Lead Operations Engineer

Location: Greater Birmingham, Alabama Area

This position will support the launch of a new manufacturing facility in the southwest Birmingham metropolitan area. Develop and maintain a strong working knowledge of the Product Development Process (PDP) and assigned products, processes, and customer requirements. Lead plant activities through the PDP process to support the flawless launch of assigned programs and achievement of established launch deliverables. Represent the plant on Product Development Teams (PDTs), provide plant input for Gate Reviews, identify operational risks, and drive timely escalation and resolution of open issues. Represent the plant in scheduled Manufacturing System Design (MSD) workshops and ensure plant requirements are incorporated into program and process planning. Lead scheduled Operations System Design (OSD) workshops at the plant and coordinate resulting actions with cross-functional team members. Maintain overall launch and Engineering Change Request readiness through regular cross-functional reviews of equipment, tooling, processes, materials, quality, staffing, and production requirements. Develop, execute, and track Zero Defect Launch (ZDL) and production ramp-up plans for new programs to support a stable transition into JIT/JIS production. Lead the analysis, planning, timing, implementation, and validation of assigned engineering changes while minimizing disruption to production and customer delivery. Maintain accurate and current manufacturing Bills of Materials and other assigned manufacturing documentation to support production and sequencing requirements. Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, cost, productivity, sequencing accuracy, material flow, and operational performance.