Staff Equipment Engineer – Tooling & Automation

As a Staff Equipment Engineer, you will serve as the technical authority for advanced manufacturing equipment and automation systems within the AME organization. You will lead the development of manufacturing equipment supporting future advanced manufacturing platforms across the areas outlined below.

Working closely with Equipment Engineering, Process Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, Controls Engineering, Quality, Operations, and external equipment suppliers, you will drive equipment development from concept through high-volume manufacturing. You will also establish engineering standards that improve scalability, manufacturability, equipment reliability, and operational excellence.

This role requires strong technical leadership and the ability to influence engineering decisions across global organizations. It calls for extensive experience developing complex manufacturing equipment, without direct people management responsibility.

Job Responsibility

Equipment Engineering Leadership

• Provide technical leadership for the design, development, qualification, deployment, and lifecycle management of advanced manufacturing equipment.

• Define equipment engineering strategies supporting manufacturing scale-up, capacity expansion, and new technology introduction.

• Develop long-term equipment technology roadmaps aligned with product and manufacturing objectives.

• Establish global equipment engineering standards, design guidelines, qualification methodologies, and best practices.

• Serve as the technical authority for complex equipment engineering initiatives across multiple manufacturing sites.

• Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance across cross-functional engineering organizations.

• Define equipment automation architecture and system requirements in partnership with Controls Engineering.

• Lead integration of manufacturing equipment into automated production environments while ensuring compatibility with factory automation infrastructure and manufacturing systems.

Advanced Manufacturing Equipment Development

Lead the development, deployment, and optimization of manufacturing equipment supporting:

• Next-generation electrode processing

• Battery enclosure manufacturing

• Precision laser processing toolsets

• Advanced automation platforms

• Future manufacturing technologies

Responsibilities include:

• Leading equipment architecture and technical design reviews.

• Defining equipment specifications and performance requirements.

• Managing supplier technical reviews and equipment acceptance.

• Supporting Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), installation, commissioning, and production qualification.

• Partnering with OEM suppliers to develop customized manufacturing equipment that meets production, quality, reliability, and scalability requirements.

• Driving equipment optimization through engineering analysis, design improvements, and continuous performance enhancement.

Manufacturing Automation

• Develop automation strategies that improve equipment reliability, process repeatability, throughput, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

• Collaborate with Controls Engineering to integrate robotics, motion control, PLCs, machine vision, sensors, and automated material handling systems.

• Lead implementation of Industry 4.0 initiatives including equipment connectivity, automated data collection, predictive maintenance, and smart manufacturing solutions.

• Support integration of manufacturing equipment with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), factory automation infrastructure, and manufacturing data platforms.

Process Development & Manufacturing Scale-Up

• Support the industrialization of new manufacturing technologies from development through high-volume production.

• Develop equipment validation strategies, manufacturing readiness criteria, and production qualification methodologies.

• Identify technical risks and implement robust engineering solutions that enable stable, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing processes.

• Drive continuous improvements in manufacturability, equipment capability, operational efficiency, and production performance.

• Support global technology transfer and standardization of manufacturing equipment and engineering practices across manufacturing sites.

Equipment Reliability & Operational Excellence

• Lead structured root cause investigations for equipment failures, process variation, and manufacturing yield issues.

• Develop corrective and preventive actions that improve equipment availability, reliability, and product quality.

• Apply statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), Statistical Process Control (SPC), equipment capability analysis, and reliability engineering to optimize manufacturing performance.

• Establish preventive maintenance strategies and equipment performance monitoring systems that maximize equipment uptime and reduce total cost of ownership.

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership

• Extend collaboration to Facilities and Supply Chain teams during equipment and technology deployment.

• Provide technical leadership during New Equipment Introduction (NEI), New Product Introduction (NPI), and production ramp activities.

• Influence equipment architecture, manufacturing technology selection, and engineering standards across global manufacturing organizations.

• Build strong technical relationships with equipment suppliers, technology partners, and contract manufacturers to ensure successful project execution and long-term manufacturing success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

• 10+ years of experience developing manufacturing equipment within lithium-ion battery manufacturing, semiconductor, precision manufacturing, medical devices, or other advanced manufacturing industries.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex manufacturing equipment projects from concept through production deployment and qualification.

• Proven ability to provide technical leadership across cross-functional engineering organizations without direct management responsibility.

Technical Expertise

Experience in several of the following areas is preferred:

• Advanced manufacturing equipment design and development

• Equipment qualification and commissioning (FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ)

• Precision manufacturing processes

• Laser processing technologies

• Industrial automation and robotics

• Motion control systems, PLCs, and machine vision

• Manufacturing process optimization

• Equipment capability analysis

• Reliability engineering and root cause analysis

• Design of Experiments (DOE)

• Statistical Process Control (SPC)

• PFMEA

• Lean Manufacturing

• New Equipment Introduction (NEI)

• New Product Introduction (NPI)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume battery cell or module manufacturing environments.

• Experience working with OEM equipment suppliers on custom equipment development.

• Knowledge of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Industry 4.0, digital manufacturing, and manufacturing data analytics.

• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

• Experience supporting global manufacturing operations and technology transfer across multiple production sites.

• Familiarity with predictive maintenance, smart factory technologies, and factory automation systems.

• Experience with roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing processes, particularly in electrode or film processing environments, including web handling, tension control, and continuous coating or lamination systems.