Engineering Manager

Location: US-MI-Mt Clemens, Greater Detroit

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

Axalta has remained at the forefront of the coatings industry by continually investing in innovative solutions. We engineer technologies that protect customers’ products – whether they are battling heat, light, corrosion, abrasion, moisture, or chemicals – and add dimension and beauty with colourful finishes. We have a vast and ever-evolving portfolio of brands primed to play an important part in everything from modernizing infrastructure around the world to enabling the next generation of electric and autonomous vehicles. 

We are currently looking for an Engineering Manager to join us at our facility in Mt Clemens, MI. The Mt Clemens facility is a key automotive coatings production site focused on delivering high-quality, innovative paint products to customers.

Position Summary:

The Engineering Manager is a critical site leadership role responsible for leading all engineering functions at the Mt. Clemens plant. This role ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of manufacturing processes and infrastructure, while driving capital project execution, process optimization, and long-term site strategy.

The Engineering Manager leads a team of process, project, and controls engineers and partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, EH&S, and Quality to deliver operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing engineering team across multiple disciplines

• Set clear performance expectations and ensure accountability to site goals

• Build bench strength through talent development, succession planning, and recruitment

• Foster a culture aligned to Axalta values, safety, and continuous improvement

Operational & Technical Leadership

• Provide engineering support to ensure safe, stable, and efficient plant operations

• Lead troubleshooting of complex process and equipment issues

• Drive improvements in asset reliability, uptime, and process capability

• Partner with Maintenance to implement reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) strategies

Process Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, and environmental regulations

• Own and govern key safety processes including:

  • Process Hazard Analyses (PHA)

  • Management of Change (MOC)

  • Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR)

  • Job Hazard Analyses (JHA)

• Lead risk mitigation activities and ensure safe design and operation of processes

Capital Projects & Site Strategy

• Lead development and execution of the site capital plan, including:

  • Safety and compliance projects

  • Reliability and maintenance improvements

  • Capacity and growth initiatives

• Manage project execution from concept through commissioning

• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned to business objectives

• Partner with corporate engineering teams to align to long-term strategy

Continuous Improvement & Productivity

• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives

• Utilize data and metrics to improve:

  • Cost efficiency

  • Throughput

  • Quality performance

• Lead FMEAs, root cause analysis (RCA), and process optimization efforts

Financial & Budget Management

• Manage the Engineering capital and expense budgets

• Ensure effective allocation of resources across priorities

• Deliver cost control while supporting operational and growth objectives

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with:

  • Operations to support production performance

  • Quality to ensure product integrity and compliance

  • EH&S to drive a strong safety culture

  • Maintenance to improve equipment reliability

• Serve as a key member of the site leadership team

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical preferred)

• 7+ years of progressive engineering experience, including leadership responsibility

• Demonstrated experience in chemical or manufacturing environments

• Proven ability to lead teams and influence across functions

• Strong experience with:

• PSM / PHA processes

• Capital project execution

• Budget management

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in coatings, chemical, or regulated manufacturing environments

• Lean / Six Sigma certification

• Experience managing multi-million-dollar capital projects

• Knowledge of controls/automation systems

Work Environment and Expectations:

• Manufacturing / plant environment

• Ability to support off-shift or weekend needs as required

• High visibility role requiring frequent collaboration and decision-making

This is an active opening for which we are recruiting to fill immediately.

Axalta operates its business in two segments: Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings, which serve four end markets, including Refinish, Industrial, Light Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle, across North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Our diverse global footprint allows us to deliver solutions in over 140+ countries and coat 30 million vehicles per year. We’ve recently set an exciting 2040 carbon neutrality goal, in addition to 10 other sustainability initiatives, and we take pride in working with our customers to optimize their businesses and achieve their goals. 

Our Company:

Axalta has remained at the forefront of the coatings industry by continually investing in innovative solutions. We engineer technologies that protect customers’ products – whether they are battling heat, light, corrosion, abrasion, moisture, or chemicals – and add dimension and beauty with colorful finishes. We have a vast and ever-evolving portfolio of brands primed to play an important part in everything from modernizing infrastructure around the world to enabling the next generation of electric and autonomous vehicles.

 

Axalta operates its business in two segments: Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings, which serve four end markets, including Refinish, Industrial, Light Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle, across North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Our diverse global footprint allows us to deliver solutions in over 140+ countries and coat 30 million vehicles per year. We’ve recently set an exciting 2040 carbon neutrality goal, in addition to 10 other sustainability initiatives, and we take pride in working with our customers to optimize their businesses and achieve their goals.

Axalta may use technology-assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to support certain aspects of the recruitment and selection process. These tools may be used to help manage applications, identify job-related qualifications, and assist recruiter review. All hiring decisions involve human oversight and review.

Recruitment Fraud Alert: We take candidate safety seriously. If you believe you’ve encountered a fraudulent job posting claiming to represent our company, please include a link or screenshot and report it to TA-Support-Center@axalta.com.

1.1 - Executive/Senior Level Officials and Managers (EEO-1 Job Categories-United States of America)

We consider an individual’s qualifications, skillset, and experience to determine final salary. This role is eligible for benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. The actual offer will be at the company’s sole discretion and determined by relevant business considerations, including the final candidate’s qualifications, years of experience, skillset, and geographic location.

This is an active opening for which we are recruiting to fill immediately.