ASTEC · 1 month ago
Director of Manufacturing Engineering
Chattanooga, TN
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
15+ years expAstec is a global, environmentally focused infrastructure and manufacturing company of asphalt road building and aggregate processing. The Group Director of Manufacturing Engineering will develop and lead a multi-disciplined engineering team to drive world-class manufacturing processes and systems across all production sites, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, velocity, and cost.
Machinery
Responsibilities
Together with the site safety leaders and management team, support corporate safety programs and drive safety into the design of the product, process, and work environments
Ensures that best practices are developed and shared among group manufacturing locations, monitors progress to goals, and helps with tools, training, and resources as required
Hire, manage, and develop a group level technical team of manufacturing engineers capable of executing to the strategic plan with innovation, engineering know-how, and proven core competence. Assists sites in vetting their ME candidates to the same standards
Aids in defining and coordinating the group manufacturing engineering strategy at each location aligned with the overall operations objectives of the company, including optimizing site footprint, accelerating site automation, leading new product introductions, driving lean improvement project, etc
Serves as team member of regular Project Management Office (PMO) reviews of projects mentoring ME’s in project progression and preparation for site reviews
Ensures adherence to Capital Acquisition Request (CAR) processes through preliminary review and input to CAR prior to submission for leadership approval
Ensures the IS ME team establishes the ME requirements for successful Oracle implementation and following utilization. Provides Oracle training for site ME’s and support of ME related Oracle implementation and utilization issues
Serves as subject matter expert in the establishment of standard labor for site operations
Manages and supports annual planning of large-scale capital investment and cost reduction efforts. Assists Director of Strategic Operations (DOSO) in establishing capex investment priorities for each site
Guide, direct, and coordinate the implementation of process improvements and equipment upgrade/development projects to increase product quality, manufacturing efficiencies, production yields, and reduction of product costs
Support the launch of new or improved product by fully supporting the new product development process. Ensure product is designed for manufacturability and optimal safety, efficiency, and cost. Be the primary interface between Manufacturing and Design Engineering departments
Participate in product development reviews to ensure manufacturing engineering and manufacturing operations readiness for upcoming initiatives and products
Be responsible for integrating a LEAN/CI approach, providing strong leadership to change the culture; implementing a manufacturing strategy which encompasses lean product development, lean manufacturing principles, and optimization of process/product flow
Drive factory yield improvements through establishing systems/tools that enable effective data capture, process enhancements, design changes and early design input during new product development
Assists the Production Planning & Control team to ensure that each site maintains systems and documents to govern the control of manufacturing processes used in the production of final assemblies and components. This includes hourly and daily measurement systems for monitoring the output of the processes
Achieve manufacturing objectives as specified by the management team by promoting investigation, inventiveness, creativity, and solutions to various process, implementation, and material flow/control problems
Communicate new ideas, technology advances, and opportunities to management team for review, evaluation, and action
Support manufacturing in development of key KPI’s and action planning to improve performance and achieve strategic goals
Focus on reduction of cost, speed to market, and standardization of best practices
Assist in future acquisition due diligence and business integration needs
Develop cost effective tooling, fixtures, and test platforms to support capacity requirements
Prepares and make presentations to individuals and groups
Stays current with information and technology affecting the Manufacturing, Quality, Lean, and Continuous Improvement fields
Travels to Astec facilities throughout the world as needed
Maintain a professional image and demeanor around customers, employees and the general public
Performs other duties as assigned
Tracks and communicates ME KPI’s to understand and manage team efficiency for continual improvement
Supports Astec’s core values, mission statement and vision statement
Qualification
Required
A minimum of 15 years of leadership experience in manufacturing, engineering, operational excellence, Lean, safety, and quality
Demonstrated communication, collaboration, and leadership skills
Proven manufacturing expertise in the areas of Mechanical Assembly, Weld, and Fabrication
Strong interpersonal skills to communicate project plans, goals and objectives and coordinate resources to complete projects within scope
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Must be able to solve problems at both a strategic and functional level
Must be able to organize and manage multiple projects and priorities
Must be able to plan strategically. And lead the execution of the strategy
Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills are required
Must be able to work satisfactorily as a team member
Ability to effectively speak publicly and make presentations is required
Ability to travel overnight and work long hours is required, although 40-48 hours per week is typical. Overnight travel and overseas travel may be required. Ability to obtain and maintain a Passport is required
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals is required
A degree in Engineering or Operations is required
Preferred
Experience leading Paint Operations, Electrical Assembly, Machining, and Warehouse Management highly desired
Advanced degrees highly desired
Company
ASTEC
Since 1972, Astec has been connecting communities by providing innovative rock to road solutions for our customers.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
ASTEC has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (3)
2024 (1)
2023 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Jaco van der Merwe
President & CEO
Jamie Palm
VP, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller
Company data provided by crunchbase