Engineering Build Manager
GTI Fabrication Buffalo, New York, United States · $135K–$180K/yr
Manufacturing · 501-1,000 employees
About the role
The Engineering Build Manager leads pre-production build activities, ensuring engineering designs are accurately translated into physical assemblies. This role serves as the primary interface between design and manufacturing to validate product integrity and drive continuous improvement.
What they look for
Requirements
Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline and possess over 8 years of experience in product development or manufacturing environments. Strong leadership skills and proficiency in fabrication processes and configuration control are required.
Benefits
Full description
GTI is a contract manufacturing partner supporting customers in renewable energy, power generation, infrastructure, and industrial systems.
We fabricate custom designed, purpose-built enclosures and skids for our customers and perform mechanical and electrical integration in-house, delivering a true turn-key product to our customers. Our scope spans Engineering, prototype builds, through full production, requiring teams that can move fast, adapt, and execute with precision.
GTI Values: Safety I Quality I Customer Obsession I Speed I Agility
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Position OverviewThe Engineering Build Manager leads GTI's engineering build, prototype, First-of-Kind (FOK), and other pre-production build activities within Design Engineering. The role owns the physical environment where engineering designs are converted into real assemblies, ensuring physical build learning is converted into the controlled engineering definition before production release.
The Engineering Build Manager is accountable for disciplined build execution, physical design validation, issue capture and closure, configuration integrity, and effective transfer of validated product knowledge into Manufacturing Engineering and Operations. The role works across Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Operations to expose product deficiencies early and prevent undocumented floor corrections from becoming part of the product.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Build Planning & Execution
• Own planning, coordination, and execution of prototype, engineering validation, FOK, pilot, and other designated pre-production builds
• Translate engineering release packages into executable build plans, including sequence, labor, tooling, material, workspace, equipment, inspection, test, and technical support requirements
• Establish build schedules, priorities, milestones, constraints, and completion criteria; maintain clear daily visibility to progress and risk
• Lead build readiness reviews and identify incomplete engineering information, material gaps, tooling constraints, or unresolved technical risks before work begins
• Escalate issues rapidly when they threaten safety, quality, engineering validation, program timing, or product performance
Physical Design Validation & Issue Closure
• Serve as the primary interface between the physical build and Design Engineering, validating that designs can be fabricated, assembled, integrated, inspected, serviced, and manufactured as intended
• Identify design deficiencies including interferences, dimensional or tolerance issues, fit-up problems, weldability concerns, access limitations, routing conflicts, assembly-sequence conflicts, BOM discrepancies, and interface mismatches
• Challenge designs that technically meet requirements but introduce avoidable manufacturing complexity, quality risk, cost, rework, or serviceability concerns
• Establish disciplined methods for capturing material issues identified during builds and assign clear ownership, corrective action, status, and verification of closure
• Drive issues through permanent closure rather than considering a problem resolved because the physical build was successfully modified
• Prevent undocumented shop-floor corrections, tribal knowledge, and unauthorized design changes from becoming embedded in future builds
Configuration & Engineering Change Control
• Ensure engineering builds are executed against the correct drawing revisions, CAD models, engineering BOMs, specifications, and approved build documentation
• Work with Design Engineering and document-control resources to ensure build discoveries are incorporated through GTI's established ECR/ECO, redline, deviation, and configuration-control processes
• Verify permanent corrections are incorporated into the appropriate 3D models, drawings, EBOMs, specifications, interfaces, assembly requirements, and test documentation
• Maintain traceability between physical build conditions, temporary dispositions, permanent design corrections, and the released product definition
• Verify the as-built configuration and released engineering configuration reconcile before formal build closeout
Cross-Functional Build Readiness
• Coordinate with Design Engineering to resolve design intent, technical questions, and product-definition deficiencies identified during build execution
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to communicate production-related observations, tooling needs, assembly constraints, process risks, and design-for-manufacturing opportunities
• Partner with Quality to establish inspection requirements, capture nonconformances, verify corrective actions, and control critical characteristics
• Coordinate with Supply Chain on component availability, supplier issues, substitutions, procurement constraints, and material discrepancies
• Provide Program Management with clear build status, technical risks, dependencies, recovery actions, and milestone impacts
Production Readiness & Handoff
• Lead formal completion and closeout of engineering and FOK builds, ensuring significant issues have been dispositioned and permanent corrections are incorporated or formally assigned
• Participate in phase-gate and production-readiness reviews and communicate unresolved engineering or configuration risks before release
• Support transfer of validated product knowledge from Design Engineering into Manufacturing Engineering and Operations
• Ensure production teams are not required to rediscover issues already identified and understood during engineering builds
Build Team Leadership
• Lead the Engineering Build Supervisor and personnel assigned to engineering build activities, establishing clear priorities, accountability, and execution standards
• Create a culture where welders, fabricators, fitters, assemblers, technicians, and engineers actively expose problems instead of working around them
• Ensure the build organization maintains high standards for safety, quality, organization, workmanship, material control, and configuration discipline
• Develop technical capability within the build team and ensure appropriate training for assigned activities
• Maintain clear distinction between identifying a problem, implementing an approved temporary disposition, and permanently changing the product design
Continuous Improvement & Build Governance
• Develop standardized engineering-build processes, readiness checklists, issue logs, closeout criteria, metrics, and lessons-learned practices
• Analyze recurring build problems to identify systemic weaknesses in design reviews, drawing quality, tolerance strategy, BOM quality, manufacturability, or configuration control
• Use build data to improve first-time fit, assembly success, engineering closure cycle time, and production readiness
• Establish an engineering build operating model that scales across products, programs, and GTI manufacturing locations
Requirements
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related technical discipline; equivalent technical education and significant relevant experience may be considered
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in engineering, product development, prototype/FOK execution, manufacturing, fabrication, NPI, or related industrial environments
• 3+ years of direct leadership or supervisory responsibility in a technical manufacturing or engineering-build environment
• Demonstrated experience leading prototype, pilot, first-article, FOK, engineering validation, or pre-production builds
• Strong working knowledge of welding, fabrication, assembly, and industrial manufacturing processes; experience with large welded structures or modular equipment strongly preferred
• Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, BOMs, and 3D product definitions
• Experience working within formal engineering change and configuration-control processes; SolidWorks and PDM/PLM experience preferred
• Strong structured problem-solving, cross-functional leadership, and written and verbal communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Management, or a related technical discipline
- Experience managing multidisciplinary build teams that include engineers, welders, fabricators, fitters, assemblers, electricians, and test technicians
- Experience using structured problem-solving and corrective-action methods such as 8D, A3, 5 Why, fishbone analysis, or root cause and corrective action (RCCA)
- Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, PMP, CMII/configuration-management, or related technical certification
- Proficiency with SolidWorks and formal PDM/PLM platforms; experience with ERP/MRP and Manufacturing Execution Systems is beneficia
Benefits & Perks GTI offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support employees and their families while providing long-term career growth opportunities within a fast-growing manufacturing organization. Benefits may include:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match (where applicable)
- Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holidays
- Sick time in accordance with state and local requirements
- Company-paid life insurance and disability coverage
- Career advancement opportunities within a rapidly growing organization
- Exposure to advanced manufacturing, modular infrastructure, and large-scale industrial projects
- Collaborative, fast-paced environment with strong operational and engineering leadership
- Employee-focused culture centered on safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement
Benefits eligibility and offerings may vary based on position, location, and employment classification.
\n$135,000 - $180,000 a year
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GTI promotes a diverse and inclusive workforce and is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, marital status, or any other Federal or State legally-protected classes. We also value the safety of all employees and work hard to maintain a Drug Free Workplace.
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