.