Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Manager (51573)
Gradian Thermal Solutions · Dayton, MN
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $120k–$160k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 4+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 4 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management manufacturing role at Gradian Thermal Solutions (industrial) in Dayton, MN.
- They ask for
- 4+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, FMEA, PLC, Robotics
- Base pay
- $120k–$160k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Minnesota: typical posted base $101k–$155k. This one lists $120k–$160k.
Median of the low and high ends of 23 live postings that list pay, out of 40 manufacturing engineer openings in Minnesota, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Minnesota plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 39 other live manufacturing postings in Minnesota.
- Base pay
- About 15% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (4+ vs 5+)
Typical $93k–$149k, from 20 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 48%
- ✓ Lean 43%
- ✓ New product launch 35%
- Team leadership 35%
- ✓ EHS / safety 28%
- Root cause 25%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for PLC, MES, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Gradian Thermal Solutions
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from Gradian Thermal SolutionsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Position Summary
The Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Manager is Gradian's forward-looking product, technology and process-launch leader — the function that figures out how to build tomorrow's products before they ever reach a plant floor. Reporting to the Director of Manufacturing Engineering, you will lead a team of Advanced Manufacturing Engineers responsible for new product launch, new technology deployment, automation and Industry 4.0 implementation, and pre-production process development across our Air, Liquid, Chiller, DX, and CDU product lines. You will own the handoff point between product design and sustaining production — developing and proving out manufacturing processes, technology, and capital equipment before transferring stabilized lines to our plant-level Manufacturing Engineering Managers. This role is also Gradian's primary owner of Manufacturing Execution System (MES) strategy and digital manufacturing platform deployment, directly enabling a connected, visually managed production environment across our network.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and develop a team of Advanced Manufacturing Engineers, setting technical direction and building capability in automation, controls, and advanced process design
Own development and implementation of manufacturing processes, technology, and capital equipment supporting new product development (NPD) programs, from concept through stabilized production handoff
Specify and procure capital equipment supporting new line launches and technology upgrades; develop and justify capital project budgets
Lead product/process transfers and new line launches, coordinating directly with Design Engineering, Program Management, and plant Operations to execute NPDI milestones
Apply advanced launch methodologies — DFM/DFA, FMEA, 3P (Production Preparation Process), and Lean Six Sigma — ensuring new processes are capable, safe, and scalable before transfer to sustaining production
Provide multi-site technology deployment support, partnering with plant Manufacturing Engineering Managers to implement standardized, proven technology and processes across Gradian's network
Mentor and teach the cross-functional NPD engineering process, building organizational capability beyond your direct team
Develop and drive Gradian's automation and Industry 4.0 technology roadmap, identifying and implementing automation, robotics, and digital manufacturing opportunities across the plant network
Own Manufacturing Execution System (MES) strategy and implementation, partnering with plant-level Manufacturing Engineering Managers and IT
Partner with plant Manufacturing Engineering Managers and the Director of Manufacturing Engineering to ensure well-documented handoff of new processes into sustaining production
Evaluate production capacity and capability of new and existing technology, recommending enhancements to support growth
Ensure safety and ergonomics are designed into new processes and equipment from the outset, in compliance with OSHA and applicable codes
Qualifications
&
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or Manufacturing Engineering, or related technical field
8–10+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, including 3+ years in a leadership role
Demonstrated experience leading new technology deployment, automation, or process launches
Strong working knowledge of DFM/DFA, FMEA, Lean Six Sigma, and structured launch methodologies (e.g., 3P)
Experience specifying, justifying, and managing capital equipment projects
Proven ability to lead and develop a technical engineering team
Experience with automation, robotics, and PLC-based systems
Experience in HVAC, thermal management, or data center cooling equipment manufacturing
Six Sigma Green/Black Belt or equivalent certification
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Job Details: Level: Management, Job Location: Dayton Office - Dayton, MN, Position Type: Full Time, Education Level: 4 Year Degree, Salary Range: $120000.00 - $160000.00Salary/year, Job Category: Engineering, Gradian is an engineering-led, full-line thermal solutions partner serving data center and other mission-critical, commercial, and industrial markets. Headquartered in Maple Grove, MN, with additional facilities across North America, we design and manufacture liquid cooling systems, air handling equipment, heat rejection units, and modular, factory-assembled thermal management solutions.
Gradian was founded through the unification of four complementary, established brands: MAS HVAC, Daedex, DeepCoolAI, and EcoChillers. Together, we act as a single-source provider, deploying cooling technologies as scalable systems optimized for efficiency, spatial constraints, and overall performance. With a vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing model, we pair rapid design turnaround with precision fabrication, so customers can move faster on complex projects where reliability, timeline, and quality all matter.
Why work here
At Gradian, you'll work alongside others who get genuinely fired up by complex problems, see your work go from first sketch to job site in weeks, not years, and know that while we're developing the technologies critical for AI infrastructure to scale, our culture remains people-first by design.
It is core to our identity that we operate as one team — driving to win together, energizing others, and building lasting relationships that make the work fun and rewarding.
Key Competencies
Forward-looking technical vision balanced with practical, achievable execution
Leadership and team development
Cross-functional influence (Design Engineering, Program Management, Operations, IT)
Structured problem-solving and launch discipline
Change management and organizational teaching ability
Data-driven decision making
Safety-first mindset in new process and equipment design
Benefits
Medica