Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Onsite – Gastonia, North Carolina (Charlotte metro area)

Target Start: January 2027 or earlier

Languages: Fluent English and Portuguese

CAPISIUS Consulting is recruiting on behalf of a founder-led, international aluminum transformation company with 30+ years of history, headquartered in Brazil, that is opening its first US fabrication and machining operation in Gastonia, North Carolina. The client's name is confidential at this stage and will be disclosed to qualified candidates during the interview process.

The company runs a verticalized operation from recycling and remelting to extrusion and complex component fabrication. The new US plant will initially serve the elevator and escalator industry (configured products), launching with a global elevator manufacturer, and will expand into energy and industrial and capital goods markets.

This is the first hire of the US operation. You will build the plant from the ground up from the shop floor to the customer taking new products from design through industrialization and into steady production.

This is not a role for someone who wants a defined lane in a large organization. You will switch hats daily between suppliers, customers and the team you hire, working independently with direct access to the founder. The operation will grow gradually to about 20 employees as processes are qualified, and the person in this seat will shape how it runs.

For the right engineer, this is a rare chance to help a family-owned company take its legacy to a new country, and to grow with the business as it scales.

• Turn customer designs into fabrication: define processes, tooling and work methods for new product introduction (NPI) and industrialization
• Install machinery and set up the plant, in a greenfield or brownfield setting
• Establish and qualify processes for 4-axis CNC machining, forming, assembly and welding of aluminum components
• Select and develop suppliers, receive orders and review commercial and technical terms
• Work directly with customers through every step of a production launch, from first samples to steady supply
• Hire and train the initial operations team
• Drive continuous improvement in quality, cost and delivery as volumes ramp up
• Act as the technical bridge between the US plant and the company's operations in Brazil

• Process or mechanical engineering background
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in discrete metal fabrication
• Working knowledge of aluminum and its fabrication processes
• Experience with NPI and Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)
• Hands-on experience with CNC machining and CAM, press brake forming and welding
• Experience with a plant startup, line launch or expansion (greenfield or brownfield)
• Fluent in English and Portuguese
• Authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship

• Startup mindset: hands-on, resourceful and comfortable building processes from scratch
• Works independently and is driven by challenges
• Comfortable moving between the shop floor, customers and suppliers in the same day
• Continuous-improvement mindset
• Able to work across Brazilian and US business cultures

• Elevator and escalator industry experience, or with suppliers to elevator manufacturers
• Energy, industrial equipment or capital goods manufacturing experience is also a strong fit
• Experience with configured or engineered-to-order products

Process Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | Mechanical Engineer | Aluminum | Aluminum Fabrication | Aluminum Extrusion | Discrete Metal Fabrication | CNC Machining | 4-Axis CNC | CAM | Press Brake | Forming | Welding | Assembly | Tooling | Die Shop | New Product Introduction (NPI) | Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) | Industrialization | Plant Startup | Greenfield | Brownfield | Machinery Installation | Supplier Development | Continuous Improvement | Elevators | Escalators | Configured Products | Energy | Industrial Equipment | Capital Goods | Bilingual Portuguese | Gastonia NC | Charlotte NC

Onsite, hands-on role based at the Gastonia, North Carolina plant, about 30 minutes from Charlotte. Regular time on the shop floor and close interaction with customers, suppliers and the company's team in Brazil.

• Be the first hire and build a US manufacturing operation from day one
• Work directly with a founder who is passionate about the business, in a family-owned company continuing its legacy
• Launch with an established global customer, with a clear plan to grow into new markets
• Backed by 30+ years of aluminum expertise and a verticalized operation in Brazil
• Grow with the company as the US team and operation scale

CAPISIUS Consulting and its client are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Both CAPISIUS Consulting and its client are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. If you require an accommodation to participate in the recruiting process, please let us know when you apply.