Mechanical Engineering Leader - Sustaining Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering Leader – Sustaining Engineering is responsible for leading the mechanical engineering team that supports released and legacy folding carton product lines. The Sustaining Engineering team owns post-release product support, including issue resolution, product improvements, cost reduction, obsolescence management, and technical support for Operations, Supply Chain, Technical Service, and customers. The team partners with New Product Design Engineering to establish a clear, timely handoff of new products into production and ongoing lifecycle support.

The leader must have a strong understanding of manufacturing operations and communicate effectively with internal and external customers. This role establishes priorities, manages team capacity, and coordinates schedules so sustaining work is completed in line with business needs and agreed-upon deadlines.

The Mechanical Engineering Leader – Sustaining Engineering reports to the Sheboygan Engineering Leader and directs a team of approximately 5–7 mechanical engineering professionals focused on the lifecycle support and continuous improvement of released folding carton machinery.

The role leads engineering response to field and production issues after product release, including structured root-cause analysis, containment, corrective-action design, validation, and implementation. New Product Design Engineering retains ownership of products still in active development until an agreed-upon release and handoff are complete.

This is a key leadership position requiring the ability to translate business priorities into disciplined execution, coordinate cross-functional support, develop engineering capability, and represent the company in customer-facing technical matters.

The leader is responsible for the professional development of the Sustaining Engineering team and for implementing the standards, processes, change controls, and governance needed to support released products and approved customer-specific modifications.

• →Coordinate and manage daily sustaining engineering activities that support Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Technical Service, and customers.
• →Serve as the primary engineering owner for production and field issues after formal product release and handoff from New Product Design Engineering.
• →Lead and develop the Sustaining Mechanical Engineering team, coordinating with electrical, controls, manufacturing, and product engineering resources as required.
• →Develop and maintain engineering standards, sustaining workflows, prioritization practices, and change-control processes.
• →Act as the principal engineering point of contact for technical inquiries involving released products, approved modifications, and recurring product issues.

• →Provide support for operations and engineering requirements in safety, quality, service, performance, and productivity improvement opportunities 

• →Proactively engage the engineering teams and customers to eliminate trending issues and concerns affecting the customer 

• →Analyze current state processes for internal and external customer support and develop plans to address areas of need 

• →Lead sustaining projects for safety, quality, reliability, cost, obsolescence, manufacturability, and customer requirements.

• →Support culture of continuous improvement through Lean journey by assisting with development and coaching of associates and team leaders on Lean principles 

• B.S. degree in Engineering (mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, systems, industrial) 

• Minimum of 5 years of capital equipment experience including significant leadership experience 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Ability to apply structured problem-solving approach to provide solutions for complex process, equipment and manufacturing issues 

• Ability to initiate and drive systemic improvement activities including standardization of documents, processes, materials, change control, etc. 

• Champion utilization of Lean tools and Lean culture in engineering 

• Initiate and drive cost reduction activities 

• Provide global technical support 

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral 

• Strong project management skills  

• Strong technical and analytical skills with experience in design for manufacturability 

• Proven leadership and ability to lead team of technical professionals while continuing to strengthen team cohesiveness through team building 

• Ability to develop detailed goals and project plans to strategically align with the company vision 

• Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Office, MRP, and CAD Systems  

• Strong understanding of operational requirements from third party industry standards, such as OSHA, UL, & CE 

• Must be able to interface and communicate with all levels of the organization in a professional environment  

• Ability to work extended days and hours as needed to meet business needs 
• Willingness to travel as necessary 

The ideal candidate will be highly self-motivated, persuasive, intelligent and well educated.  The individual’s personal style will need to be suited to a culture which is team based, entrepreneurial, fast paced, value-driven with high corporate standards.  The individual will need to be very comfortable working in a lean, matrixed, highly customer focused organization with strong ethical standards. Equal Opportunity Employer.