Principal Project Engineer

The Principal Plastics Supplier Development Engineer is a key member of the Supplier Development Engineering group, which is part of Insulet’s Global Procurement and Supplier Development organization.  Insulet manages a global supply chain and sources precision components and commodities from around the world for use in its devices. She/He will provide the vision for the management of injection molding tooling, capital, and part design across the supply base, and help streamline the processes with the goal of reduced lead time and reduced variation globally. She/he will be used to implement cutting edge technology in injection molding tools and molding cells for high volume medical molding.  They will work closely with peers in Quality, Sourcing, and Lifecycle Engineering to lead and implement new capital equipment and tooling at suppliers, carry out new product introductions, execute improvement projects, resolve business-critical technical issues, and investigate and lead corrective actions in response to quality issues across the supply base. 

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record working between internal manufacturing and suppliers of custom injection molded components to develop robust injection molding tooling and molding cellsto aim to minimize component variation.  The candidate should have the ability to coach and lead cross functional teams through a structured problem-solving process, identify issues within the manufacturing environment and drive technical solutions back to the suppliers and lead and drive improvement projects. Candidates should enjoy the technical challenges and be comfortable interfacing with and influencing supplier personnel ranging from shop floor operators to leadership.

Responsibilities: 

• Will serve as a plastics SME for the injection molding tooling and part design.

• Fluent use of tooling design and DFM programs to design and standardize robust and optimum tools.

• Run and analyze moldflow programs, create risk assessment reports and design proposals to mitigate risks.

• Review and analyze plastic part design for optimum part design, create risk assessment, and recommend improvements.

• Develop and standardize systems and policies about the management of tools, such as, and not limited to, the standardization of tools, processes for accepting tools through FAT, tool design specifications, lesson learned and improvement roll out from existing tools, new part/tool designs, etc

• Understand, plan, and execute tool kick offs based on component demands and ramp.

• Work with the commodity managers to develop a pipe line of cost savings initiatives

• Participate actively in DFM projects to allow Insulet to scale efficiently at its current growth rate

• Work with suppliers to understand all aspects of the manufacturing of plastics components

• Proliferate the use of cavity pressure technology across the global supply base

• Provide cost effective and technical solutions to new and existing molding cells

• Specify and review designs for equipment, tooling, materials, and part designs

• Apply advanced Engineering theories, principles, and methods to all things about molding.

• Exercise decisions and judgment, utilizingadvance Engineering techniques, about Engineering problems and proposals, applying expertise to solve simple and complex issues.

• Lead the technical aspects, specifications, and designs of complete molding cells, including automation and vision inspection systems.

• Be on the forefront of molding technology and propose new platforms for Insulet parts.

• Responsible for ensuring that suppliers have accurate prints/BOM

• All other duties as assigned

Education and ExperienceMinimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Plastics, Mechanical, Manufacturing or Related)

• Minimum 10+ years working experience in Plastics Injection Mold Tooling and/or Part Design

• Working knowledge/experience in Scientific injection molding

• Root Cause Analyses (RCA) skills

• Understanding of components risk assessment/mitigation plans

• Excellent communication skills

Preferred Skills and Experiences:          

• Proficient at all aspects of injection molding processes/technologies- cube molds, two shot, stack.

• Working knowledge of cavity pressure sensors

• Full knowledge of all injection molding cells (machines, tools, hot runner systems, automation, vision systems, auxillary, etc)

• Working knowledge of MS Office, including Office Project software

• Six Sigma Process Improvement Experience/Certification

• Outstanding team player who seeks and values diverse input to hone ideas, but who has the experience to develop strong starting proposals

Required Leadership/Interpersonal Skills & Behaviors:

• Strong communicator and collaborator across engineering, operations, and supplier teams

• Proven ability to lead tooling programs

• Skilled at navigating ambiguity and driving clarity in fast-paced, cross-functional environments

• Demonstrated ability to influence decisions and outcomes across organizational boundaries

Physical Requirements (if applicable):           

• Ability to travel domestically/Internationally – 15%-25% typical, 40% max

NOTE: This position is eligible for hybrid working arrangements (requires on-site work from an Insulet office at least 3-4x/week; may work remotely other days). #LI-Hybrid