Industrial Engineering Manager

About the role

Job Posting Title

Job Description Summary

Dauch is seeking an experienced Industrial Engineering Manager to join our team in Mebane, North Carolina at our Alamance Manufacturing Facility.

This fully onsite individual serves as a key strategic partner to plant leadership is responsible for leading manufacturing process optimization, labor efficiency initiatives, capacity planning, and continuous improvement activities within a Tier 1 automotive manufacturing environment.

This person drives operational excellence by implementing lean manufacturing principles, improving productivity, reducing costs, and ensuring efficient utilization of labor, equipment, and facility resources.

The Industrial Engineering Manager leads a team of industrial engineers and collaborates closely with production, quality, maintenance, supply chain, and program management teams to meet customer, safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.

About the role

• Leads and develops a team of Industrial Engineers and continuous improvement professionals.
• Establishes departmental goals aligned with plant and corporate objectives.
• Manages workload prioritization and resource allocation across projects and programs.
• Provides coaching, mentoring, and performance management for engineering staff.
• Develops and maintains labor standards, production rates, and staffing models.
• Conducts time studies, work measurement analyses, and line balancing activities.
• Identifies and implements opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, and throughput.
• Supports manufacturing launches and production ramp-up activities.
• Drives ergonomic assessments and workstation optimization initiatives.
• Drives Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives including value stream mapping, Kaizen events, 5S programs, standard work, visual management, and waste elimination.
• Facilitates continuous improvement projects focused on safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
• Monitors and reports key operational performance indicators.
• Develops capacity models to support business growth and customer demand.
• Analyzes labor utilization and recommends staffing adjustments.
• Supports annual budgeting, capital planning, and workforce planning activities.
• Conducts bottleneck analyses and propose corrective actions.
• Supports new product launches and engineering changes.
• Develops labor and equipment requirements for new programs.
• Participates in APQP activities and launch readiness reviews.
• Collaborates with customers and cross-functional teams to ensure successful program execution.
• Develops performance dashboards and plant metrics.
• Prepares reports and presentations for leadership review.
• Utilizes engineering and ERP systems to monitor operational performance.
• Ensures compliance with OSHA, environmental, and company safety requirements.
• Promotes a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Supports compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, and customer-specific requirements.
• All other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of manufacturing experience in an automotive or Tier 1 supplier environment, along with experience managing a team.
• Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Excel, Power BI, and manufacturing reporting tools.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or Lean Certification.
• Experience with automotive OEM customer requirements.
• Knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, and IATF 16949 standards.
• Experience with ERP and MES systems.
• Familiarity with automation, robotics, and Industry 4.0 technologies.