Senior Manufacturing Engineer

About Pierce, an Oshkosh company

At Pierce Manufacturing, we build trucks that protect people and communities around the world. To our team, there is no room for anything less than providing the absolute best. Since 1913, building truck bodies on Model T Ford chassis in an old converted church has evolved to creating highly customized, carefully designed and engineering pumpers, aerials, tankers and rescue units that have no equal. Today, you'll find more than 30,000 Pierce apparatuses on the road that are making a difference in people's lives, every day. To us, every step in the process of building our trucks is personal. From innovation and expertise, to the customization and service. Our trucks are designed to perform under the toughest conditions.

Senior Manufacturing Engineer R44459
The Senior Manufacturing Engineer will lead and support all detailed manufacturing processes related to paint and metal finishing operations within the Appleton value stream. This role is responsible for driving process excellence, optimizing production systems, and leading the digital transformation of paint manufacturing operations.

The position will focus on implementing advanced technologies and Industry 4.0 solutions, while introducing automation across metal finishing, Bondo application, priming, and paint processes. The Senior Manufacturing Engineer will establish robust production standards, improve material and part flow, enhance capacity utilization, and elevate overall operational performance.

This role will serve as a key technical leader in developing, standardizing, and continuously improving paint manufacturing processes to meet current and future business demands.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, optimization, and standardization of metal finishing and paint processes.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement new technologies in surface preparation, Bondo application, priming, and paint systems.
• Drive automation initiatives across metal finishing and paint operations to improve quality, safety, throughput, and productivity.
• Develop long-term paint shop capacity strategies aligned with the 5-year production demand plan.
• Create and optimize process flow layouts for paint booth operations to ensure efficient material and part movement.
• Define queue sizes, buffer strategies, and WIP levels to balance throughput and minimize bottlenecks.
• Design and implement part flow strategies across paint booths within Appleton facilities paint systems to maximize capacity and operational efficiency.
• Conduct line balancing and takt-time analysis to ensure paint operations meet forecasted demand.
• Support capital planning and layout redesign initiatives for future expansion or technology upgrades.
• Plan and execute capital projects
• Lead daily continuous improvement initiatives within the paint manufacturing area.
• Provide technical leadership and manage Process Technicians and Manufacturing Engineers.
• Implement connected solutions for 24/7 monitoring of paint equipment performance and process health.
• Collaborate with Maintenance teams to deploy sensor-based monitoring systems and implement predictive maintenance strategies.
• Improve process capability, reduce defects, increase First Pass Yield (FPY), and enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards across all paint operations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:   

• Bachelor’s degree in operations, Engineering or related field.
• Five (5) or more years of experience.

STANDOUT QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in paint operations within manufacturing, heavy vehicle, or automotive environments.
• Experience leading teams or supervising others.
• Experience implementing Industry 4.0 technologies, MES integration, or digital manufacturing tools.
• Background in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, time studies, and value stream mapping.
• Experience increasing production capacity through process optimization and technology integration.

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Pay Range:

Oshkosh is committed to working with and offering reasonable accommodation to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to disability for any part of the employment process, please contact us at [email protected].

Oshkosh Corporation is a merit-based Equal Opportunity Employer. Job opportunities are open for application to all qualified individuals and selection decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristic. To the extent that information is provided or collected regarding categories as provided by law it will in no way affect the decision regarding an employment application.

Oshkosh Corporation will not discharge or in any manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with Oshkosh Corporation's legal duty to furnish information.

Certain positions with Oshkosh Corporation require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations or the Export Administration Regulations. Applicants for these positions may need to be "U.S. Persons," as defined in these regulations. Generally, a "U.S. Person" is a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or an individual who has been admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.