Job Overview

The Footprint Strategy Planning Engineer plays a key role in developing and executing the company's global manufacturing footprint strategy. This position is responsible for evaluating manufacturing capacity, site expansion opportunities, factory consolidations, product migrations, and greenfield investments to support business growth and operational excellence.

The role combines strategic planning, manufacturing operations knowledge, financial analysis, and project management to provide fact-based recommendations on footprint optimization across TE's global manufacturing network. The position works closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, Product Management, and Regional Leadership teams to ensure manufacturing capacity and capabilities align with long-term business objectives.

Job Requirements

• Key Responsibilities

  Global Footprint Strategy Development

  • Support the development and execution of multi-year global manufacturing footprint strategies.
  • Analyze global manufacturing capacity, capability, and utilization across all plants.
  • Identify opportunities for:
  • Capacity expansion
  • Consolidation
  • Product transfers and migrations
  • Vertical integration
  • New site establishment
  • Outsourcing and insourcing decisions
  • Develop footprint scenarios and recommend optimal manufacturing network configurations.
  • Develop production allocation strategy and align with key stakeholders

  Site Selection & Expansion Planning

  • Lead site screening and location assessment activities for new manufacturing investments.
  • Evaluate candidate locations with key criteria
  • Support greenfield and brownfield expansion projects by providing business case evaluations and strategic recommendations.

  Capacity & Demand Alignment

  • Partner with business units and operations teams to assess long-term capacity requirements.
  • Translate business growth forecasts into manufacturing footprint requirements.
  • Identify future capacity gaps and develop mitigation plans.
  • Support strategic planning for:
  • NPI deployment
  • Product lifecycle transitions
  • Regionalization strategies
  • Customer proximity initiatives

  Financial & Business Case Analysis

  • Build and maintain financial models for footprint decisions.
  • Evaluate:
  • CAPEX requirements
  • Operating costs
  • Labor costs
  • Facility costs
  • Logistics costs
  • Payback periods
  • ROI and NPV
  • Prepare executive-level business cases supporting investment decisions.

  Footprint Program Management

  • Coordinate cross-functional teams for strategic footprint initiatives.
  • Support factory transfer and expansion projects from planning through execution.
  • Develop project timelines, milestone tracking, risk assessments, and governance processes.
  • Monitor project progress and escalate risks when necessary.

  Benchmarking & Market Intelligence

  • Conduct competitive benchmarking of manufacturing footprints and industry trends.
  • Track emerging manufacturing hubs, labor market developments, and geopolitical factors.
  • Maintain market intelligence on major competitors and suppliers.
  • Provide strategic recommendations based on external market developments.

  Executive Reporting & Strategic Support

  • Prepare executive presentations and decision-making materials for leadership reviews.
  • Develop strategy updates, footprint scorecards, and investment recommendation reports.
  • Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership teams.
  • Support annual strategic planning and long-range manufacturing network reviews.

   

What your background should look like

• Required Qualifications

  • 5-10 years of experience in one or more of the following:
  • Manufacturing Strategy
  • Footprint Planning
  • Supply Chain Network Design
  • Capacity Planning
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Manufacturing Project Management
  • Experience supporting global manufacturing operations preferred.
  • Experience with factory startup, transfer, expansion, or site selection projects is highly desirable.

Competencies