Engineering Project Leader, VAVE

Job Description:

At Pentair, you will work along-side passionate problem-solvers who are committed to the future and are focused on creating a healthier world for all. Throughout our 120 global locations, our values guide us as we create innovative solutions for the world’s water challenges. We bring water to life!

As a Pentair employee, you would enjoy a wide array of benefit options to help keep you and your family healthy and protected, a generous 401(k) and ESPP to help you save for retirement, plus paid time off and wellness programs to encourage a healthy work/life balance.

We have an opportunity for a Engineering Project Leader, VAVE to join our North Aurora, IL team. You will investigate, analyze, and determine solutions, design, and implement technical changes to existing products in order to improve design, performance, cost, or manufacturing methods to improve the value of the product thru cost, simplification or increased value to the customer. To lead cross functional teams assembled for Value Engineering and existing product improvement.

You will:

• Own timely execution of VAVE programs and conduct VAVE events with cross functional teams.
• Lead VAVE events to analyze customer requirements, differentiators, and current design to identify product design enhancements to improve costs and value to the customer.
• Lead competitive product tear down analyses to evaluate competition’s product designs and manufacturability to determine the strengths and weaknesses.
• Build and manage an opportunity funnel of projects.
• Actively participate in Value Engineering initiatives by recommending improvements and monitoring implementation of changes. Promote design for manufacturability by working with engineers and suppliers to review/ modify tolerances/specifications on both new and existing designs.
• Lead cross functional teams to design, develop, test, and redesign existing products.
• Review manufacturing and internal processes to looks for areas of improvement and determine opportunities for cost reductions.
• Interact with category leaders, marketing, sales, and manufacturing with emphasis on defining Value.
• Work with operations, quality, suppliers, and product design engineers to resolve issues related to design, material, or function.
• Facilitate team meetings to define problems into reachable solutions.
• Plans and coordinates activities to develop and apply standardized design criteria and production requirements for parts and equipment. Establishes and maintains liaison between engineering and other departments to formulate and apply design criteria and production requirements for proposed products.
• Analyzes product design data to determine conformance to established design selection criteria, use of standardized parts and equipment, and design-to-cost ratio.
• Aligns team on initial design or recommends modifications based on predictability, cost, and component technology factors.
• Initiates and aligns team on testing of new parts and equipment, evaluating test results, and approving or rejecting usage of parts and equipment based on test results.
• Establishes and maintains liaison between engineering and other departments to formulate and apply design criteria and production requirements for proposed products.
• Analyzes product design data to determine conformance to established design selection criteria, use of standardized parts and equipment, and design-to-cost ratio.
• Must employ lean methodologies and tools to improve processes.

Key Qualifications:

• BS degree in Mechanical or related Engineering discipline with 3 to 7 years.
• Excellent communication skills (both oral and written) are essential.
• Have manufacturing background and be comfortable interfacing with all levels of a manufacturing organization.
• Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing experience a plus.
• Computer skills – Microsoft Office, Auto-CAD, and Solid Works. Working knowledge of ERP systems such as SAP and JDE.

Pentair is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Diversity and Inclusion:

With our expanding global presence, cross-cultural insight and competence are essential for our ongoing success. We believe that a diverse workforce contributes different perspectives and creative ideas that enable us to continue to improve every day. Race, gender, ethnicity, country of origin, age, personal style, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, life experiences and many more factors contribute to this diversity.

We take ongoing action to improve the diversity of our workforce by:

• Ensuring leadership involvement and ownership
• Attracting and retaining diverse talent at all levels
• Fostering a globally aware, inclusive culture
• Ensuring our practices are fair and non-discriminatory