Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Director of Manufacturing Engineering? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

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Meet the Recruiter: Eric Laffey

Summary:

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.

Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary:

The Director of Manufacturing Engineering leads the manufacturing engineering organization within a high-volume lithium-ion battery manufacturing environment. This role oversees the design, development, and optimization of advanced manufacturing systems to achieve world-class standards in safety, quality, efficiency, and cost. The Director collaborates closely with executive leadership to shape long-term engineering strategies, implement emerging technologies, and align engineering initiatives with corporate goals. This position requires a balance of visionary leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and deep technical expertise to drive innovation and operational excellence. By developing top engineering talent and fostering a culture of accountability, the Director of Engineering ensures sustainable growth, competitive advantage, and industry leadership for the organization.

Essential Duties:

Functional Leadership & Operations:

• Lead the Manufacturing Engineering organization, overseeing multiple engineering teams, and ensuring alignment with business objectives
• Defines and drives the long-term engineering strategy for the manufacturing facility, aligning with corporate and global business objectives
• Oversees all engineering segments, ensuring cohesive execution of programs across process, equipment, automation, controls, and systems engineering
• Partners with executive leadership to establish and deliver on strategic initiatives, capacity expansions, and technology roadmaps
• Identifies and implements new technologies, systems, and innovations to maintain competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing
• Ensures engineering policies, practices, and standards meet global quality, safety, and environmental regulations

Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement:

• Partner with senior leadership to translate business goals into actionable engineering objectives and programs
• Guide innovation initiatives focused on next-generation materials, chemistries, and manufacturing technologies
• Champions continuous improvement initiatives in safety, quality, cost, and productivity across all engineering functions
• Oversees the introduction of next-generation manufacturing equipment and digital transformation initiatives, including MES and Industry 4.0 tools
• Ensures lessons learned and best practices are shared across engineering teams to accelerate organizational maturity

Team Development & Knowledge Sharing:

• Leads, mentors, and develops senior engineering leaders and managers across multiple disciplines
• Builds a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and servant leadership within the engineering function
• Drives succession planning and workforce development to ensure sustainable leadership pipelines and engineering expertise
• Champions diversity, equity, and inclusion within engineering teams to foster innovation and broaden organizational capability

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate closely with R&D, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain functions to ensure readiness and smooth introduction of new products and processes
• Represent the Manufacturing Engineering function in cross-functional planning, audits, and customer or partner engagements
• Provide technical guidance on process scalability, manufacturability, and investment priorities
• Coordinate with peer engineering groups to ensure standardization and leverage shared expertise across departments

Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements (ISO, IATF, OSHA, etc.)
• Apply structured risk management frameworks (FMEA, FTA, DRBFM) to identify and mitigate potential risks
• Oversee process control systems and verification measures to ensure product quality and traceability
• Promote a strong culture of safety, compliance, and environmental responsibility across all engineering activities

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Leads the Manufacturing Engineering team through both direct supervision and indirect influence

Travel Requirement:

• This position may require up to 20% domestic travel and occasional international travel to support cross-site collaboration, supplier engagement, and industry events

Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline

Preferred:

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical Engineering, or related field

Essential Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in process engineering, manufacturing engineering, or product development within high-volume manufacturing environments
• Proven experience managing multiple engineering teams or functions with accountability for planning and performance
• Demonstrated success developing and executing technical strategies that improve production capability, efficiency, and quality
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders
• Recognized expertise in process optimization, automation, and manufacturing system integration
• Proficiency in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving (DOE, SPC, MSA)
• Strong financial and business acumen with experience managing budgets and capital projects
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and engineering/data systems (e.g., MES, SCADA, SQL, Tableau, Ignition)
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Leadership experience in large-scale battery, electronics, or precision manufacturing industries
• In-depth knowledge of lithium-ion cell design, materials, and manufacturing processes
• Experience implementing Industry 4.0 or digital manufacturing initiatives
• Strong understanding of ISO, IATF, OSHA, and other regulatory standards
• Proficiency in both English and Japanese, enabling effective communication with domestic and international stakeholders

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure health and safety in the workplace and for employee protection, wearing PPE is required and includes equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator. A respirator fit test will be required based on functional area.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:

• Sit: 40%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 30%

Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (<1%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%)

For this position, the required frequency is:

• Up to 10 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Rare

Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:

Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:

• Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
• Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
• On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.

Where You'll Be:

For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.

Who We Are:

Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you'll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us.

Our journey began in 2017, and now, as the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory, we are expanding operations to De Soto, Kansas, providing you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one.

As an innovative thinker, you'll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs.

Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions.

We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

We Take Opportunity Seriously:

At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer.

We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America.

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