Senior Manager, Engineering - Madison, Wisconsin United States - 36502

JOB DESCRIPTION

WHY IS THIS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY?

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The organization is financially sound and in the first 9 weeks of 2021 they are already seeing double digit growth based on demand for their products!  Thanks to a strong focus over the last few years on Manufacturing improvements, their capabilities allow them to keep up with this increased demand.  They are quite proud of this and will allow the new Sr. Manager of Engineering to join and drive change knowing their Manufacturing counterparts can keep up.  With strong support from leadership, this individual will have the ability to focus on driving growth through innovation/product development and help define a new consumer experience as the organization continues it's journey with a new charter to aggressively go out and think outside of the box.  Their team is a mix of young and eager to learn and seasoned professionals who are looking forward to having a leader that can step in and craft fundamentals/foundations to engineering with a focus on continuity and structure and outside best practices. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Sr. Manager, Engineering will be a member of the Product and Textile Engineering Team who support both the “Grow the Business” and “Run the Business” activities. From simple changes and updates to complex development projects. These team members design, develop, and validate the components and assemblies that are sold through Retail, Dealer, and Commercial channels.

 

This individual will be responsible for managing the activities of creating, designing, testing, and overall engineering support of new and existing products.  Scope of this role spans multiple product categories and engineering disciplines including mechanical, product, electrical, software, motorization, test and textile engineering.  Leading the strategic development of processes and tools to drive efficiency, manage work activities and schedules, quantify and manage risk, and accelerate product development and implementation is a critical function for this position.  Effective cross functional collaboration and communication are essential to drive meaningful growth and continuous improvement.  These efforts will directly build value for the company and their customers through improved quality and reliability, expanded product features and performance, and best in class user experience. Product responsibilities include branded products, private label brands, and support for all product componentry across both residential and commercial businesses.

Job Duties will include but not limited to:

• Provide innovative and experienced leadership for a multi-discipline team including mechanical engineering, product engineering, electrical/software engineering, test engineering and textile engineering functions.
• Drive continuous improvements to productivity, quality and organizational efficiency.
• Serve as a change-agent to implement state-of-the-art processes and product development practices.
• Support, offer recommendations and establish expectations cross functionally with procurement/supply chain, quality, manufacturing, new product development/design and the modeling group.
• Manage resource requirements, assign programs/projects, build review and advise scheduling, collaborate with manufacturing/operations to meet quality, delivery and cost expectations.
• Serve as an inspirational leader, coach and mentor to the Engineering team.
• Hire, performance manage and develop employees. Make strategic personnel decisions as needed.
• Promote a collaborative and highly engaged team environment.
• Optimize and manage design tools and methodologies to ensure products/systems meet design specifications and requirements.
• Promote and enable a culture of continuous improvement.
• Actively pursue and implement continuous improvement tools and methods such as DFM, process FMEAs and LEAN initiatives that ensure manufacturing processes meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Determine product manufacturability, validation and launch readiness with a focus on product liability, regulatory compliance and risk management.
• Identify and implement VA/VE product cost reduction activities, systemic product improvement and enhancements to quality and safety.
• Assist in development and management of Engineering budget.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Requirements and essential experience, skills and competencies for success:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering. Master’s Degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience with product development in a high production environment.
• 5+ years of people management experience including leading teams through change.
• Consumer goods/consumer durables manufacturing experience is required.
• Customized product experience a plus.
• Inspirational leader and visionary - motivates others to perform
• Innovative thinker. Always thinking about how to do things better and challenging the status-quo.
• Strategic mindset. Look ahead to future possibilities and translate them into breakthrough strategies.
• Demonstrated change-agent. Ability to engage teams while leading change that impacts processes, products and culture.
• Passionate about quality and continuous improvement with demonstrated success in driving and implementing continuous improvement efforts.
• Strong working knowledge of DFM, FMEA, VA/VE, Test Plans, Cost Modeling and LEAN initiatives.
• Ability to collaborate and partner. Documented success in working cross functionally with areas such as NPD, design, procurement and manufacturing.
• Strong financial and business acumen. Has developed and monitored a departmental budget successfully.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple concurrent projects and priorities. Strong project management expertise.
• Strong oral, written and presentation skills at all levels of an organization.
• Self-starter who can delegate but be hands-on as the situation dictates.

Behavioral Competencies

• Ensures Accountability - Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Drive Engagement - Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• Instill Trust - Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Drive Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Consumer/Customer Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering on customer-centric solutions.
• Critical Thinking - Making Sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Being Resilient - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
• Optimize Work Processes - Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Education:
University - Bachelor's Degree/3-4 Year Degree