Operations Project Engineer
- CAD
- SolidWorks
- GD&T
- PMP
- ITAR
- Health insurance
- Pension
Join our team as an Operations Project Engineer!
This is an onsite role in Rosemount, MN Monday-Friday.As an Operations Project Engineer for Injection Molding you will play a critical role in delivering complex, high-value customer programs from initial engagement through final production. Acting as the central point of coordination, you will partner with customers and collaborate across Sales, Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and other cross-functional teams to successfully plan, manage, and execute injection molding projects throughout their lifecycle.
In this highly visible role, you will combine technical expertise, project leadership, and customer focus to drive project success, ensure operational excellence, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. You will also help shape the future of Protolabs' Production Injection Molding business by developing and improving the processes, tools, and best practices used to manage customer programs at scale. In addition, you will contribute to strategic growth initiatives by supporting Sales and Marketing efforts that expand Protolabs' production molding capabilities and market presence.
This is an exciting opportunity for an engineering professional who enjoys solving complex manufacturing challenges, leading cross-functional teams, and making a measurable impact on both customer success and business growth.
What You'll Do
- Develop relationships with customers to identify key technical champions within customer organizationsÂ
- Standardize approach to managing programs and production requirements within individual strategic accountsÂ
- Produce technical articles and content to promote Protolabs’s production capabilitiesÂ
- Provide consultative design for injection molding services to customers with an emphasis on long-term scalability and quality
- Seek project outcomes which satisfy customers' needs in a time and cost-effective way for both the customer and ProtolabsÂ
- Support the development of long-term programs with our customers that produce sustainable growth and revenue
- Assist Sales, Marketing, and Product Management in communicating Protolabs's production capabilities to our customersÂ
- Synthesize patterns in customer needs to determine potential paths towards standardized offer expansionsÂ
- Development of documentation and/or software tools to support production project planning, organization, and executionÂ
- Develop criteria (triggers) and processes for informing/approving high-value projects in alignment with business capacity and strategyÂ
- Analyze and communicate manufacturing design feasibility and scalability directly to customers via email, phone call, video call, etc.Â
- Assess customer and industry specifications, drawings, procedures, purchasing documents, etc.Â
- Utilize project management tools to define resources required, solutioning process steps, and documentation of project plans within specified project timelinesÂ
- Prepare custom documentation for customers and internal teams outlining our scope of work to be performedÂ
- Perform holistic manufacturing costing to determine appropriate pricing for individual projects or programsÂ
- Advocate for customer project requirements, evaluate corresponding manufacturing capabilities, and seek productive compromisesÂ
- Create views, tools and approach to tracking active customer production projectsÂ
- Own communication mechanisms and strategy for keeping leadership and other stakeholders informed on status of the production pipeline including all relevant details on volumes, revenue impact, risks, issues, etc.
- Determine and set up manufacturing execution plans for high complexity projectsÂ
- Develop custom tools and workflows to support projects as neededÂ
- Maintain real-time project status for active projects, understanding any risks, issues, dependencies or barriers to delivery as committedÂ
- Manage and evaluate sample builds, iterative tooling, or other internal exploratory projects necessary to achieve customer requirementsÂ
- Work with Protolabs's vendors to communicate downstream requirements, risks, and delivery schedulesÂ
- Support the organization and the customer in resolving post-sales disputes on production projectsÂ
- Fulfill other tasks in order execution not covered by other standard job roles as appropriateÂ
- Work with additional customer-facing teams to define the vetting process and communication responsibilitiesÂ
- Partner with Applications Engineering, Technical Operations, and Customer Service to determine the optimal customer experience with Protolabs as an organization for individual projectsÂ
- Work with all internal manufacturing departments to determine capacity and requirement commitments that achieve customer outcomes while not disrupting overall businessÂ
- Communicate with Quality to navigate requirements based on Quality Policies, Quality Agreements, Work Instructions, Industry Standards, and Protolabs's potential corresponding commitments to customers within these frameworksÂ
- Support Engineering in scope development of projects which require additional research and developmentÂ
- Work with Logistics and Scheduling to manage customer delivery schedules for long-term projectsÂ
- Maintain records of potential and ongoing opportunities for management reviewÂ
- Collaborate with fellow team members to share perspectives and experiences from past work and projectsÂ
Business DevelopmentÂ
Project DefinitionÂ
Order Management & ExecutionÂ
CollaborationÂ
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What It Takes
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business administration, project management, or related field, OR any bachelor’s degree + 3+ years’ experience in injection molding or technically similar professions
- 5+ years in manufacturing or injection molding technical roleÂ
- 3+ years’ experience managing cross-functional projects with a focus on positive customer outcomesÂ
- A proactive and customer-focused mindset, with a solution-oriented approach to improving customer satisfaction and business outcomesÂ
- Out-of-the-box solutioning for our customers going beyond standard production processesÂ
- Exemplary technical knowledge of injection molding operations and end-use production solutionsÂ
- Excellent project management skills with experience in coordinating complex projectsÂ
- Superior communication and collaboration skills, capable of interfacing effectively across multiple departments to drive impactful positive outcomesÂ
- Demonstrated ability to develop professional relationships with internal and external customersÂ
- Ability to drive increased business through cultivating relationships with customer champions Â
- Must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of injection molding part design, materials, and DFMÂ
- Proficiency with CAD software such as SolidWorksÂ
- Ability to read, understand, and write technical specifications and statements of workÂ
- Must demonstrate an ability to read engineering drawings, including GD&TÂ
- Competency in preparing technical documentation for customers on an individual project basis, as well as generally supporting industry growth through marketing initiatives and writing white papersÂ
- Capacity to provide high level support to Sales and Marketing towards growth of production business broadlyÂ
- Ability to collect, interpret, and present dataÂ
What Makes You Stand Out
- 7+ years relevant experience
- Experience working in an ISO13485 or AS9100 compliant production facility
- Customer-facing manufacturing program management experience
- PMP or equivalent project management training
What's In It For You!
- We offer a competitive salary and total rewards package
- We offer amazing benefits including but not limited to:
- Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)
- Dental and Vision
- Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
- Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
- Paid caregiver leave
- You will receive at least 3 weeks of PTO + Wellness + Holiday Pay + Volunteer Hours
- 401k with company match and immediate vest
- Employee Stock Purchase Program at a discounted rate
- Matching grants through Protolabs foundation
- And More!
Operations Project Engineer · Protolabs