Engineering Jobs in Irving, TX

Title: Maintenance & Engineering Manager
Location: Grand Prairie, TX
Duration: Contract role with no set end date, possible temp to hire
Shift: 1st shift
Pay Rate: $120k/YR

Job description:
The Maintenance & Engineering Manager is responsible for leading all maintenance, engineering, facilities, and capital improvement activities within an automotive seating manufacturing facility. This position ensures the reliability and performance of highly automated assembly equipment, trim cover installation processes, material handling systems, and plant infrastructure. The role drives continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) while supporting customer requirements and IATF 16949 standards.
This position builds upon the traditional Plant Technical Manager responsibilities for process improvement, equipment design, facility modifications, cost analysis, and maintenance leadership.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead all maintenance activities for seating production equipment, utilities, and facility infrastructure.
• Develop and sustain preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Ensure maximum equipment uptime to support customer production schedules and JIT delivery requirements.
• Manage troubleshooting and repair of automated assembly systems, robotics, conveyors, PLC-controlled equipment, welding systems, and material handling systems.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective action implementation for recurring equipment failures.
• Develop maintenance staffing plans, training programs, and succession planning initiatives.
• Develop and implement manufacturing process improvements to enhance safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Design and improve workstations, plant layouts, ergonomics, Client utilization, labor routings, and material flow systems.
• Conduct time studies and establish labor and equipment standards to improve operational efficiency.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and TPM methodologies.
• Analyze manufacturing data to identify productivity opportunities and waste reduction initiatives.
• Support launch activities for new seating programs and engineering changes.
• Manage capital expenditure projects from concept through installation, validation, and production launch.
• Research, specify, procure, and implement new manufacturing equipment, tools, fixtures, and automation systems.
• Evaluate project feasibility and prepare cost justification and capital authorization requests.
• Work with suppliers, contractors, and corporate engineering teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Oversee equipment installations, plant expansions, and facility modifications.
• Direct maintenance and improvements of plant facilities, utilities, HVAC systems, compressed air systems, electrical distribution systems, and environmental equipment.
• Coordinate building renovations, expansions, and infrastructure upgrades.
• Work with maintenance and engineering personnel to modify and improve facility layout and production areas.
• Ensure compliance with IATF 16949, ISO requirements, customer-specific requirements, environmental regulations, and company standards.
• Lead equipment-related quality improvements and error-proofing initiatives.
• Drive a strong safety culture through risk assessments, machine guarding improvements, and maintenance safety programs.
• Support internal, customer, and third-party audits.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable OSHA, EPA, and corporate safety standards.
• Develop, manage, and improve departmental operating and capital budgets.
• Monitor maintenance spending and identify cost reduction opportunities.
• Manage spare parts inventory and maintenance purchasing activities.
• Evaluate cost savings opportunities through reliability improvements, automation, and process optimization.
• Provide leadership and direction to maintenance, engineering, and technical personnel.
• Develop departmental goals aligned with plant objectives.
• Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, and employee development activities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate closely with Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Corporate Engineering functions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Minimum 7 years of engineering and maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing maintenance and engineering teams.
• Automotive manufacturing experience required.
• Automotive seating manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting OEM customers such as GM, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai/Kia, or similar preferred.

Strong knowledge of:

• Robotics and automation systems
• PLC programming and troubleshooting
• Welding technologies
• Conveyor systems
• Pneumatic and hydraulic systems
• Industrial electrical systems
• Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM)
• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
• Lean Manufacturing principles
• AutoCAD or similar engineering software
• CMMS systems
• Ergonomic design and workplace optimization

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• Equipment Uptime
• Preventive Maintenance Compliance
• Maintenance Cost per Unit
• Scrap and Rework Reduction
• Downtime Reduction
• MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
• MTTR (Mean Time to Repair)
• Capital Project Performance
• Safety Incident Rate
• Continuous Improvement Savings
• Employee Development Metrics

Preferred Automotive Seating Experience

• Seat Frame Assembly
• Robotic Welding
• Foam Pad Manufacturing
• Trim Cover Cutting and Sewing
• Seat Assembly Operations
• Headrest Manufacturing
• Final Seat Testing and Validation
• Just-In-Time (JIT) and Just-In-Sequence (JIS) Operations
• Automated Material Handling Systems
• OEM Launch and Program Management