Mechanical Engineer, Product Development

Department: Engineering

Reports to: Director of Engineering and Sales

Status: Exempt

Overview

The Product Development Engineer provides technical and creative design, development, and support for products that fulfill customer requirements, working closely with the technical sales team to bring solutions to fruition. This is a individual-contributor role for an engineer who can own projects end to end with minimal oversight.

Cover Letter Required

Are you a hobbyist — woodworking, automotive tinkering, or another outlet for your mechanical aptitude outside the workplace? We’d love to hear about it. ESP has a diverse group of people who ride motorcycles, work on cars, go off-roading, build woodworking projects, and generally enjoy using their skillset outside the office. Tell us what makes you tick outside the 9-to-5. Please include a cover letter sharing a bit about yourself and your experience.

About Us

ESP Spares serves the semiconductor and aerospace manufacturing industries. We are a small company with roughly 50 employees and a strong track record with our customers. We are a growing company looking for A-players to join our team.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Under minimal supervision, perform a variety of engineering work designing, improving, and supporting new and existing products using standard engineering practices

• Collaborate with technical sales to outline and document the scope of new products and prepare initial product concepts/visuals to support the sales process

• Design new products by reverse engineering and/or modifying existing products, or developing from initial concept, to fulfill customer requirements

• Products generally include: consumable plastic wear components, custom equipment maintenance jigs, electro-mechanical assemblies, repairs/refurbishments/upgrades of existing parts

• Utilize metrology equipment to reverse engineer part dimensions accurately

• Draft precise 3D models of parts and assemblies in CAD

• Create properly dimensioned drawings, assembly work instructions, and other documentation needed to support manufacturing

• Review external specifications and manufacturing drawings from contract-manufacturing customers to ensure all necessary information to satisfy their requirements is present

• Perform engineering functions including material selection and engineering analysis (load rating, tensile strength, torque specs, etc.) during new product development

• Communicate with customers, vendors, and other departments to meet project requirements and schedules’

• Represent engineering department in NPI meetings to review manufacturing steps, labor time estimates, drawings, and lead times

• Track and document all design work, from concept through production, for assigned projects

• RFQ vendors, gather pricing, and input into the product cost summary

• Travel to customer and vendor sites as needed to support product development or existing products in the field

• Select the most appropriate vendor from the qualified vendor list for each project, or research and qualify new vendors to diversify ESP's supply base, including on-site capability assessments

• Provide vendors with recommendations for improving their processes and technologies

• Research new manufacturing methods to fulfill new product requirements or improve existing ones

• Assist with test fixture design and software-related testing capabilities for new or existing products

• Analyze product failures and drive product improvement in response

• Review current products and optimize designs to improve quality and reduce cost

Education and Experience

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

• 5–10 years of related product design and development experience

• Proven track record creating and dimensioning drawings in SolidWorks

• Experience working with outsourced vendors to meet product manufacturing requirements

• Experience with plastic and metal CNC machining, sheet metal forming and welding, 3D printing, and/or other varied manufacturing methods

• Experience designing and integrating multi-component assemblies

• Experience with tolerance analysis

• Background in material science applied to mechanical engineering, with emphasis on engineering plastics

• Understanding of or experience with coatings (anodize, powder coat, fluoropolymer, electropolish, ceramics, etc.)

• Experience in a customer-facing role engaging product stakeholders and end users

• Experience leading or mentoring less-senior engineers is a plus

• Experience with plastics manufacturing (extrusion, injection molding, compression molding, etc.) is a plus

• QA/QC experience in the manufacturing industry is a plus

• Experience with software programming is a plus

• Experience in the semiconductor or aerospace manufacturing industry is a plus

• ISO 9001/AS9100 experience is a plus

Skills / Qualifications

• Proficient with SolidWorks®

• Ability to use CMMs, calipers, micrometers, gauge pins, optical comparators, thread pitch mics, height gauges, profilometers, and other analytical measurement equipment

• Strong command of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5

• Able to direct own work and complete requirements with minimal supervision

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

• Strong written and verbal communication skills required

• Highly detail-oriented with solid project management skills

• High sense of urgency; self-starter eager to take on additional responsibility

• Kind and humble

Physical Demands / Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Frequently required to sit, talk, and hear; occasionally required to walk, use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls, and reach with hands and arms

• Required to sit for long periods of time

• Required to lift files (up to 50 pounds), turn wrenches, and bend or stand as necessary.

• Use of basic tools and measuring devices

• Usual office working conditions; this role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and printers.

• Light warehouse conditions, particularly in shipping and receiving

• Specific vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to adjust focus

• The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. Omission of a specific duty does not exclude it from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement and is subject to change as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job evolve.