Production and Sustaining Engineer

Description

The Sustaining & Production Engineer is the bridge between R&D, Operations, Manufacturing, Procurement, and QC in Minden. The role has two halves that fit together naturally because they involve the same people and similar conversations.

Why This Role Exists

Loudspeaker development for our James by Sonance brand occurs in Minden, NV, and the business is growing faster than the processes around it. Today, moving a product from R&D into steady production, and keeping it healthy once it is there, depends on a small team wearing several hats. That is the opportunity in this role: the person who fills it gets to help build the playbook for how James products move through development into production and how they are sustained.

This role owns that path. It is the single point of accountability for the engineering upkeep of products already in production, and for getting new James by Sonance products from R&D through launch. It is deliberately hands-on: doing the engineering work that gets a product into production and keeps it running smoothly, including driving work across multiple teams through to completion.

Role Summary

• Sustaining Engineering: Own engineering change requests, production issues, quality and cost improvements, and supplier follow-through for James by Sonance products already in production.
• Production Engineering: Own the engineering-to-production work for new James by Sonance products - process design, fixtures and tooling, work instructions, FAI, and ramp - and keep each launch on track across R&D, Operations, QC, and Procurement.

The balance between the two shifts with the product cycle: sustaining is constant, NPI work comes in waves. The role primarily supports the James by Sonance brand, with the opportunity to expand over time into managing Sonance projects as well.

This position is initially focused on the responsibilities outlined above. As the James by Sonance business grows, the team and supporting roles will evolve to ensure responsibilities remain appropriately aligned and well supported.

Reporting & Scope

• Primary focus: James by Sonance products; secondarily supports other Minden product and operations needs.
• Works closely with R&D, Minden operations leadership, Manufacturing, Procurement, and QC.

Key Responsibilities

Sustaining Engineering

• Own the engineering change request (ECR) process for products in production: intake, impact assessment, coordination across R&D, Operations, and Procurement, and closure.
• Serve as the Product/Engineering interface in weekly production meetings; triage production issues and drive root cause and corrective action with the right owners.
• Drive production quality, cost reduction, and assembly changes so products can be built well and repeatably; take adjustments back to the R&D team with a clear ask and a reason.
• Work directly with sub-suppliers and the factory floor on component and process issues affecting products in production.
• Partner with Procurement and R&D on component standardization and substitutions so changes do not create quality or inventory problems.
• Identify and close gaps between R&D and the assembly line or suppliers, improving communication and connection across the two.

Production Engineering

• Own the hand-off of new products from R&D into Minden production: design the assembly process and build the production readiness deliverables (work instructions, control plans, PFMEA, FAI, tooling and fixtures, BOM release) for James by Sonance launches, pulling in Operations, QC, and Procurement as needed.
• Keep a simple plan for each NPI (milestones, open issues, owners) from design release through production ramp, and use it to keep the launch moving.
• Work on more than one launch at a time and keep R&D, Operations, Procurement, and QC aligned on what is needed and when.
• Surface issues early and push them to resolution across teams. Escalate with a recommendation, not just a problem.
• Stay with each launch until the product is running reliably on its own.
• Define and document the NPI, ECR, and EOL processes so the work gets done the same way every time instead of ad hoc, and refine them as product volume grows.

Documentation & Go-to-Market Support (nice-to-have)

• These contributions are valued but are considered nice-to-have rather than core requirements of the role.
• Clean up and standardize product collateral (accessories, installation guides, and specifications) so documentation is accurate, complete, and customer-ready.
• Support commercial certifications and regulatory requirements as applicable.
• Serve as product liaison for dealer visits to Minden, facilitating tours and capturing feedback.

How This Role Works

Cross-team collaboration is the job, not a side skill. This role keeps initiatives and products moving forward.

• Sets the pace. Brings energy and follow-through, and pushes initiatives forward rather than waiting for them to come together.
• Builds trust by working alongside teams on the floor and in R&D, earning the credibility to hold people to commitments.
• Makes the work visible. Status, risks, decisions, and next steps are clear to everyone involved, up, down, and across.
• Leads through influence. Most of the people this role depends on do not report to it.

What This Role Is and Is Not

To set expectations for candidates, the boundaries below matter as much as the responsibilities above.

• It IS a hands-on sustaining and production engineer who lives on the production floor as much as in meetings.
• It IS the person accountable for a product being buildable, documented, and running reliably when it lands in production, and for the hand-off getting done on time.
• It IS the day-to-day engineering owner for James by Sonance products in production.
• It is NOT a program management role in the portfolio or strategy sense, and NOT a product strategy or roadmap role.
• It is NOT a procurement or supply chain role. This role works with Procurement and Master Data teams so changes and launches land cleanly.
• It is NOT an R&D or design engineering role; This role owns the path to and through manufacturing.

Success in the First 6 Months — Months 1-3

• Build working relationships across R&D, Production, QC, Procurement, and Ops at Minden.
• Get embedded in weekly production meetings as the credible Product/Engineering interface and take ownership of the ECR queue and sustaining backlog for James by Sonance products.
• Successfully drive at least one active James by Sonance product through its transition to production.
• Have a clear plan and open-issues list for every active James by Sonance NPI that R&D, Operations, and QC can see.

Success in the First 6 Months — Months 4-6

• Stand up a repeatable production-transition checklist and a standard deliverables package (work instructions, control plans, FAI) for launches.
• Demonstrate measurable improvement in the R&D-to-production hand-off: fewer production issues at launch, faster ramp, cleaner documentation, launches hitting dates.
• Have a formalized ECR/EOL process in use for James by Sonance products.
• Show a measurable reduction in the open sustaining backlog for James by Sonance products.

Ideal Team Member

• Hungry, Humble, and Smart – embodies the Sonance team culture
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute tactically
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a competitive drive to win
• High integrity, trustworthiness, and a commitment to doing the right thing
• Resilient and composed under pressure
• Inspiring leader who motivates others through action & vision

Sonance is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where innovation thrives through authentic partnerships

Requirements

Qualifications & Skills

• A solid, knowledgeable engineer (mechanical, electrical, or manufacturing, with Solidworks/AutoCAD experience) who can also run a launch. This person does not need to be the best design engineer in the building; they need solid production engineering judgment to make good calls on process, fixtures, and production issues, sketch up simple changes, and have a credible conversation with R&D, QC, and suppliers.
• Proven production or manufacturing engineering experience taking products from engineering release through to volume production: process setup, fixtures and tooling, work instructions, FAI. Has personally launched products onto a line, not just reported on them.
• Comfortable on the production floor; Comprehensive knowledge of ERP product structure (Items, BOM's, and routings) as well as SOP's, work instructions, and how a line actually runs.
• Organized and relentless on follow-through; holds schedules and owners accountable while keeping relationships strong.
• Collaborative and curious: leads by working alongside teams, asks questions to learn, and does not need to be the loudest person in the room.

Nice to Have:

• Lean / Six Sigma or similar; formal project management experience; loudspeaker or consumer audio experience.