Bearings Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Bearings Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Summary

We are seeking an experienced Bearings Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead the design, development, and continuous improvement of bearing components, assemblies, tooling, and manufacturing processes. This position is responsible for managing engineering activities that support customer requirements, product development, manufacturing efficiency, quality improvement, and cost reduction initiatives.

The Bearings Manufacturing Engineering Manager will provide technical leadership to the engineering team while working closely with Sales, Manufacturing, Quality, Tool Room, and Customer Service to ensure the successful development and production of high-quality bearing products.

This role requires extensive knowledge of bearing design, metal stamping, machining, assembly processes, tooling design, and manufacturing engineering principles. There will be a collaborative team approach when designing formed or stamped bearing components with other engineers and toolmakers, particularly when new tooling is required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Applications and Product Engineering

· Provide Applications Engineering support to the Sales department through design layouts, sales drawings, and bearing/assembly databases.

· Produce internal component drawings and vendor drawings.

· Review customer requirements and build-to-print designs for manufacturability.

· Investigate and analyze new materials, specifications, standards, and engineering practices.

· Prepare engineering calculations, estimates, designs, reviews, and updates.

· Develop cost models and support business cases for new opportunities.

· Support sales with technical expertise, presentations, and customer issue resolution.

· Contribute to new product development and intellectual property growth.

· Design bearing assemblies and components utilizing Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA) principles.

Manufacturing Engineering

· Develop and implement manufacturing processes and tooling methodologies for bearing components and assemblies.

· Develop and release manufacturing plans, design controls, work instructions, and engineering change notices.

· Support manufacturing operations in resolving production-related engineering issues.

· Develop process improvements that reduce costs while maintaining product quality and customer requirements.

· Resolve escalated technical issues while prioritizing performance, cost, quality, and delivery requirements.

· Collaborate with Manufacturing, Tool Room, and Quality departments to improve production processes and product quality.

Tooling and Die Design

· Design progressive and compound dies required for manufacturing bearing components, including jackets, ball cases, races, retainers, and related products.

· Work closely with toolmakers during tool design, build, troubleshooting, and implementation.

· Improve tooling performance, reliability, and life expectancy.

· Support tooling modifications and improvements to increase productivity and reduce downtime.

Quality and Compliance

· Collaborate with Quality Assurance in developing control plans, inspection methods, and quality standards.

· Support PPAP development, process validation, capability studies, and corrective action activities.

· Ensure compliance with ISO standards and customer-specific requirements.

· Participate in root cause analysis and corrective action implementation for quality issues.

· Support initiatives to reduce scrap, defects, and customer complaints.

Continuous Improvement

· Participate in and lead Kaizen events and Lean Manufacturing initiatives.

· Identify and implement process improvements that increase productivity, reduce waste, and improve quality.

· Analyze manufacturing processes and identify opportunities for automation and efficiency improvements.

· Support company cost reduction initiatives through engineering improvements and innovation.

Project Management

· Lead engineering projects from concept through implementation.

· Develop project timelines, budgets, and resource requirements.

· Coordinate activities with customers, suppliers, manufacturing, quality, and tooling personnel.

· Ensure projects are completed on schedule and within budget.

· Maintain project documentation and communicate progress to management.

Supervisory Responsibilities

· Lead and develop the Manufacturing Engineering team.

· Establish priorities and assign engineering resources to support customer requirements and production needs.

· Mentor engineers, designers, and technical personnel.

· Conduct performance evaluations and support employee development.

· Participate in succession planning and workforce development activities.

· Promote a culture of teamwork, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Job Skills and Abilities

· Strong technical and computer skills including AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access.

· Proficient in blueprint reading, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and engineering drawing interpretation.

· Strong understanding of bearing design and manufacturing processes.

· Knowledge of assembly, machining, heat treating, metal stamping, and tooling design.

· Understanding of case hardening and heat-treating processes.

· Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

· Excellent organizational and project management abilities.

· Effective written and verbal communication skills.

· Ability to work collaboratively with employees at all levels of the organization and external customers.

· Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

· Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline preferred.

· Equivalent combination of education and applicable experience may be considered.

Experience

· Minimum of 5 years of engineering experience in manufacturing environments.

· Experience in bearing design, mechanical design, drafting, or manufacturing methods preferred.

· Experience with metal stamping, progressive die design, machining, and assembly operations preferred.

· Supervisory or project leadership experience preferred.

· Experience supporting ISO-certified manufacturing environments preferred