Location: Indianaplois, Indiana, United States
Date published: 13-Jul-2026
Job ID: 176597
Description and Requirements
Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer – 1st Shift
Employment Type: Contract (3-months)
Work Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Work Arrangement: Onsite
Pay Rate: $35 per hour
Shift: 1st Shift, 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Potential Extension/Conversion: Opportunity for extension beyond October 31, 2026, and potential conversion based on business needs and performance
Position Summary
We are seeking hands-on Manufacturing Engineers to support production-floor operations in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
The Manufacturing Engineer will spend a significant amount of time on the production floor supporting machine downtime, troubleshooting equipment and tooling issues, and helping return production equipment to service quickly and safely. This role will serve as a technical resource for production, maintenance, and tool room teams during unplanned issues, repairs, modifications, and continuous-improvement activities.
The ideal candidate will be comfortable working directly with plant operations, responding urgently to equipment concerns, leading corrective actions, supporting preventive maintenance activities, and driving improvements related to safety, quality, cost, ergonomics, and line efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
Production Floor and Equipment Support
- Provide hands-on manufacturing engineering support on the production floor.
- Respond urgently to plant issues, machine downtime, and unplanned production interruptions.
- Act as a technical resource during equipment, tooling, and process-related issues.
- Troubleshoot equipment and tooling concerns in partnership with Maintenance, Tool Room, Production, and Operations teams.
- Support efforts to get machines, tooling, and production equipment back up and running safely and efficiently.
- Ensure equipment is properly released back to production following preventive maintenance, repairs, or modifications.
Equipment, Tooling, and Process Improvements
- Plan, coordinate, and implement repairs, modifications, and improvements to production equipment and tooling.
- Adapt machine or equipment designs to meet factory and production conditions.
- Support layout planning for assembly, materials handling, and production flow.
- Plan sequences of operations and specify procedures for the fabrication of tools, equipment, and related production support functions.
- Recommend and implement preventive maintenance procedures to improve equipment reliability and reduce downtime.
- Utilize maintenance, tooling management, purchase order, and planning systems to support operational needs.
Troubleshooting and Corrective Actions
- Investigate recurring equipment, tooling, and process issues to identify root causes.
- Drive effective corrective and preventive actions for unplanned events and production concerns.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to resolve technical issues impacting product performance, quality, safety, or output.
- Document actions, updates, and recommendations clearly and accurately.
- Support operational decision-making by providing technical input and practical solutions.
Continuous Improvement and Kaizen
- Lead or support Kaizen events focused on improving line output, efficiency, safety, quality, and ergonomics.
- Identify and implement cost-reduction opportunities within manufacturing operations.
- Recommend improvements to equipment, tooling, workflows, and production processes.
- Support initiatives that reduce downtime, improve throughput, and strengthen overall plant performance.
- Promote continuous improvement practices across the production floor.
Safety, Compliance, and Employee Relations
- Model and promote adherence to OSHA regulations and applicable environmental, health, and safety policies.
- Ensure all equipment repairs, modifications, and improvements are completed with safety and compliance in mind.
- Support a safe and organized production environment.
- Foster positive working relationships with union representatives and employees by adhering to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Collaborate respectfully and effectively with hourly employees, skilled trades, supervisors, engineers, and plant leadership.
Required Qualifications
- Associate degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Technology, Mechanical Technology, Industrial Technology, or a related technical field.
- Experience supporting manufacturing, production, plant operations, maintenance, tooling, or equipment troubleshooting.
- Strong mechanical aptitude and hands-on problem-solving ability.
- Ability to work on the production floor and respond quickly to urgent plant issues.
- Experience troubleshooting equipment, tooling, or process-related concerns.
- Ability to support repairs, modifications, preventive maintenance, and continuous-improvement activities.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with Production, Maintenance, Tool Room, Engineering, and Operations teams.
- Ability to follow safety requirements and support compliance with OSHA and environmental, health, and safety expectations.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a manufacturing environment.
- Ability to work onsite in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Experience in HVAC, assembly, fabrication, machining, industrial manufacturing, or high-volume production environments.
- Experience supporting machine downtime, equipment reliability, tooling improvements, or plant-floor technical support.
- Experience with preventive maintenance planning and equipment-release processes.
- Experience using maintenance management, tooling management, purchase order, or production planning systems.
- Experience leading or supporting Kaizen events.
- Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous-improvement experience.
- Experience working in a unionized manufacturing environment.
- Familiarity with OSHA regulations and plant safety requirements.