DFX Manufacturing Engineer

Position Summary

The DFX Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for driving Design for Excellence (DFX) across new product introductions (NPI) and sustaining products to ensure scalable, cost-effective, and high-quality manufacturing outcomes. This role partners closely with design engineering, operations, supply chain, and quality to influence product designs early, reduce lifecycle cost, and accelerate time to market.

This individual serves as a key technical leader within the operations engineering team, owning manufacturing readiness, process capability, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with Fortive Business System (FBS) principles.

Key Responsibilities DFX & Product Development

• Lead DFX reviews (DFM, DFA, DFT, DFSC, DFR) throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring manufacturability, testability, and supply chain robustness
• Influence design teams to drive simplicity, cost optimization, and risk reduction early in development
• Establish manufacturing requirements and ensure alignment between product design and production capabilities
• Partner with global engineering teams on NPI execution, readiness assessments, and design transfers

Manufacturing Process Development

• Develop, qualify, and optimize manufacturing processes, tooling, and work instructions
• Drive process capability (Cp/Cpk), yield improvement, and cycle time reduction
• Own line readiness and support production ramp for new products
• Troubleshoot manufacturing issues and lead structured root cause analysis (e.g., DMAIC, 8D)

Test & Validation Collaboration

• Coordinate closely with Test Engineering to ensure production test strategies align with DFX objectives
• Ensure effective error-proofing, coverage, and throughput in test processes
• Support integration of test solutions into manufacturing lines

Cost, Quality & Delivery

• Lead cost reduction initiatives including value engineering and design optimization
• Support supplier selection and manufacturability assessments within the supply chain
• Improve first-pass yield, scrap reduction, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
• Ensure compliance with quality and regulatory standards applicable to products

Continuous Improvement (FBS)

• Drive Kaizen events, Tiered Daily Management (TDM), and Lean transformations
• Implement standard work, visual management, and pull systems (Kanban)
• Use data-driven decision-making to prioritize improvements and measure impact

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electrical, or related field)
• 5–8+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, DFX, or NPI environments
• Proven experience influencing product design for manufacturability and cost
• Strong knowledge of Lean principles and structured problem-solving methodologies
• Experience with complex electro-mechanical assemblies and/or regulated products

Preferred

• Experience in medical device or highly regulated industries
• Familiarity with test systems and production validation methods
• Experience with PLM systems, ERP/MRP, and engineering change management
• Six Sigma certification or equivalent analytical training

Key Competencies

• Deliver Results – Drives measurable business outcomes across cost, quality, and delivery 
• Strategic – Anticipates manufacturing risks and influences design direction 
• Customer Obsessed – Ensures product reliability and performance meet customer expectations 
• Build Extraordinary Teams – Collaborates cross-functionally across engineering and operations 
• Innovate for Impact – Applies creative solutions to manufacturing and product challenges
• Adaptable & Courageous – Drives change and challenges legacy approaches when needed