Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Saved job description

Woodward is committed to creating a great workplace for all team members. Our company and its members are committed to acting with integrity, being respectful and accountable to one another, and staying humble and driven, while maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards.

We are steadfastly committed to attracting the best talent across our communities, creating a rewarding workplace. Together we are fulfilling our purpose to design and deliver energy control solutions our partners count on to power a clean future.

Woodward supports our members’ wellbeing and regularly benchmarks with other companies in our industry to offer an extensive Total Reward package for this position.

Salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. 

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Supporting Woodward’s Industrial division in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Senior Manufacturing Engineer will play a key leadership role in driving efficiency, scalability, and quality across multiple production lines. This position is responsible for overseeing production support, managing manufacturing processes, and leading cross-functional initiatives to ensure operational excellence. The ideal candidate will possess expertise in Lean manufacturing, process optimization, and advanced analytics, with a focus on improving productivity and reducing waste.

***Relocation assistance provide to relocate to Fort Collins, CO.

Estimated annual base pay: $95,000-$128,000

All members included in annual cash bonus opportunity. 

401(k) match (4.5%)

Annual Woodward stock contribution (5%)

Tuition reimbursement and Training/Professional Development opportunities for all members  

12 paid holidays

Industry leading medical, dental, and vision Insurance upon date of hire

Vacation / Sick Time / Vacation Buy-up / Short Term Disability / Bereavement leave. 

Paid parental leave.

Adoption Assistance  

Employee Assistance Program, including mental health benefits. 

Member Life & AD&D / Long Term Disability / Member Optional Life 

Member referral bonus 

Spouse / Child Optional Life / Optional AD&D / Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending 

Voluntary benefits, including:  

Home / Auto Insurance discounts 

Whole Life Insurance / Critical Illness Insurance / Legal Assistance / Military Leave 

Key Responsibilities:

Production Support: Lead troubleshooting for complex process issues, applying advanced tools to identify root causes and recommend solutions to optimize workflows. Oversee hardware disposition efforts, including root cause analysis of recurring hardware defects and implementation of corrective actions.

Manufacturing Process Ownership: Lead efforts to create, standardize, and maintain manufacturing processes for assigned areas. Monitor process metrics and implement changes to ensure reliability and alignment with production goals.

Process Capability and Improvement: Lead process improvement initiatives, applying techniques like Six Sigma, DOE, FMEA, and/or simulation tools to improve capability and reduce variation.

Production Documentation Management: Lead efforts to standardize and improve documentation across assigned processes, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and accessibility for operators and engineers. Implement digital documentation systems to streamline updates and enable real-time collaboration.

Project Support and Leadership: Lead medium-sized manufacturing projects, including risk assessments, process improvements, and resource coordination.

Key Skills:

Productivity Improvements: Leads medium-sized process improvement projects, focusing on streamlining operations, reducing waste, and improving overall process reliability. Applies tools such as process mapping and root cause analysis to drive measurable improvements.

Data Analysis: Use data to drive process improvements by identifying root causes of issues and recommending actionable changes to enhance efficiency.

Conducting Cost Analysis and Optimization: Develop cost models to identify high-cost operations, compare alternatives, inventory analysis, and recommend process improvements to reduce waste, and optimize asset utilization.

Lean Manufacturing: Lead Lean initiatives within a department, addressing inefficiencies and improving flow using advanced techniques.

Design for Manufacturability & Assembly: Lead DFMA evaluations for medium-complexity products, identifying opportunities to simplify designs, reduce costs, and optimize assembly processes. Recommend design changes that improve manufacturing efficiency and scalability.

Equipment: Specifies equipment, tooling, and gaging for projects while creating detailed RFPs and RFQs. Integrates equipment needs into value stream and/or site capital plans. Leads troubleshooting efforts for recurring equipment problems and coordinates with vendors to implement solutions. Oversees preventive maintenance schedules for critical systems.​​

Mentorship: Provide guidance to entry-level engineers and interns on projects and problem-solving approaches. Offer constructive feedback to help them grow and develop their skills.

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: Solve complex production challenges by applying advanced problem-solving methods, such as DOE or Six Sigma tools.

Knowledge of APQP Tools and Systems: Leads implementation of APQP deliverables for medium-complexity projects, optimizing tooling/fixturing designs and improving process capability. Reviews data to ensure processes meet quality and performance standards.

Communication and Collaboration Skills: Present ideas and recommendations to leadership, facilitating collaboration across departments.

Well Qualified Candidates Possess:

Demonstrated experience implementing machining automation systems, including robotics, machine tending, tool life monitoring, part presentation, and supporting equipment

Knowledge of automation readiness criteria and how to determine when a process is ready to automate

Experience with equipment validation, runoff, acceptance criteria, process prove-out, and production release requirements

Experience supporting manufacturing operations in a sustaining environment

Experience working with controls engineering, maintenance, quality, operations, and operators to implement production solutions

Familiarity with digital production documentation systems and manufacturing data systems

Other Preferred Qualifications:

4 Year Bachelors BS OR 7+ years equivalent experience 

Application window is anticipated to close 7 days from original posting date.

This information is provided in compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and is the company’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation range and benefits offered for this position. The compensation offered to the successful applicant may vary based on factors including experience, skills, education, location, and other job-related reasons.

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).   All applicants must be U.S. Persons within the meaning of the ITAR and EAR, or eligible to obtain all required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce. The ITAR defines a U.S. Person as a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident (i.e., 'Green Card holder'), or a protected person (e.g., asylee, or refugee).

Woodward is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local laws.

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