Industrial Engineering Manager – Manufacturing Operations

Our client, a global leader in advanced technology and highly regulated manufacturing, is seeking an experienced Industrial Engineering Manager – Manufacturing Operations to lead an Industrial Engineering team supporting complex manufacturing operations, new product introduction, production ramp-up, capacity planning, and continuous improvement.

This position will combine people leadership with hands-on Industrial Engineering expertise and will be responsible for developing a strong technical team while driving improvements in throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, capacity, manufacturing cost, quality, and overall production flow.

The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in traditional Industrial Engineering methodologies along with proven experience leading engineers or other technical professionals. This individual should be comfortable working closely with manufacturing operations, challenging existing processes using data, developing future-state solutions, and leading cross-functional initiatives from analysis through implementation.

Key Responsibilities

Industrial Engineering Leadership

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of Industrial Engineers supporting manufacturing operations.
• Provide technical and functional leadership across multiple Industrial Engineering projects and priorities.
• Establish team priorities, monitor performance, and ensure projects are executed effectively from inception through completion.
• Develop team capabilities in time studies, work measurement, line balancing, capacity planning, labor modeling, manufacturing layouts, material flow, and continuous improvement.
• Build a collaborative and accountable team environment focused on technical excellence and measurable operational results.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, NPI, and other cross-functional organizations.

Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement

• Lead medium- to large-scale Industrial Engineering initiatives focused on throughput, productivity, cycle time, quality, yield, capacity, and manufacturing cost.
• Analyze production processes, workflows, work content, equipment utilization, labor utilization, WIP, and material flow to identify improvement opportunities.
• Conduct and oversee time studies, work measurement, line balancing, value stream mapping, process-flow analysis, and work-cell optimization.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and develop sustainable solutions that improve manufacturing performance.
• Establish current-state performance metrics, develop future-state processes, and measure results following implementation.
• Drive labor-cost reduction through process improvement, standard work, line balancing, automation, and cost/benefit analysis.
• Promote continuous improvement and challenge existing processes using data-driven analysis.

Capacity & Labor Planning

• Lead capacity and workforce planning to support current production requirements and anticipated demand growth.
• Develop and review capacity models based on demand, available production time, cycle/standard time, utilization, efficiency, yield, equipment availability, and other operational factors.
• Determine labor, equipment, floor-space, and other resource requirements needed to support production plans.
• Support quarterly and long-range capacity planning.
• Identify opportunities to improve existing processes and utilization before recommending additional equipment or capital investment.
• Develop recommendations for future staffing, equipment, shift structure, and manufacturing capacity.

NPI & Manufacturing Ramp-Up

• Provide Industrial Engineering leadership for New Product Introduction and manufacturing ramp-up activities.
• Support manufacturing readiness, production-line development, capacity validation, labor planning, process flow, material flow, and workstation requirements.
• Partner with engineering teams to improve manufacturability, ease of assembly, production efficiency, and downstream operational performance.
• Evaluate product and process decisions for their impact on build hours, labor requirements, capacity, cost, and manufacturing flow.
• Support production-line transfers, facility expansions, and manufacturing ramp-up initiatives.
• Establish performance expectations and support receiving operations through production ramp and stabilization.

Manufacturing Layout & Flow

• Lead manufacturing cell, production-line, and facility-layout projects.
• Optimize equipment placement, operator movement, material flow, WIP, floor-space utilization, ergonomics, and overall process flow.
• Evaluate future capacity requirements when developing manufacturing layouts and facility plans.
• Lead development and maintenance of labor and work standards through time studies and work-measurement methodologies.
• Support equipment installations, manufacturing expansions, and other facility-related initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 6+ years of Industrial Engineering, continuous improvement, manufacturing engineering, or related manufacturing experience.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of core Industrial Engineering methodologies, including time studies, work measurement, line balancing, capacity planning, labor/manpower modeling, manufacturing layouts, material flow, and Lean manufacturing.
• Demonstrated success driving measurable improvements in productivity, throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, capacity, quality, or manufacturing cost.
• Experience leading technical personnel and/or major cross-functional engineering initiatives.
• Strong experience with manufacturing capacity and workforce planning.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction and manufacturing ramp-up activities.
• Experience with manufacturing line, cell, or facility-layout development.
• Strong Excel and data-analysis capabilities.
• Experience with ERP/manufacturing data systems preferred.
• Experience with data visualization and reporting tools preferred.
• Experience with AutoCAD or similar facility/layout tools preferred.
• Experience with manufacturing simulation or capacity-modeling tools preferred.
• Experience within complex, high-volume, or highly regulated manufacturing environments preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma experience or certification preferred.

Leadership & Competencies

• 2+ years of direct people-management experience leading engineers or other technical professionals strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop technical talent.
• Strong technical understanding of Industrial Engineering principles with the ability to challenge and guide a team.
• Track record of driving process and cultural change.
• Ability to influence cross-functional organizations and challenge existing processes using data.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Ability to balance hands-on technical involvement with team leadership and development.
• Strong project-management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to build relationships across engineering and operations.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, highly technical manufacturing environment.

Location: Santa Clara County, CA – Onsite

Travel: Minimal

Base Salary Range: $150,000 – $210,000