Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Company Overview

AIS, a division of 1HMX, is a global leader in Human Machine eXperience (HMX) solutions, delivering innovative, high-performance products that power the future of human interaction with technology. Our portfolio includes electro-mechanical assemblies and immersive technologies, such as augmented/virtual reality systems, wearable electronics, telerobotic controls, night-vision equipment, EV and marine interfaces, infection control solutions, medical and industrial display/control panels, and touchscreen products.

Position Summary

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager leads the people, processes, and technical systems that connect product design to reliable, efficient production. This role is responsible for the Manufacturing Engineering team and provides leadership oversight for Bench Technicians and Electro-Mechanical Assemblers. The manager aligns process engineering, production test and equipment support, and hands-on assembly resources to support new product introduction (NPI), sustaining production, and continuous improvement.

As a hands-on leader, this individual sets priorities, develops team capability, and ensures that products move from prototype and pilot builds into production with appropriate processes, documentation, tooling, test systems, and training. The manager partners closely with Design Engineering, Operations, Quality, Program Management, and other 1HMX teams to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Resource Management

• Lead, coach, and develop Manufacturing Engineers, Bench Technicians, and Electro-Mechanical Assemblers; establish clear expectations, accountability, and development goals appropriate to each function.
• Oversee day-to-day priorities and resource allocation across NPI, sustaining engineering, production troubleshooting, test-system support, assembly needs, and continuous improvement projects.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance reviews, and career-development conversations; provide timely feedback and identify training or staffing needs.
• Build a collaborative, customer-focused team culture that emphasizes safe work practices, quality, technical ownership, problem-solving, and continuous learning.
• Coordinate workload and escalation paths so production issues receive timely technical support while longer-term engineering and process-development work continues to progress.
• Support hiring, onboarding, cross-training, and succession planning for the teams under this role.

Manufacturing Engineering & New Product Introduction (NPI)

• Lead Manufacturing Engineering activities for NPI, ensuring products enter production with mature and validated processes, complete documentation, appropriate tooling, and demonstrated readiness.
• Partner with Design Engineering early in development to improve design for manufacturability and assembly (DFM/DFA), testability, reliability, and production scalability.
• Oversee development and maintenance of manufacturing processes, assembly procedures, work instructions, routings, tooling requirements, and other production documentation.
• Coordinate prototype builds, pilot runs, process validation, operator training, and handoff to full-rate production.
• Ensure Manufacturing Engineering resources support both new programs and released products, including production changes, troubleshooting, Continuous Improvement, and process optimization.
• Review and approve critical process documentation, including PFMEAs, control plans, validation reports, and tooling or fixture specifications, as appropriate.

Bench Technician, Test & Equipment Support

• Oversee Bench Technician support for production test systems, fixtures, tooling, and equipment, including triage, troubleshooting, repair, upgrades, and preventative maintenance.
• Ensure production test systems and fixtures are built, deployed, calibrated, maintained, and validated using applicable schematics, drawings, procedures, and technical requirements.
• Coordinate technical support for product performance testing, design verification testing (DVT), and related test planning, procedures, reporting, and data analysis.
• Ensure production teams have a clear escalation path for equipment, fixture, test-system, and product issues; coordinate with engineering teams when issues require additional expertise.
• Support improvement of test methods, automation, fixtures, and production support equipment, including appropriate use of tools such as LabVIEW or related test software where applicable.

Electro-Mechanical Assembly Oversight

• Provide leadership and operational coordination for the Electro-Mechanical Assembly team to support production priorities, quality requirements, and program schedules.
• Ensure assemblers have current work instructions, appropriate tools and fixtures, required training, and access to timely technical support.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Bench Technicians to resolve assembly, wiring, test, and equipment issues and to improve process repeatability.
• Promote adherence to documented processes, workmanship expectations, ESD controls, and applicable safety and quality requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve assembly methods & documentation, training, work-cell readiness, throughput, and first-pass quality.

Process Engineering, Troubleshooting & Quality

• Provide technical direction across electromechanical assembly, wiring and cable harnesses, PCB assembly and rework, machining, automated equipment, and test-system integration as applicable to AIS products.
• Champion data-driven problem-solving and lead or sponsor root-cause investigations for significant production disruptions, nonconformances, customer escapes, field failures, or recurring quality issues.
• Partner with Quality Engineering on Material Review Board (MRB) and Non-Conforming Material (NCM) processes, corrective and preventive actions (RCCA/CAPA), audit readiness, and compliance with applicable IPC, UL, ISO, and customer-specific requirements.
• Ensure processes and production documentation are controlled and maintained in applicable systems, including Syteline ERP and manufacturing assembly procedures.
• Provide technical training and coaching to engineers, technicians, and production personnel on new or revised processes, equipment, and troubleshooting methods.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Build and sustain a Lean manufacturing culture; lead or sponsor kaizen events, value-stream mapping, waste elimination, and other improvement initiatives.
• Identify, evaluate, justify, and manage capital investments in production equipment, tooling, automation, fixtures, and test infrastructure.
• Define and monitor relevant performance metrics, such as yield, cycle time, scrap, labor efficiency, equipment downtime, test-system availability, and NPI on-time readiness.
• Drive measurable results, through the use of Visual Management tools and a structured Problem Solving methodology.
• Use performance data and input from the production floor to prioritize improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and process capability.
• Work with Operations and Supply Chain to address material, tooling, capacity, and equipment constraints that affect production.

Cross-Functional & Organizational Leadership

• Represent Manufacturing Engineering and its supporting production technical teams in site leadership discussions, program reviews, and planning activities.
• Partner with Design Engineering, Quality, Operations, Program Management, and Supply Chain to resolve issues and align priorities.
• Support customer and third-party technical audits and communicate manufacturing-process capabilities, risks, and corrective actions clearly.
• Coordinate with 1HMX global engineering teams to share best practices, transfer processes, and align standards across sites.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 8+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering or related manufacturing technical experience, including at least 2–3 years in a formal people-management role.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams or coordinating work across engineering, technical support, and production functions.
• Experience supporting NPI, CI, and production readiness in a precision, high-mix manufacturing environment.
• Experience in electromechanical, pneumatics, electronics, HMI, or related product manufacturing strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Broad understanding of manufacturing processes relevant to HMX products, including electromechanical assembly, PCBA processing and rework, Screen printing, Laser cutting/marking, wiring and harness fabrication, and production test.
• Ability to lead technical troubleshooting across electrical, mechanical, electronic, and mechatronic systems, including production fixtures and test equipment.
• Knowledge of DFM/DFA, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma concepts, PFMEA, SPC, GD&T, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement methods.
• Familiarity with CAD tools such as SolidWorks and with eCAD tools; experience specifying or qualifying automated manufacturing and test equipment is beneficial.
• Familiarity with test instruments and systems, electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and test software such as LabVIEW, programming language such as Python, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with ERP/MES systems in a production environment; Syteline experience is a plus.
• Strong organizational, communication, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage concurrent programs and translate technical issues for non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to develop employees, set expectations, manage performance, and lead cross-functional teams.

Preferred

• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification, or equivalent continuous-improvement experience.
• Exposure to AS9100, ISO 13485, or other sector-specific quality management systems.
• Experience with robotics, motion control, haptics, wearables, AR/VR, or display integration technologies.
• Experience with automated test, pneumatics, production automation, or test platforms such as LabVIEW.
• Experience supporting multi-site or global manufacturing engineering initiatives.

Working Conditions

• Combination of office and production-floor work.
• Frequent interaction with production teams and equipment in a manufacturing environment; adherence to applicable ESD and safety protocols is required.
• May require occasional extended hours to support critical program deadlines or production needs.

Equal Opportunity

1HMX / AIS is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.