Job Title: Manufacturing EngineerJob Description
This hands-on Manufacturing Engineer role focuses on developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting plastic injection molding processes from the ground up. You will spend most of your time on the production floor working directly with molding equipment and processes, with a portion of your time dedicated to documentation and reporting. After tooling is designed and built, you will take ownership of developing the injection molding process, driving improvements, and resolving issues to ensure high-quality, efficient production across automotive, consumer, defense, and medical applications.
Responsibilities
Develop and establish optimized manufacturing processes for new and existing plastic injection molded products in the automotive, consumer, defense, and medical industries.
Collaborate closely with production, quality, and program management teams to ensure processes meet or exceed quality, cycle time, and efficiency standards.
Lead and direct process technicians in solving daily troubleshooting problems and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
Utilize precision RJG process monitoring software for quality assurance and statistical process control of injection molding processes.
Gain experience and contribute to process automation, programming, and end-of-arm tooling for molding equipment.
Support tooling samples and coordinate process development activities when new tools are introduced.
Troubleshoot molding processes and tooling issues, including climbing in, on, and around machines to diagnose problems and implement solutions.
Prepare, maintain, and update reporting and documentation related to process development, optimization, and troubleshooting.
Manage and support multiple programs simultaneously, ensuring each process is robust, repeatable, and aligned with customer requirements.
Drive continuous improvement in manufacturing processes to enhance quality, reduce scrap, and improve overall operational efficiency.
Essential Skills
Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
Experience working as a manufacturing or process engineer, with a strong focus on developing and optimizing manufacturing processes.
Hands-on experience with plastic injection molding, including process development and troubleshooting.
Ability to work on and manage multiple programs at the same time.
Comfort working in and around production machinery, including physically accessing equipment to diagnose and resolve issues.
Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
Effective collaboration skills with production, quality, and program management teams.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
2-5 years of experience as a manufacturing or process engineer in a plastics or injection molding environment.
Experience with decorative molding processes, particularly for automotive and consumer/industrial products.
Automation experience, including exposure to automated molding systems and end-of-arm tooling.
Experience using RJG process monitoring software for quality assurance and statistical process control.
Ability to thrive in an environment that offers autonomy and responsibility for process outcomes.
Work Environment
This is a highly hands-on role with approximately 80% of your time spent on the production floor working directly with molding machines and processes, and about 20% spent at a desk on documentation and reporting. You will work primarily at the Vicksburg plant, focusing on automotive and consumer/industrial lines that are mainly decorative molding. You will collaborate with an engineering team that includes multiple Manufacturing Engineers and Automation Engineers. The standard schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with an expectation of approximately 5 hours of overtime per week. The environment provides exposure to automotive, medical device, and consumer industrial industries and offers a high degree of autonomy. Benefits include paid time off and standard holidays, contributing to a supportive and engaging workplace culture.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of VICKSBURG, MI.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $38.47 - $43.27/hr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in VICKSBURG,MI.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Sep 1, 2026.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
