Team Lead - Product Improvements

Main responsibilities and tasks:

Burckhardt Compression is seeking a technically strong and innovative engineering leader to drive product improvement initiatives across reciprocating compressor products and related rotating equipment. The role will be responsible for identifying, conceptualizing, prioritizing, and executing engineering improvements that enhance product performance, reliability, manufacturability, quality, cost competitiveness, and customer value. The ideal candidate combines deep mechanical design expertise with strong innovation, project leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills. This role will act as a catalyst for continuous improvement, transforming field feedback, quality concerns, operational challenges, and new technology opportunities into tangible product enhancements.

Product Improvement Leadership

• Lead and drive Product Improvement Cell with end-to-end ownership of strategic improvement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain a structured pipeline of product improvement opportunities based on customer feedback, field issues, workshop observations, testing results, quality data, value engineering inputs, and technological advancements.
• Identify opportunities to improve product reliability, performance, manufacturability, maintainability, safety, and lifecycle cost.
• Drive standardization and modularization initiatives to improve engineering efficiency and reduce complexity.
• Generate innovative concepts for product enhancement and next-generation solutions.
• Lead feasibility studies, concept evaluations, technical risk assessments, business cases, and project charters.
• Prepare and present improvement proposals to Engineering Steering Committees and management forums.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, materials, manufacturing methods, and digital solutions for application in compressor products and components.

Engineering Design Excellence

• Review and validate designs, assemblies, part drawings, and design modifications for technical robustness.
• Lead design reviews and challenge existing design practices to achieve superior engineering solutions.
• Ensure compliance with relevant international standards including ASME, API, ASTM, ISO, NACE, PED, and customer specifications.
• Support critical engineering decisions through calculations, simulations, testing, and root cause investigations.
• Lead complex technical investigations arising from field failures, quality issues, and operational challenges.
• Drive Root Cause Analysis using structured methodologies such as 8D, Why-Why Analysis, FMEA, Fault Tree Analysis, and Design Reviews.
• Establish preventive and corrective actions to eliminate recurrence.
• Capture and institutionalize lessons learned into engineering standards and design guidelines.

Project Management

• Lead multiple improvement projects from ideation through implementation and benefit realization.
• Define project scope, timelines, milestones, risk mitigation plans, stakeholder responsibilities, and success criteria.
• Track project progress and ensure on time delivery of measurable business benefits.

Digitalization & Engineering Productivity

• Lead engineering automation and digital transformation initiatives.
• Improve engineering productivity through advanced use of Power BI, SAP, Teamcenter, NX, VBA, AI-enabled solutions, and other digital tools.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate manual effort, reduce engineering lead times, and improve data-driven decision-making.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of mechanical engineers.
• Allocate work, review deliverables, and ensure technical excellence.
• Develop team competencies, innovation mindset, and continuous improvement culture.
• Coach engineers in problem-solving, design excellence, and project execution.
• Facilitate alignment among stakeholders and drive implementation of approved improvements.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external experts to accelerate innovation and problem solving.

Education, Experience and Languages:

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Master’s Degree (M.Tech./ M.E.) from a reputed institute is preferred.
• 10+ years of industrial experience preferably in rotating equipment.
• Proven experience leading product improvement, value engineering, cost optimization, design enhancement, and cross-functional engineering initiatives.
• Proficiency in English language and knowledge of German language will be an added advantage.

Burckhardt Compression creates leading compression solutions for a sustainable energy future and the long-term success of its customers. The Group is the only global manufacturer that covers a full range of reciprocating compressor technologies and services. Since 1844, its passionate, customer-oriented and solution-driven workforce has set the benchmark in the gas compression industry.