Manufacturing Process Engineer Jobs in Austin, TX

INTRODUCTION

The Manufacturing Process Engineer develops, qualifies, improves, and sustains manufacturing processes that deliver high quality, yield, throughput, safety, and cost performance. This role works closely with Operations, Quality, Design Engineering, Supply Chain, and external manufacturing partners to solve process issues, execute improvement projects, and enable reliable production of new and existing products. The position is hands-on and execution focused, with scope and independence calibrated to the selected candidate’s experience and demonstrated impact.

Key Responsibilities

Process Development & Qualification

• Develop, document, and qualify manufacturing processes, work instructions, process parameters, fixtures, tooling, and control plans for new and existing products.
• Execute process characterization, validation, and capability studies; define acceptance criteria and document results.
• Support design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly reviews by identifying process risks and recommending practical improvements.

Process Improvement & Problem Solving

• Analyze manufacturing data to identify opportunities to improve yield, throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, quality, and overall equipment effectiveness.
• Lead structured root-cause analysis and corrective-action activities for process-related defects, downtime, reliability issues, and production bottlenecks.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous-improvement tools to implement and sustain measurable process improvements.

Production Support & Operational Excellence

• Provide timely engineering support to manufacturing operations; troubleshoot process issues and coordinate effective containment and recovery actions.
• Maintain current process documentation, standard work, training materials, and change-control records.
• Monitor assigned process KPIs and communicate performance, risks, and recommended actions to the engineering and operations teams.

New Product Introduction & Scale-Up

• Support new-product introduction, pilot builds, process transfer, and production ramp activities by executing readiness plans and resolving manufacturing issues.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and manufacturing partners to ensure materials, tooling, equipment, and processes are ready for production.
• Participate in design reviews, build reviews, and post-launch assessments; capture lessons learned for future products and process updates.

Equipment, Tooling & Technology Implementation

• Support evaluation, specification, installation, and qualification of manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, and process technologies.
• Work with internal teams, suppliers, and external manufacturing partners to resolve technical issues and ensure process requirements are met.
• Contribute to automation and digital-manufacturing initiatives by defining process requirements, validating performance, and supporting production handoff.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work effectively with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Design Engineering, Supply Chain, and external partners to execute engineering deliverables.
• Communicate technical findings, project status, risks, and recommendations clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Support a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and continuous learning across manufacturing operations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing, process, industrial, or operations engineering.
• Demonstrated experience solving manufacturing-process problems and delivering measurable improvements in quality, yield, throughput, cost, or safety.
• Experience supporting new-product introduction, process transfer, or production scale-up is preferred.

Technical Expertise

• Strong knowledge of manufacturing-process development, process controls, problem-solving methods, and industrial-engineering principles.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, statistical analysis, process capability, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action methodologies.
• Familiarity with manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, process validation, and controlled-documentation practices.
• Experience with automation, data systems, or digital-manufacturing tools is beneficial.

Working Style & Collaboration

• Ability to independently lead assigned engineering projects while seeking timely alignment on priorities, tradeoffs, and escalated risks.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work effectively with technical and operational stakeholders.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical work and present findings concisely.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data-based decision-making skills.
• Hands-on, detail-oriented approach to process development, troubleshooting, and improvement.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• High degree of ownership, integrity, adaptability, and commitment to safety and quality.

Work Environment & Travel

Primarily flex office and manufacturing-plant environments. Travel is expected up to approximately 30%, depending on manufacturing locations, supplier needs, and product lifecycle requirements.

Impact of the Role

This role directly improves manufacturing performance by converting engineering requirements into capable, stable, and scalable production processes. The engineer’s work strengthens product quality, yield, throughput, safety, and readiness for growth.