Director, Manufacturing Engineering

About The Role

The Director of Engineering is responsible for leading all Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Test Engineering, Test Automation, NPI Engineering, and Customer TPM activities for the Texas manufacturing campus. This role drives factory performance, operational excellence, manufacturing readiness, automation, test strategy, and successful product launches in support of data center rack and integrated infrastructure manufacturing.

The Director serves as the senior engineering leader for the Texas site and is accountable for achieving site-level objectives related to safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and customer satisfaction. This role reports directly to the General Manager and is responsible for ensuring full compliance with global engineering standards, processes, governance, and operating models established by the Global Director of Engineering based in New Jersey.

The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with hands-on execution to build a high-performing engineering organization capable of supporting rapid growth, operational excellence, and world-class manufacturing performance.

What You'll Do

Site Engineering Leadership

• Lead Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Test Engineering, Test Automation, NPI Engineering, and Customer TPM teams for the Texas campus.
• Develop organizational capability, technical expertise, and engineering leadership within the site.
• Support factory growth, capacity expansion, and operational scalability.
• Create a culture of accountability, urgency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Manufacturing Excellence & Operational Performance

• Drive improvements in:

• First Pass Yield (FPY)

• Rolled Throughput Yield (RTPY)

• DPPM

• Productivity

• Throughput

• Cycle Time

• Labor Efficiency

• Cost Performance

• Optimize manufacturing processes and factory flows to maximize operational effectiveness.

• Lead engineering support for daily production execution and factory performance reviews.

• Ensure achievement of all site engineering and operational KPIs.

Automation & Test Engineering

• Deploy factory automation strategies aligned with global engineering roadmaps.

• Lead implementation of:

• Robotics

• Automated assembly solutions

• Vision systems

• Digital manufacturing tools

• Test automation systems

• Own site-level test engineering performance and deployment of standardized test platforms.

• Drive improvements in manufacturing diagnostics, traceability, test coverage, and operational efficiency.

New Product Introduction (NPI)

• Lead manufacturing readiness activities for all product introductions within the Texas facility.

• Execute NPI phase-gate requirements and readiness reviews.

• Ensure readiness of:

• Manufacturing processes

• Tooling

• Equipment

• Automation

• Test systems

• Capacity

• Staffing

• Lead pilot builds, process validation, launch readiness reviews, and production ramp activities.

Customer Engagement

• Lead customer-facing TPM resources supporting Texas-based programs.
• Participate in customer reviews, readiness assessments, escalation management, and operational reviews.
• Ensure customer requirements are successfully translated into manufacturing execution plans.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, and SPC methodologies.

• Lead initiatives focused on:

• Yield improvement

• Cost reduction

• Productivity gains

• Waste elimination

• Capacity improvements

• Establish rigorous performance reviews and execution management systems.

Global Engineering Alignment

The Texas Director of Engineering is responsible for executing and sustaining the global engineering framework established by the New Jersey Global Director of Engineering, including:

• Global engineering standards
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Manufacturing process standards
• Test engineering standards
• Automation architecture standards
• NPI phase-gate processes
• Engineering governance models
• KPI review processes
• Best-practice deployment
• Continuous improvement methodologies

The Texas engineering organization is expected to drive local execution while maintaining global consistency and standardization across the manufacturing network.

Ownership & Interfaces

This Role Owns

• Texas Manufacturing Engineering organization
• Process Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Test Engineering
• Test Automation
• Manufacturing readiness
• Factory readiness
• Production launch execution
• Site operational KPIs
• Customer TPM resources
• Continuous improvement execution

Global Director of Engineering (New Jersey) Owns

• Global engineering strategy

• Engineering governance

• Global standards and SOPs

• NPI framework

• Global engineering best practices

• Global automation strategy

• Engineering operating model

Platform Engineering Owns

• Product architecture
• Product design ownership
• Product specifications
• DFM/DFA approval
• Product validation and qualification
• Reliability engineering
• Design changes
• Level 3 debugging and technical solution development

Key Metrics

• FPY
• RTPY
• DPPM
• OEE
• Productivity
• Labor efficiency
• Manufacturing cycle time
• On-Time Delivery (OTD)
• Cost reduction
• Automation deployment
• NPI launch success
• Customer satisfaction
• Compliance to global engineering standards

What You Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering required; Master's Degree preferred.
• 10+ years of engineering leadership experience in manufacturing environments.
• Experience leading Manufacturing Engineering, Test Engineering, Automation, and NPI organizations.
• Proven success driving operational excellence, productivity, quality, and manufacturing scale.
• Strong customer-facing experience.
• Experience in data center infrastructure, server, electronics, rack integration, or related manufacturing environments preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.

Ideal Candidate

A strong factory-focused engineering leader who can deliver exceptional operational performance while successfully implementing global engineering standards. This individual excels at execution, talent development, continuous improvement, automation deployment, and manufacturing readiness, serving as the engineering leader for the Texas campus while partnering closely with the Global Director of Engineering to ensure consistency across the worldwide manufacturing network.

#LI-JC1 #LI-Onsite

About ZT Systems

At ZT Systems, a Sanmina Company, you'll get to do work you are proud of alongside smart, passionate people. Every day, there are opportunities to collaborate with the best in the industry to design, build, and deliver impactful solutions to world-class customers. Along the way, you will gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced environment that's challenging, rewarding, and career-defining.

A culture built around our values we work hard and think fast. We view challenges as opportunities-to do better, push harder, and be faster than we were the day before. When we fail, we learn from it and move on together. And when we succeed, we use the momentum to go even further. We create value with everything we do, building the foundation of today-and transforming the future of tomorrow.

Join ZT Systems and help us build technology infrastructure that connects the world.

What We Offer

At ZT Systems, a Sanmina Company, we believe that investing in our people is key to our continued growth and innovation. When you join our team, you'll gain access to a comprehensive and inclusive benefits package designed to support your well-being, financial security, and professional development-both now and in the future.

Compensation & Financial Security

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-based annual bonus eligibility
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Tuition reimbursement for eligible education programs

Health & Wellness

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with access to leading providers
• Mental health resources and employee wellness support programs-
• Company-paid life and disability insurance

Time Away & Work-Life Balance

• Paid time off (PTO) and company-paid holidays
• Parental leave and family care support programs

Growth & Purpose

• Structured training programs and on-the-job learning opportunities
• Matching gifts and volunteer programs to support causes you care about

These benefits are available to eligible employees and are designed to grow with you as your career evolves. Full benefits and eligibility varies by work location. Learn more about our benefits here.

ZT Group Int'l. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. ZT Systems provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Please be aware that certain positions may require the applicant to either 1) be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or 2) be eligible to obtain an export control license or license exception from the Bureau of Industry and Science & U.S. Department of Commerce. All offers of employment will be conditional subject to the foregoing.