Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
Manufacturing, process and industrial engineering is a crowded family because plants use the word engineer for very different jobs. It covers the director of manufacturing engineering and manufacturing engineering manager, manufacturing and senior manufacturing engineers, process engineers and managers, industrial engineers, packaging engineers, tooling and mold or die design engineers, welding engineers, NPI engineers and managers, plant engineers, project engineers and capital projects managers, materials engineers and metallurgists, plastics specialists in injection molding and extrusion, process development and tech transfer, test and yield engineers, and battery cell process engineers. Depth in your specific process matters more than the title. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
What should you know about positions we recruit in Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering?
Manufacturing Engineering ManagerCheck Team size. Manufacturing EngineerCheck Work instructions, PFMEA, control plans. Process EngineerCheck DOE and SPC. Process Engineering ManagerCheck Leads process engineers. Industrial EngineerCheck Time studies, labor standards, standard work. Packaging EngineerCheck Primary and secondary packaging specs. Tooling EngineerCheck Progressive dies or injection molds.
- Manufacturing Engineering ManagerCheck Team size.
- Manufacturing EngineerCheck Work instructions, PFMEA, control plans.
- Process EngineerCheck DOE and SPC.
- Process Engineering ManagerCheck Leads process engineers.
- Industrial EngineerCheck Time studies, labor standards, standard work.
- Packaging EngineerCheck Primary and secondary packaging specs.
- Tooling EngineerCheck Progressive dies or injection molds.
- Welding EngineerCheck WPS/PQR to AWS D1.1 or ASME Section IX.
- NPI EngineerCheck DFM/DFA reviews.
- Plant EngineerCheck Utilities (compressed air, steam, chillers, boilers).
- Project Engineer / Capital Projects ManagerCheck Capex budgets and equipment installs.
- Materials EngineerCheck Material selection and specs.
- Metallurgist / Metallurgical EngineerCheck Heat treat (CQI-9) or casting/forging metallurgy.
- Injection Molding Process EngineerCheck Scientific/decoupled molding (RJG Master Molder).
- Extrusion Process EngineerCheck Film, sheet, profile or pipe extrusion.
- MS&T EngineerCheck Tech transfer.
- Yield Engineer (Semiconductor)Check Fab module expertise.
- Battery Cell Process EngineerCheck Electrode coating and calendering, winding or stacking, formation and aging.
- Director of Manufacturing EngineeringOwns engineering standards, capital priorities and manufacturing engineering leaders.
- Senior Manufacturing EngineerOwns difficult production problems and the technical judgment behind line changes.
- Senior Process EngineerOwns process windows and root causes that routine troubleshooting misses.
- Packaging Development EngineerOwns packaging materials and designs that survive distribution and line handling.
- Mold / Die Design EngineerOwns tool geometry and release decisions before steel is cut.
- NPI ManagerOwns launch decisions across engineering, production and customer requirements.
- Plant Engineering ManagerOwns plant engineering priorities and the engineers delivering equipment changes.
- Capital Projects ManagerOwns capital budgets and coordinated equipment-installation work.
- Polymer / Plastics EngineerOwns resin behavior and material choices in polymer manufacturing.
- Process Development EngineerOwns experimental processes moving from trials into stable production.
- Tech Transfer EngineerOwns process knowledge moving from a sending operation to a receiving plant.
- Test EngineerOwns production test methods that separate failures from test-system noise.
- Lead Manufacturing EngineerOwns technical direction for manufacturing engineering work without presumed department ownership.
- Senior Industrial EngineerOwns difficult capacity and labor-standard decisions affecting production flow.
- Senior Packaging EngineerOwns difficult packaging-system and material decisions spanning development and production.
Combined manufacturing, process & industrial engineering titles share a page where the work is the same; each link opens the relevant hiring brief.
What should you know about matching the responsibility, not only the title?
A manufacturing engineer writes work instructions, PFMEA and control plans, designs fixtures and tooling in parametric mechanical CAD, product design CAD or integrated CAD/CAM, and balances lines. We ask for the process: machining, assembly, molding or SMT. A manager adds team size, capex and launch ownership, and whether standard work held after the engineer left the line.
Manufacturing engineers and managers
A manufacturing engineer writes work instructions, PFMEA and control plans, designs fixtures and tooling in parametric mechanical CAD, product design CAD or integrated CAD/CAM, and balances lines. We ask for the process: machining, assembly, molding or SMT. A manager adds team size, capex and launch ownership, and whether standard work held after the engineer left the line.
Process engineers and process development
Process engineers prove themselves with DOE, SPC and root cause through 8D and five why, in a process that matches yours, batch or continuous, thermal, mixing or extrusion. Process development and tech transfer roles lean on scale-up. A Six Sigma belt helps, but it is not a substitute for knowing the equipment.
Industrial, packaging and tooling engineers
Industrial engineers do time studies, labor standards, capacity models and layouts in plant layout CAD. Packaging engineers know fillers, cartoners, case packers, palletizers, films and corrugated, and ISTA testing. Tooling engineers know progressive dies or injection molds, trials, PPAP and tool room management.
Welding, materials and metallurgy
Welding engineers write WPS and PQR to AWS D1.1 or ASME Section IX and run robotic cells, often with CWI or CWEng credentials. Materials engineers handle specification and failure analysis. Metallurgists bring heat treat to CQI-9 or casting and forging metallurgy, with NADCAP in aerospace.
Plastics, validation, semiconductor and battery specialists
Injection molding engineers bring scientific molding, mold qualification and resin knowledge. Extrusion engineers know screw and die setup and gauge control. MS&T engineers carry PPQ and cGMP. Yield engineers know a fab module. Cell process engineers know coating, calendering, formation and dry rooms. These are narrow pools, and we search them as such.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
Where we find this experience?
Most engineers come from competitor plants making a similar product with a similar process. We add co-op trained graduates from engineering programs with manufacturing emphasis, and professional communities that follow each discipline: manufacturing, chemical, industrial, welding, plastics, pharmaceutical engineering and metals societies.
For specialties we go to the right places. Stampers, molders and mold shops for tooling. Extruders and film converters for extrusion. Heavy equipment, railcar and structural fabricators for welding. Fabs and semiconductor equipment makers for yield. Overseas-trained cell plant teams and national laboratory alumni for battery. Plant engineering teams and EPC manufacturing groups feed project roles.
Engineering titles inflate quietly. A senior engineer at a small shop may have owned more than a manager at a large plant, so we read the project history, not the rung. We ask which launches, capital projects and yield problems the person owned, who signed off on their work, and which of your equipment they have physically touched.
How this manufacturing search runs?
We start from the problem the engineer will inherit: the line that will not hold yield, the launch that is behind, the capital project waiting for an owner. We write down the process, the software and the standards so the screening is specific and technical before any outreach begins.
Candidates are asked to explain a real problem they solved, in their own words, and we compare that to what your lead engineer would ask. Interview loops are set so your engineers and operations leaders both meet the person. We stay in contact through the offer, because engineers often field multiple conversations.
Where the role is a mix, such as a plant engineer who also manages capital, we split the duties into daily work and project work, then screen for each. This prevents hiring a strong project person who is unhappy fixing utilities, or the reverse, and it gives your hiring manager a cleaner conversation.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
What should you know about questions about Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering searches?
What is your fee structure for engineering searches?
A percentage of first-year base salary for the hire, agreed in writing before work starts. No upfront fee is charged.
When is payment due?
Only after you hire a candidate we introduced. Without a hire, there is no fee.
Will our search be kept private?
Yes: We can describe your plant by type and region instead of by name until the candidate is qualified.
Do you recruit engineers who are not looking?
Mostly, yes. Strong process and manufacturing engineers are usually employed, so we contact them directly and explain the problem they would own.
Do engineers need to relocate?
Many roles are tied to a plant, so we are upfront about location. We also identify candidates already near you, and we address relocation early.
Is a manufacturing engineer from a different process acceptable?
Sometimes: A machining engineer may adapt to assembly, but a molding or battery role usually needs direct process experience, and we say so plainly.
What replacement guarantee applies?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What should you know about start your Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering search?
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
What should you know about related role families?
- Executive & General Management
- Plant & Production Management
- Automation, Controls & Electrical
- Product Design, R&D & Program Management
- Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory
- Maintenance, Reliability & Facilities
- EHS & Sustainability
- Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
- Supply Chain, Procurement & Planning
- Logistics, Distribution & Warehouse
- Technical Sales, Applications & Field Service
- Manufacturing Finance & Accounting
- Machining & Toolroom
- Welding, Fabrication & Metal Finishing
- Industrial Maintenance & Plant Technicians
- Production Operators, Setup & Line Leads
- Assembly, Electronics & Composites
- Process Operators & Process Technicians
- Quality Inspection, Metrology & Lab Technicians
- Packaging Line & Sanitation Technicians
- Warehouse, Materials & Shipping
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about open jobs?
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
What should we settle first about Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering?
Manufacturing, process and industrial engineering is a crowded family because plants use the word engineer for very different jobs. It covers the director of manufacturing engineering and manufacturing engineering manager, manufacturing and senior manufacturing engineers, process engineers and managers, industrial engineers, packaging engineers, tooling and mold or die design engineers, welding engineers, NPI engineers and managers, plant engineers, project engineers and capital projects managers, materials engineers and metallurgists, plastics specialists in injection molding and extrusion, process development and tech transfer, test and yield engineers, and battery cell process engineers. Depth in your specific process matters more than the title.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
What should you know before sending manufacturing, process & industrial engineering?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering
What did the last empty seat cost you?
How long did your last search take? How much did the empty seat cost while you waited?
Put your own cover costs and lost production into the Cost-of-Vacancy calculator. It uses your numbers, not a claim about what another plant loses.