Manufacturing Engineer

Welcome. We're glad you're here. And we're not just saying that. We're glad we're here too. We are proud of this company and take great pleasure in introducing you to the Watson difference.

We are builders.

For more than 60 years we have designed and built workspaces for some of the most dynamic and innovative companies. Our designs are functional, refined, and manufactured with respect for our people and the environment. We are proud to source the best talent and materials at our manufacturing facility in Poulsbo, WA.

We're looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to design and improve the processes that let our production floor run safely, consistently, and better every day. Our floor runs CNC routers, fiber lasers, press brakes, edgebanders, weld, and a powder coat line, and you'll work hands-on across all of it.

This role is part of Watson's manufacturing engineering team, led by the Maintenance and Process Manager (MPM). The Value Stream Managers and the MPM define the current condition, the target condition, and the goals that matter. You help make it happen through process design, standard work, tooling, programs, and automation, and through a culture where problems get solved at the root, not just patched for the shift.

Sitting squarely within operations, you stay guided by customer demand, giving the Value Stream Managers and floor teams the process, tooling, and data they need to execute on time, every time.

This role reports to the Maintenance and Process Manager and works closely with the Value Stream Managers, floor teams, Product Development, Production Planning, and Safety to bring practical, deliberate, and well thought out changes to production.

Please note, this role is 100% on site at our Poulsbo, Washington workplace called The Orchard.

The Orchard is more than merely our Pacific Northwest headquarters and the land that surrounds it. With a perimeter of towering Douglas firs and vistas of the Olympic Mountains, it's quite an inspirational workplace. The Orchard is more expansive than its literal acreage. It's an oxygen rich metaphor of what we're here to do and, more importantly, what we're here to take care of. We love working here, and we think you will too!

What You'll Do:

Process Engineering

• Use lean as the shared language with the floor (standard work, 5S, value stream mapping, A3, kaizen) to find and remove waste.

• Work with the Value Stream Managers and floor teams to turn current and target conditions into process changes, layouts, and standard work.

• Build and maintain the work instructions, tooling, fixtures, and CNC programs that let the floor run safely, consistently, and at quality.

• Analyze workflow, equipment placement, and space requirements to improve throughput and flow.

• Coach operators to solve their own problems rather than solving it for them every time.

Projects and Partnership

• Research and build business cases for new equipment, automation, and technology, including feasibility, labor, and cost estimates.

• Support kaizen events and lead your own improvement projects through to completion with key stakeholders.

• Work with Product Development on manufacturability during new product introduction and product modifications.

• Use ERP and production data to set targets for quality and speed, and measure whether changes actually worked.