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Manufacturing engineering manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted experts
Jonathan Puthoff,
Dr. John Ballato
Manufacturing engineering manager example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical manufacturing engineering manager skills. We ranked the top skills for manufacturing engineering managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.3% of manufacturing engineering manager resumes contained continuous improvement as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a manufacturing engineering manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 manufacturing engineering manager skills for your resume and career

1. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use continuous improvement:
  • Lead multiple projects across diverse facilities to attain strategic direction and business benefits such as cost-savings and promoting continuous improvement culture.
  • Managed manufacturing engineering support for the assembly value stream operations, from product development, manufacturing, continuous improvement to safety.

2. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use lean manufacturing:
  • Led and managed production teams during implementation launch of the new lean manufacturing initiative in fast-paced fabrication shop floor union environment.
  • Delivered on improvements in new product and process development, launch, manufacturing productivity, lean manufacturing and six sigma activities.

3. Project Management

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use project management:
  • Provided leadership of the operations group professional staff consisting of Document control, Project Management, Manufacturing Engineering and Test Engineering.
  • Project management included successfully managing the test engineering projects in support of the new product development efforts including price quoting.

4. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use sigma:
  • Organized Strategic Planning and lean/six sigma training events for IDEX companies worldwide, producing positive business transformation and successful long-term benefits.
  • Introduced lean Six Sigma methodologies and instituted procedures to maintain a high standard of quality in manufacturing operations.

5. Lean Six Sigma

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use lean six sigma:
  • Implement manufacturing process improvement and Lean Six Sigma program.
  • Realized an 11% raise in product efficiency and eliminated waste formation by 23% by implementing Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

6. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use product development:
  • Played a major leadership role in developing strategic alignment of Ford commodity business plans and standards between manufacturing and product development.
  • Managed all aspects of transferring new technology developed in New Product Development teams into validated production processes on large scale.

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7. Process Improvement

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use process improvement:
  • Developed manufacturing process improvements on factory floor resulting in increased efficiency and productivity consequently decreasing labor overhead by 9%.
  • Managed motor engineering department while developing and implementing manufacturing process improvements in facility which produces 40,000 motors on annual basis.

8. ISO

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use iso:
  • Trained Engineering and Documentation Control Specialist on ISO 9002 and AS9100 procedures for implementation resulting in increased productivity.
  • Managed Quality Management System, ISO and Non-Conforming Material System to improve internal process and customer satisfaction.

9. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use product quality:
  • Developed and utilized quality metrics and databases to track equipment reliability and quantify impacts to product quality and production quotas.
  • Modified existing processes and developed new processes that reduced operating costs, improved product quality, and increased capacity.

10. Process Control

Process control is a method pertaining to continuous production processes that uses the aid of ICS (Industrial Control Systems) for production. This method enables production to be done with a level of consistency and safety in an economically friendly manner that is impossible to achieve solely through manual control.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use process control:
  • Introduced the product and developed the local supply chain to mirror European operations and implemented statistical process control.
  • Utilized Statistical Process Control (SPC) to develop/implement quality control schemes for manufacturing equipment and process operations.

11. CAD

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use cad:
  • Originated and reinforced all engineering standards and provided leadership and support to manufacturing engineers and CAD technicians.
  • Created mechanical CAD shop drawings to manufacture miscellaneous parts for both the paper and shipbuilding industries utilizing AutoCad 2010 LT.

12. CNC

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. It is a subtractive manufacturing technique that usually uses computerized controls and machine tools to strip layers of material from a stock piece.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use cnc:
  • Improved fine-blanking stamping margins by adding value-added operations in CNC machining, double-disc grinding.
  • Instituted CNC machining equipment preventative maintenance program department-wide and automated PM documentation.

13. Cost Reduction

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use cost reduction:
  • Manage and coordinate through the engineering group all capital improvement projects and productivity/cost reduction projects along with all new product implementations.
  • Implemented mistake-proofing solutions to eradicate problem, yielding $100,000 annually in cost reduction, productivity improvements and scrap reduction projects.

14. Process Engineering

Process engineering is the agreement and use of the essential standards and laws of nature that permit us to change crude material and energy into items that are valuable to society, at a mechanical level.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use process engineering:
  • Process Engineer to Principal Engineer and then to Engineering/Manufacturing Manager of process engineering, equipment engineering, and production departments.
  • Provided process engineering support and automation implementation projects for all Laird Technologies sites.

15. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how manufacturing engineering managers use r:
  • Applied statistical methods to manufacturing disciplines including X-bar and R charts, process capability studies and problem identification/solving activities.
  • Managed design, developed and produced X-Band T/R module using commercial components as demonstrator of complex device fabrication ability.
top-skills

What skills help Manufacturing Engineering Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on manufacturing engineering manager resumes?

Jonathan PuthoffJonathan Puthoff LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

Collaboration and communication skills. I also think that students should graduate knowing at least one field-specific software design tool or package, as well as some evidence that they can learn more on the job. Finally, workplaces are more diverse in terms of the generations, ethnicities, and genders represented than they have been at any time in the past, so students who have a wide variety of out-of-classroom experiences (and presumably make more considerate colleagues) could do well to highlight those.

What hard/technical skills are most important for manufacturing engineering managers?

Dr. John Ballato

J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair and Professor, Clemson University

Important hard/technical skills really depend on the nature of the job/position and the organization. This really relates back to the What Skills Stand Out question. Employers want to know that employees have the requisite "toolbox" of basic skills and a willingness and aptitude to learn on the job. No person comes out of school with all the skills and experiences needed for a given job, so organizations inevitably continue to provide training on product-specific skills. Knowing how to learn, wanting to learn, and admitting what you don't know are as important, if not more so, than any hard/technical skills one gains during their education.

What soft skills should all manufacturing engineering managers possess?

Dr. John Ballato

J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair and Professor, Clemson University

To me, the most important soft skill has always been communication. And, due to the pandemic where people have had to isolate and possibly quarantine, effective communications are even that much more critical. We're spending less face-to-face time and more screen-to-screen time, which gets boring quickly. So, paying attention, being clear and concise in your communications since you don't have the opportunities as often now to simply walk into someone's lab or office and talk through ideas and next steps. Effective communications are also especially important in materials science and engineering because our field is innately interdisciplinary. This means that you might be the only materials scientist on a team that includes marketing, sales, manufacturing, etc. Knowing your audience, including your project team, and learning how to communicate with them is critical.

What manufacturing engineering manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Kamran AbediniDr. Kamran Abedini LinkedIn profile

Professor and Chairman, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

First of all, I do not recommend a gap year or any interruptions in education as it could require additional warm-up and setup for starting it again in the future. However, if they "need" to do so, I recommend they at least take one course so that they understand the trend and the expectations of students in an educational environment. For example, in the last couple of semesters, both faculty and students have learned and experienced new methods of virtual learning and assessment. If you just plan on coming to school after a few semesters, you would be highly surprised by the changes, taking you much time to prepare, and it would cause falling behind your coursework.

What type of skills will young manufacturing engineering managers need?

Diran ApelianDiran Apelian LinkedIn profile

Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Director Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC), University of California

Talent will be the most in-demand asset in the 21st century. It is not about capitalism or socialism - the 21st century is all about "talentism".

Those graduates who will succeed and lead will have:
an understanding of the human dimension;
the ability to harvest the data revolution;
skills in line with the Industry 4.0 pathways; and
commercial and business acumen.

What technical skills for a manufacturing engineering manager stand out to employers?

Patrick AtkinsonPatrick Atkinson LinkedIn profile

Professor, Kettering University

Broadly speaking, employers are looking for employees who can jump in, take on a project and move things forward. Since engineers are data-driven, knowing how to read and interpret findings from a variety of sources is key. This can be very challenging if the data conflicts between sources or the data is unclear. Whether the data is from a mathematical model, a physical test laboratory, or from the field, learning how to synthesize the findings and balance the strengths/weaknesses of a given data source are key. At the end of the day, every project needs a way forward and it is the engineer's job to optimize a design to meet the objectives for the product.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about manufacturing engineering manager

List of manufacturing engineering manager skills to add to your resume

Manufacturing engineering manager skills

The most important skills for a manufacturing engineering manager resume and required skills for a manufacturing engineering manager to have include:

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Project Management
  • Sigma
  • Lean Six Sigma
  • Product Development
  • Process Improvement
  • ISO
  • Product Quality
  • Process Control
  • CAD
  • CNC
  • Cost Reduction
  • Process Engineering
  • R
  • Direct Reports
  • FDA
  • Corrective Action
  • Kaizen
  • Value Stream
  • Solidworks
  • SPC
  • Capital Equipment
  • Product Design
  • Capital Projects
  • Engineering Support
  • Production Processes
  • Technical Support
  • DFM
  • ERP
  • MFG
  • Production Equipment
  • OSHA
  • Shop Floor
  • Design Engineering
  • FMEA
  • Production Schedules
  • Process Flow
  • OEE
  • Product Line
  • MRP
  • Assembly Line
  • Plant Layout
  • APQP
  • Manufacturing Support
  • Quality Issues
  • DFMEA
  • Capital Budgets
  • BOM
  • Assembly Processes

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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