Manufacturing and Industrialization Lead
Role summary
Range Energy is seeking a Manufacturing and Industrialization Lead to oversee the transition of complex electromechanical and automotive systems from prototype to full-scale production. This role involves close collaboration with supplier industrialization and quality teams to establish and maintain quality standards, process validation, and production readiness. Responsibilities include driving corrective actions, managing engineering changes, defining and tracking manufacturing KPIs, and implementing continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. The lead will also build and mentor a manufacturing engineering team. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership capacity, and a proven track record in automotive or heavy equipment manufacturing.
Range Energy builds powered trailers that help electrify heavy-duty trucking without requiring fleets to replace their tractors. We solve real-world problems with real hardware.
Role Summary
As the Manufacturing and Industrialization Lead you will own the transition from prototype to production for our electric trailer systems. Based in Detroit, Michigan — the heart of American manufacturing — you will play a critical role in building and scaling our manufacturing operations as we move toward commercial deployment.
Key Responsibilities
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Lead end-to-end industrialization of Range's electric trailer systems, from prototype through pilot production and into high-volume manufacturing
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Develop and own manufacturing process documentation including DFM/DFA analyses, process FMEAs, control plans, and work instructions
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Collaborate closely with product engineering to ensure designs are optimized for manufacturability, quality, and cost targets
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Establish production tooling, fixtures, and assembly line design to support scaling operations
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Lead manufacturing readiness reviews (MRR) and production readiness reviews (PRR) for new programs
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Identify, qualify, and manage strategic manufacturing partners, contract manufacturers, and suppliers across the supply chain
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Serve as the primary on-site liaison at contract manufacturers—managing day-to-day operations including IQC support, material clearance for builds, work instruction verification, and escalation of progress updates and bottlenecks to HQ
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Travel regularly (up to 50%) to supplier sites, contract manufacturers, and partner facilities across North America and internationally
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Maintain and verify MES data accuracy against design requirements; ensure process parameters, routing, and BOM structures are correctly reflected in the manufacturing execution system
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Manage all MES-relevant attributes and ensure process compliance to design requirements
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Partner closely with Supplier Industrialization Engineering (SIE) and broader quality functions to ensure alignment on supplier quality standards, process validation, and production readiness
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Partner with quality engineering to establish incoming inspection, in-process quality controls, and final acceptance criteria
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Initiate and drive corrective action requests (CARs) for design or process nonconformances; ensure root cause analysis and effective containment through to closure
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Oversee deviation requests and engineering change implementation across manufacturing sites; ensure changes are validated, documented, and incorporated into production without disruption
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Define and track key manufacturing KPIs including yield, cycle time, throughput, and cost metrics
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Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, and other manufacturing best practices
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Build and mentor a manufacturing engineering team as Range scales its operations
Required Qualifications
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10+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, industrialization, or related roles, with at least 3 years in a leadership or program ownership capacity
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Proven track record of taking complex electromechanical or automotive systems from prototype through production launch
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Deep familiarity with automotive, commercial vehicle, or heavy equipment manufacturing processes and supply chains
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Hands-on experience with DFM/DFA, FMEA, PFMEA and structured quality and manufacturing methodologies
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Strong supplier development and contract manufacturer management experience
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Experience with tooling, fixturing, and assembly line design and optimization
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Excellent project management skills with the ability to drive multiple workstreams simultaneously in a fast-moving environment
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Comfortable operating with ambiguity and a startup mindset — you’re as comfortable on the shop floor as you are in a design review
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Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field; Master’s degree a plus
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Experience in electric vehicles, electromechanical systems, or adjacent industries strongly preferred
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Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% of the time
What Success Looks Like (first 6–12 months)
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Partner with the supply chain organization to design and implement a robust material flow strategy.
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Promote a safe and successful launch for every build by championing CTB (Clear to Build) initiatives.
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Coordinate with SIE, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional partners to build the necessary infrastructure for part handling, disposition, and MRB between suppliers and contract manufacturers.
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Provide on-site leadership for initial builds while taking full ownership of the Lessons Learned documentation process.
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Establish a reliable cadence of progress reporting and bottleneck escalation from CM sites to HQ
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Drive timely closure of corrective action requests with measurable reduction in repeat nonconformances
Preferred / Nice-to-Haves
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Experience in electric vehicles, electromechanical systems, or adjacent industries
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Experience managing offshore or international contract manufacturers
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Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification
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Range Energy participates in E-Verify in the United States. Range Energy will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.