Job Overview

As a valued member of the Minnesota Metals (Medical Subcomponents) Manufacturing Engineering team at TE Connectivity, the Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Sustaining plays a key role in ensuring stable, capable, and efficient manufacturing processes for products in production. This role focuses on sustaining engineering activities, including process optimization, yield improvement, scrap reduction, equipment reliability, and technical problem resolution in a regulated medical device manufacturing environment. 

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer operates with a high degree of autonomy and judgment, addressing complex and sometimes ambiguous technical challenges across metal manufacturing processes, including laser cutting, welding, and ablation. While hands‑on automation development is not required, a working understanding of automated systems is beneficial for effectively supporting production operations and collaborating with automation partners. 

This position reports to the MSP‑Metals Manufacturing Engineering Manager and is 100% on-site at their Plymouth, Minnesota. 

Responsibilities 

Sustaining Manufacturing & Process Ownership 

• Serve as a technical owner for sustaining manufacturing processes, ensuring consistent performance, quality, and compliance for products in production. 
• Lead investigations into complex production issues, including yield loss, scrap, defects, and process instability, using structured problem‑solving methodologies. 
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, cost, delivery, and safety. 
• Evaluate process capability and implement improvements to maintain robust and repeatable manufacturing performance. 

Technical Problem Solving & Cross‑Functional Collaboration 

• Independently resolve complex technical problems where precedent may not exist, exercising sound engineering judgment. 
• Lead cross‑functional problem‑solving efforts involving Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, Automation, and Supply Chain. 
• Provide technical guidance during deviations, nonconformances, and CAPA investigations related to manufacturing processes. 
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and process transfer activities to ensure manufacturability and long‑term sustainability. 

Equipment, Tooling & Process Changes 

• Support equipment, tooling, and process changes for sustaining manufacturing, including risk assessment, validation impact, and documentation. 
• Collaborate with automation and equipment teams as needed; maintain working knowledge of automated systems to support troubleshooting and process optimization. 
• Review and approve technical documentation related to manufacturing changes, ensuring compliance with internal and regulatory requirements. 

Data, Metrics & Continuous Improvement 

• Analyze process and production data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement. 
• Use data‑driven insights to prioritize improvement actions and measure effectiveness. 
• Support reliability improvement initiatives related to equipment uptime, process stability, and yield performance. 

Technical Leadership & Mentorship 

• Act as a senior technical resource within the Manufacturing Engineering team. 
• Provide mentoring and technical coaching to engineers and technicians, sharing best practices and lessons learned. 
• Influence technical decisions through expertise, data, and collaboration without direct authority. 

What your background should look like

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline; or equivalent work experience. 
• 5+ years of progressive experience in Manufacturing Engineering or Process Engineering roles, with a strong focus on sustaining operations. 
• Experience working in regulated manufacturing environments (ISO 13485, GMP, QSR, or similar industries such as aerospace or automotive). 
• Proven ability to resolve complex manufacturing and process issues with limited precedent. 
• Experience supporting metal manufacturing processes such as laser cutting, welding, forming, or precision machining is a plus. 
• Familiarity with validation concepts (IQ/OQ/PQ) and change control processes. 
• Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement training is a plus. 

Key Skills & Competencies

• Advanced problem‑solving and analytical skills in a manufacturing environment 
• Strong process engineering and sustaining engineering expertise 
• Ability to operate independently with minimal guidance 
• Effective communication skills across engineering, operations, and quality teams 
• Experience applying statistical and data‑driven methods to manufacturing problems 
• Working knowledge of automated manufacturing systems (preferred, not required) 
• Strong documentation and technical writing skills 

Competencies