Senior Engineering Manager (Metal Stamping)

The Company

Our client is a leading global manufacturer of precision components and related technologies, serving customers across a range of industrial, electronics, and technology-oriented sectors. The company is known for its engineering capability, operational excellence, and commitment to continuous improvement.

The Thailand operation is an important manufacturing and engineering hub within the company's global network and supports customers across multiple international markets.

The client is seeking a Senior Manager, Top Cover Engineering to play a key role in strengthening technical capability within its Hard Disk Drive manufacturing operations.

The candidate will lead the Top Cover engineering function and provide technical leadership across process design, precision stamping, die management, and manufacturing excellence. Management's vision is to build a world-class engineering organization capable of consistently delivering the highest standards of product quality, process capability, and customer satisfaction.

Purpose of the Position

The Senior Manager, Top Cover Engineering will provide technical leadership for one of the company's most critical manufacturing processes. The role exists to strengthen engineering capability, consolidate and institutionalize technical know-how, and establish sustainable engineering standards that support consistent product quality, process capability, and long-term operational excellence. Working closely with production, quality and engineering teams, the position will play a key role in developing organizational capability while reducing dependence on individual expertise.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the complete Hard Disk Drive Top Cover manufacturing process, with accountability for technical performance, process capability and production consistency.
• Establish, optimize and control progressive stamping and press-forming conditions for stainless steel coil across multiple forming stages.
• Lead die management, tooling and equipment improvement to achieve the required dimensional accuracy, sealing performance and process stability.
• Translate customer drawings, specifications and design requirements into robust manufacturing conditions, engineering standards and process controls.
• Diagnose recurring process and quality issues, determine root causes, and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Consolidate technical know-how that is currently dispersed across the organization, documenting critical process conditions and establishing repeatable engineering practices.
• Develop and coach engineers, strengthen knowledge transfer, and reduce dependence on individual expertise.
• Develop engineering talent and strengthen organizational capability by building technical leadership within the team and establishing sustainable succession and knowledge-transfer practices.
• Foster a culture of engineering excellence, technical discipline and continuous improvement that supports long-term capability development, employee engagement and operational stability.
• Partner with production, quality, tooling and other engineering stakeholders to resolve technical constraints and prevent recurrence.
• Provide clear technical updates, recommendations and escalation support to the Engineering Director and relevant engineering leadership.

The Candidate

Experience and Professional Qualifications

• Approximately 10 or more years of process-engineering experience in high-volume manufacturing of precision metal components.
• Deep expertise in precision press forming and progressive stamping, ideally involving stainless steel coil and multi-stage forming processes.
• Strong hands-on experience in die engineering and management, tooling performance, die-life improvement and production-equipment optimization.
• Demonstrated success in controlling critical dimensions, flatness, deformation, appearance and sealing-related quality in precision components.
• Proven capability in structured root-cause analysis, process optimization, yield improvement and the practical application of DOE, SPC and process-capability measures.
• Experience supporting new-product introduction, process transfer, production ramp-up and stable mass-production launch.
• Direct HDD Top Cover experience is strongly preferred. Candidates without this background must demonstrate substantial experience in progressive stamping and high-precision mass production with comparable dimensional and sealing requirements.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing engineers, while providing technical direction to cross-functional manufacturing teams.
• Sufficient English communication skills to support technical discussions, customer requirements and coordination with regional engineering stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to translate customer specifications and product requirements into robust manufacturing standards, process controls and engineering practices.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong shop-floor credibility, sound engineering judgment and a practical approach to manufacturing improvement.
• Ability to identify the critical variables that drive dimensional accuracy, sealing performance, die condition and process stability.
• Structured problem solving, with the discipline to move from evidence and root cause to sustainable corrective action.
• Ability to convert individual technical know-how into documented standards, robust controls and repeatable engineering systems.
• Effective collaboration across production, quality, tooling and engineering functions, including clear escalation of technical risks and decisions.
• Strong coaching and knowledge-transfer capability, with the ability to develop engineers and strengthen organizational capability.
• Confidence operating as a dedicated technical Senior Manager within an established Engineering reporting structure.
• Practical change leadership, introducing proven external practices constructively and gaining engagement from established teams.