Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Job Posting: 11/4/2026 FLSA Status: Salaried, exempt Location: Ames, IA, Onsite Supervisory: Yes Team: Manufacturing Engineering Reports to: VP of Manufacturing

The Culture Ag Leader was born from a passion and determination to transform agriculture forever. In 1992, Ag Leader changed the industry by bringing real-time yield data to farmers’ fingertips. Today, more than 30 years later, Ag Leader has become a global team that provides year-round solutions to help farmers plan, plant, apply, and harvest more efficiently and profitably. We are improving the lives of farmers. We are increasing the efficiency of production agriculture around the world. And we aren’t slowing down. Ready to use your talent to implement change? Join our team of innovators revolutionizing agriculture.

The Opportunity The Manufacturing Engineering Manager leads the people, processes, equipment, and continuous improvement efforts required to safely and efficiently manufacture high-quality Ag Leader products. This leader develops a capable team of problem solvers who take ownership, address root causes, and improve manufacturing performance. This role is also the primary Manufacturing liaison for new product development, representing Manufacturing requirements and risks while leading 3P events, PFMEA, DFMA, process development, and production readiness. Success is measured by team capability, measurable improvements, and successful product launches.

As a leader, you will demonstrate and promote the Ag Leader Way:

• Willing, Ready, Doing
• Courage to do what is Right
• Excellence
• Approachable

The Right Person Will

• Be a people leader first, with the technical credibility to guide the team and influence across the organization.
• Set clear priorities and expectations while creating meaningful ownership and accountability.
• Build team depth through coaching, cross-training, knowledge sharing, and challenging assignments.
• Collaborate effectively across Production, Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Product Management, and other functions.
• Use data, observation, structured problem solving, and sound judgment to balance immediate needs with long-term capability.

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership and Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Manufacturing Engineering employees through clear goals, priorities, feedback, accountability, and development plans.
• Develop problem solvers who use direct observation and data to address root causes, implement solutions, and verify results.
• Manage team capacity across production support, new product introduction, continuous improvement, equipment, automation, and longer-term initiatives.

New Product Development and Manufacturing Readiness

• Serve as the primary Manufacturing liaison for new product development, representing Manufacturing requirements, capabilities, and risks.
• Lead 3P events to develop safe, efficient, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing processes.
• Coordinate PFMEA activities to identify manufacturing risks and establish prevention, detection, and process controls.
• Champion DFMA to simplify assembly, reduce complexity and waste, and improve quality and cost.
• Lead the manufacturing strategy including process flow, layout, tooling, fixtures, equipment, automation, documentation, and training.
• Coordinate prototypes, pilot and validation builds, production launch, and ramp-up.
• Drive build issues to root cause and ensure a disciplined transition to production with capable processes, employees, and ready equipment.

Continuous Improvement and Manufacturing Capability

• Lead improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Productivity, Capacity, and Customer Response through the utilization of Kaizen events.
• Use Lean principles and structured problem solving to reduce losses, variation, constraints, and waste.
• Identify, justify, and implement equipment, automation, tooling, fixtures, and capital projects that strengthen manufacturing performance.

Production, Quality, and Technical Support

• Lead resolution of recurring problems, distinguishing containment from permanent corrective action.
• Partner with Quality to improve process capability and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain clear processes, standard work, work instructions, and engineering ownership of equipment, tooling, fixtures, calibration, and documentation.
• Support ERP/MRP and other manufacturing systems as they relate to manufacturing processes.

Required Qualifications/Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Five or more years of engineering leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience with new product introduction, Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and structured problem solving.
• Working knowledge of 3P or comparable production preparation methods, PFMEA, and DFMA.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, fixtures, automation, and process development.
• Experience with ERP/MRP and quality management systems, preferably EPICOR.

Preferred:

• Experience in electronics, electromechanical assembly, cable or harness manufacturing, mechanical assembly, or a comparable environment.
• Experience with capital equipment justification and implementation.
• Experience working within an ISO 9001 quality management system.
• Experience facilitating A3, 3P, PFMEA, DFMA, Kaizen events or other cross-functional problem-solving activities.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or provide sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. Ag Leader is a drug-free work environment. All offers for employment are contingent upon a pre-employment drug screen and background check. Ag Leader participates in E-verify.