Position: Senior Process Engineer- Extrusion Technologies
Location: Hamden, CT
We are currently seeking a Senior Process Engineer - Extrusion Technologies to join our team in Hamden, CT. This hands-on technical leadership role will develop, optimize, and sustain extrusion processes across multiple product lines and manufacturing locations. The position will lead strategic projects, support new line startups and global manufacturing expansion, strengthen site-wide technical capability, and capture critical extrusion knowledge to reduce key-person dependency.
Responsibilities:The Senior Process Engineer is responsible for developing and improving manufacturing processes to achieve the safety, quality, delivery, and cost standards of the business. The individual will collaborate with manufacturing, maintenance, quality, engineering, suppliers, and global facilities to achieve business goals. The successful candidate must be a hands-on, growth-oriented leader with the technical depth and initiative to solve complex problems and build sustainable organizational capability.
- Serve as a site-wide technical leader and subject matter expert for extrusion processes, including fluoropolymer, foamed dielectric, skin, profile, and related wire and cable technologies.
- Maintain a strong presence on the production floor and partner with operators, technicians, maintenance, quality, and engineering to resolve complex process and equipment issues.
- Lead root cause analysis and implement permanent corrective actions to improve safety, coating quality, dimensional accuracy, process capability, equipment reliability, throughput, and scrap performance.
- Establish robust process windows, control strategies, setup standards, troubleshooting methods, and manufacturing best practices across extrusion platforms.
- Lead the specification, supplier evaluation, design review, procurement, installation, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, validation, and production ramp-up of new extrusion lines and auxiliary equipment.
- Support the startup and optimization of manufacturing lines at global facilities, including domestic and international travel as required.
- Partner with experienced maintenance and technical personnel to capture, validate, and institutionalize critical extrusion and equipment knowledge.
- Develop and maintain work instructions, process documentation, engineering standards, setup guides, troubleshooting playbooks, and training materials.
- Mentor engineers, process technicians, maintenance personnel, and operators to strengthen technical capability and succession readiness.
- Lead cross-functional projects focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, sustainability, capacity, yield, OEE, and productivity.
- Use data analysis, designed experiments, statistical process control, and process capability methods to reduce variation and improve performance.
- Design, test, and deploy tooling, automation, controls, data acquisition, and auxiliary equipment to support high-speed extrusion operations.
- Collaborate with suppliers and equipment manufacturers to evaluate, specify, procure, and validate new materials, tooling, equipment, and technologies.
- Lead or support PFMEA, DFMEA, control plan development, risk assessments, and safety evaluations to mitigate operational and product risk.
- Champion Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles and act as an agent of change in a fast-paced, global manufacturing environment.
- Communicate technical findings, project status, risks, recommendations, and business results effectively to stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in Plastics, Mechanical, Chemical, Manufacturing, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 8+ years of manufacturing or process engineering experience in high-speed or automated manufacturing environments.
- Demonstrated technical expertise in polymer processing and extrusion processes.
- Proven ability to lead complex technical and capital projects from concept through implementation and production ramp-up.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and data-driven problem-solving skills.
- Ability to lead through influence, coordinate cross-functional teams, and resolve complex technical issues with limited supervision.
- Experience developing process documentation, engineering standards, training materials, or knowledge-transfer systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate across functions, cultures, and global teams.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and engineering analysis tools.
- Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required (25%)
Preferred Qualifications:- Extrusion manufacturing experience.
- Wire and cable manufacturing experience.
- Experience processing fluoropolymers such as FEP, PFA, ETFE, or related materials.
- Experience with foamed dielectric extrusion, skin-foam-skin constructions, precision profile extrusion, or high-speed conductor coating.
- Experience with extrusion equipment and auxiliaries, including payoffs, take-ups, capstans, crossheads, melt pumps, vacuum systems, and in-line measurement systems.
- Experience with equipment commissioning, FAT, SAT, process validation, and global manufacturing startups.
- Experience with automation, controls, data acquisition systems, tooling design, or CAD tools such as Creo or SolidWorks.
- Lean Manufacturing experience or Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
- Experience with DOE, SPC, process capability analysis, PFMEA, DFMEA, control plans, and risk assessment.
- Advanced degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
- Bilingual capability, including Spanish and/or Mandarin.
