Job Summary

The Head of Manufacturing Engineering will lead engineering strategy and execution for a high-volume, high-accuracy manufacturing environment. The role is responsible for building a robust and scalable manufacturing engineering system covering process industrialisation, equipment readiness, line qualification, tooling and fixture readiness, automation interface, capacity improvement, and ramp-up support.

This position plays a critical leadership role in converting new lines, new equipment, and new processes into stable mass-production systems. The leader must bring hands-on engineering depth, shopfloor problem-solving capability, cross-functional leadership, supplier coordination, and the ability to build a world-class manufacturing engineering ecosystem. The role is not limited to routine maintenance, documentation, or project coordination.

Key Responsibilities

1. Manufacturing Engineering Strategy & Leadership

- Define and implement the manufacturing engineering strategy aligned with business objectives, ramp-up requirements, productivity targets, and operational excellence goals.
- Build governance for line readiness, qualification support, bottleneck closure, engineering change control, risk registers, readiness reviews, and evidence-based technical issue closure.
- Establish engineering standards, checklists, escalation routines, and long-term capability plans for advanced manufacturing technologies.

2. Equipment Industrialisation & Line Readiness

- Lead equipment readiness, acceptance readiness, and productionisation of high-accuracy manufacturing lines.
- Ensure readiness across mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, utility, safety, automation, maintainability, and operational interfaces.
- Review layouts for material flow, operator access, loading/unloading, handling movement, inspection access, cleaning access, maintenance access, and safety.
- Convert supplier equipment knowledge into internal standards, operating controls, maintenance inputs, and training modules.

3. Process Industrialisation, Qualification & Ramp-Up

- Support line qualification, process validation, pilot builds, ramp-up, and mass-production stabilisation from a manufacturing engineering perspective.
- Work with Production, Process Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Automation, Facilities, SCM, and Suppliers to ensure each process can meet output, quality, cost, cycle time, and stability expectations.
- Drive structured closure of engineering issues affecting qualification, production readiness, yield, OEE, cycle time, safety, and delivery.

4. Tooling, Fixtures, Jigs & Accessories

- Own readiness of tools, fixtures, jigs, gauges, racks, trays, handling aids, change parts, loading aids, and process accessories.
- Define standards for fixture design, validation, life tracking,



replacement planning, spare readiness, and localisation.
- Drive tooling improvements to enhance repeatability, ease of operation, handling efficiency, quality performance, safety, and maintainability.

5. Capacity, Cycle Time & Bottleneck Engineering

- Build and validate capacity models based on machine count, cycle time, loading pattern, OEE, working hours, quality loss, and output requirement.
- Lead actions to improve throughput, equipment utilisation, cycle time, and line balance through machine modification, tooling changes, layout optimisation, automation support, and operator-interface improvement.
- Validate equipment-hour requirements, utility adequacy, machine readiness, consumable readiness, and engineering constraints during ramp-up planning.

6. Automation, MES & Digital Manufacturing Interface

- Support equipment readiness for machine data capture, recipe control, traceability, OEE monitoring, inspection data linkage, and performance dashboards.
- Identify automation opportunities to reduce manual handling, improve repeatability, strengthen traceability, and reduce dependency on operator judgement.
- Ensure digital manufacturing systems improve visibility, control, response speed, and decision-making quality.

7. Problem Solving, CI & Team Development

- Lead structured problem solving for equipment-process issues affecting output, quality, downtime, safety, manpower efficiency, and production stability.
- Convert recurring issues into standards, poka-yoke, checklists, engineering modifications, preventive maintenance inputs, or supplier design corrections.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team with ownership by line, process area, and technical domain.

Key Skills

- Strong manufacturing engineering leadership in high-volume, high-accuracy manufacturing.
- Hands-on experience in equipment readiness, line industrialisation, qualification, validation, and ramp-up.
- Strong understanding of OEE, cycle time, line balancing, bottleneck analysis, equipment capability, process capability, and production readiness.
- Experience in tooling, fixtures, jigs, gauges, handling systems, automation interface, and process accessories.
- Ability to connect equipment, process, tooling, layout, utilities, automation, safety, and output requirements into one integrated manufacturing system.
- Strong problem-solving capability using RCA, 5 Why, fishbone, FMEA, 8D,



Lean, and Six Sigma methods.
- Ability to technically challenge suppliers, influence cross-functional teams, and communicate clearly with senior leadership.
- Execution discipline in high-pressure ramp-up and mass-production environments.

Qualifications & Experience

- Bachelors or Masters degree in Mechanical, Production, Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Electrical, Electronics, or Materials Engineering.
- Minimum 15+ years of experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Equipment Engineering, Industrial Engineering, NPI Engineering, or high-volume manufacturing.
- At least 5+ years of leadership experience managing Manufacturing Engineering or cross-functional engineering teams.
- Experience in large-scale manufacturing ramp-up, new line installation, equipment qualification, process validation, and mass-production stabilisation.
- Exposure to high-accuracy machining, surface finishing, automated inspection, controlled processing, automation-driven manufacturing, or high-accuracy component manufacturing will be preferred.
- Knowledge of MES, machine data capture, recipe control, traceability, OEE monitoring, automation integration, and engineering change management will be an added advantage.

Key Performance Indicators

- Line and equipment readiness for qualification, validation, ramp-up, and mass-production milestones.
- Closure of Manufacturing Engineering gaps before milestone gates.
- Capacity readiness versus planned output; cycle-time improvement and bottleneck reduction.
- Tooling, fixture, accessory, and spare readiness.
- Reduction in engineering-related downtime and recurring equipment issues.
- Improvement in OEE, quality performance, productivity, safety, and production stability.
- Automation, traceability, and digital manufacturing readiness.
- Recurring issues converted into permanent engineering standards.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should be a hands-on Manufacturing Engineering leader who has successfully taken manufacturing lines from installation stage to stable mass production. The person should have strong exposure to equipment readiness, process industrialisation, tooling and fixture development, layout optimisation, capacity improvement, automation support, supplier coordination, and ramp-up problem solving.

Experience in thin glass processing, precision component manufacturing, high-accuracy machining, surface finishing, controlled processing, automated inspection, or fragile-material high-volume manufacturing will be highly preferred. The candidate must be technically robust enough to challenge suppliers, practical enough to solve shopfloor issues, and mature enough to build a structured Manufacturing Engineering organisation.

📌 Head of Manufacturing Engineering - Precision Engineering (Chennai)
🏢 Infinity Growth Services
📍 Chennai