Manufacturing Process Engineer

Company Description Co-operative Plating Co. is a modern metal finishing facility serving a wide range of industries with comprehensive plating and surface treatment services. Operating since 1923, the company has built a strong reputation for outstanding service, quality products, and reliable turnaround times.

Its 55,000-square-foot production facility in the Midwest is equipped with up-to-date metal finishing and plating equipment. Co-operative Plating Co. offers an extensive portfolio of finishes, including anodizing, nickel, zinc, cadmium, gold, silver, and specialized treatments such as passivation, electropolishing, and dry film lubricants.

Team members join a culture focused on quality, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement in metal finishing processes.

Role Description The Manufacturing Process Engineer is a full-time, on-site role located in St Paul, MN. The Process Engineer is responsible for supporting one of Co-operative Plating's production lead groups by improving manufacturing processes, increasing productivity, and ensuring consistent quality.

This is a hands-on role that partners with production, leads, and fellow engineers to remove barriers to success, standardize best practices, and drive continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Support an assigned production lead group consisting of 2–4 plating lines.
• Improve manufacturing processes to increase safety, quality, productivity, and throughput.
• Develop and maintain work instructions, standard operating procedures, and training materials.
• Lead and support continuous improvement projects using data-driven problem solving.
• Troubleshoot production issues and work directly with platers and leads to implement sustainable solutions.
• Partner with the engineering team to support larger plant initiatives and share best practices across departments.
• Analyze process performance and recommend improvements to equipment, methods, and workflows.
• Support cross-training efforts and help develop production personnel.
• Foster a culture of servant leadership by removing obstacles that prevent employees from being successful while holding teams accountable for consistently delivering quality and production goals.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who enjoys being on the production floor, solving problems, developing people, and continuously improving manufacturing processes.

The ideal candidate will

• Be naturally curious and enjoy learning how and why processes work.
• Build strong relationships with platers, supervisors, fellow engineers, chemical suppliers, and equipment vendors.
• Learn from experienced employees while also taking ownership of becoming an expert through self-study and independent learning.
• Take initiative and drive projects from concept through implementation.
• Be comfortable balancing technical problem-solving with coaching and supporting production teams.
• Demonstrate strong analytical thinking, communication, and organizational skills.
• Lead through influence, humility, and accountability.

Preferred Experience

• Manufacturing, process improvement, engineering, plating, laboratory, or quality experience.
• Electroplating or metal finishing experience is a strong plus, but candidates with the aptitude and desire to learn the industry are encouraged to apply.
• Experience developing work instructions, training materials, or standard operating procedures.
• Experience leading or supporting continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or similar).
• Proven ability to solve problems using data and root cause analysis.

Education

• A four-year engineering degree is nice to have but not required. We value demonstrated technical ability, problem-solving skills, manufacturing experience, leadership potential, and a willingness to learn over formal education. Candidates with plating, laboratory, production, maintenance, or other relevant manufacturing experience who possess the right aptitude and attitude are encouraged to apply.