Manager, Lifecycle Engineering in Allentown, Pennsylvania at Sumitomo shi Cryogenics Of America Inc

Job Title: Manager-Sustaining Engineering

Reports to: Director of Engineering

Location: HQ-Allentown PA

Prepared Date: Nov 2026

Summary

SHI Cryogenics is seeking an experienced Sustaining Engineering Manager to lead the technical support, reliability improvement, lifecycle management, and continuous improvement of our portfolio of helium compressors, cryocoolers, and associated cryogenic systems. This position plays a critical role in maintaining product performance, quality, manufacturability, and customer satisfaction while ensuring operational excellence across production, service, supply chain, and field support functions.

The ideal candidate will possess strong mechanical and systems engineering expertise, a solid understanding of compressor and refrigeration technologies, and demonstrated experience leading cross-functional engineering initiatives throughout the product lifecycle.

Qualifications and Requirements

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or related technical field from ABET accredited institution. M.S. preferred
• 10+ years of experience in industrial equipment, compressors, refrigeration systems, rotating machinery, cryogenics, vacuum systems, or related technologies
• 3-5+ years of technical leadership or engineering management experience.
• Strong understanding of mechanical system design, manufacturing processes, and failure analysis.
• Experience with root cause investigation and corrective action processes.
• Knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, materials, and manufacturing methods.
• Experience managing engineering changes and product lifecycle activities.
• Excellent project management, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills. Ability to provide engineering support to production, service, sales and customers.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Job Responsibilities

Product Sustaining and Lifecycle Management

• Own the technical sustaining activities for helium compressors, GM cryocoolers, cryogenic refrigerators, and associated subsystems.
• Lead engineering investigation and resolution of field failures, product performance issues, manufacturing challenges, and supplier-related problems.
• Drive root cause analysis using structured methodologies such as 8D, DMAIC, Fishbone, and FMEA.
• Prioritize and execute product improvements that enhance reliability, performance, manufacturability, cost, and serviceability.
• Primary responsibility for Management of Change for existing products
• Primary responsibility for engineering assigned corrective and preventative actions
• Maintain product documentation including drawings, specifications, BOMs, assembly procedures, test methods, and technical standards.

Reliability and Quality Improvement

• Establish and monitor key product reliability and quality metrics.
• Analyze field-return data, warranty trends, and service reports to identify recurring failure modes.
• Lead corrective and preventive action (CAPA) initiatives.
• Support reliability growth programs and qualification testing.
• Partner with Quality and Manufacturing teams to reduce defects and improve product robustness.

Manufacturing and Operations Support

• Provide technical support to production operations and service organizations.
• Resolve manufacturing issues related to assembly, testing, tolerances, materials, and supplier performance.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement, cost reduction, and cycle time reduction.
• Support production scaling and capacity improvements while maintaining product quality.

Supplier and Component Engineering

• Collaborate with supply chain and supplier development teams to qualify components and alternate sources.
• Lead technical assessments of suppliers and critical components.
• Support supplier corrective actions and quality investigations.
• Evaluate obsolescence risks and develop replacement strategies for critical components.

Customer and Field Support

• Act as an engineering escalation point for critical customer issues.
• Support field service teams with troubleshooting, diagnostics, and corrective actions.
• Participate in customer visits and technical reviews as required.
• Work closely with global engineering and product support teams to address complex field concerns.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of sustaining engineers and technical specialists.
• Establish sustaining engineering priorities aligned with business objectives.
• Develop engineering standards, best practices, and technical training programs.
• Prepares scopes of work, project timelines & cost estimates. Ensures necessary skills and resources are effectively applied and delivered to plan.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.

Beneficial Skills & Attributes

• Experience in designing cryogenic refrigeration equipment, helium compressors, GM cryocoolers, Stirling cryocoolers, or vacuum technology
• Demonstrated expertise in thermodynamics, material properties, instrumentation and machine design at cryogenic temperatures.
• Knowledge of Mechanical and Electrical code and regulatory standards such as ASME/PED, CE, UL, IEC, RoHS.
• Familiarity with reliability engineering, Weibull analysis, and accelerated life testing.
• Working knowledge of Six Sigma and Lean methodologies

Competencies

• Customer Orientation

Able to work with internal and external customers to understand needs. Considers impacts on both internal and external customers; prioritizes and responds to customer needs. Able to resolve issues efficiently and effectively in a timely manner.

• Decision Making

Logically assesses risk, demonstrates confidence and good judgement when making decisions and setting courses of action; is responsive to changing conditions and takes accountability for decisions made.

• Analytical

Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs workflows and procedures.

• Project Management

Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and within budget; manages project team activities.

• Problem Solving

Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason when dealing with emotional topics.