Product Design Director jobs in Rockford, IL

Role Purpose:

General Responsibilities for this position will be to perform routine product engineering work and to assist in handling engineering projects. Routine work will involve the preparation and presentation of drawings, sketches, layouts and associated engineering specification. The individual will interact with other departments as needed to complete the assigned projects. The individual is expected to work with customers and vendors in the development of designs, prototypes and problem solving activities.

Key Responsibilities:

Research, develop, analyze, design, and test company products or processes using engineering and scientific principles to implement engineering solutions to meet organizational objectives.

• Analyze and verify product or process design and product performance to customer requirements.
• Apply knowledge of engineering and scientific methods and tools to define and characterize behavior of products and processes.
• Continuously improve product and processes via designs, work instructions, statistical process control and other relevant methods and concepts.
• Develop engineering solutions to a wide range of complex technical problems, requiring ingenuity and innovation. Exercise broad latitude in determining technical solutions.
• Effectively communicate product analysis test plans. Utilize standard procedures to fulfil routine engineering functions, such as, initiate test requests, issuance of Experimental Parts Work Orders (EPWO) to support intended evaluations, support test reporting where applicable, and build product.
• Evaluate discrepancies between product and established engineering specifications and assign suitable disposition to support Material Review Board (MRB) activities.
• Integrate technical, cost, value and safety considerations into the product definition to comply with customer, regulatory and company requirements. Document results in drawings, data sets, design verification reports, design engineering specifications and supporting data.
• Interface with other members of project or program team, management and manufacturing staff to facilitate the implementation of manufacturing process improvement initiatives
• May interface with customers and suppliers to achieve cost effective, technically sound and functionally superior products.

Provide technical guidance to less experienced staff; may act in a technical leadership capacity.

• Responsible for ensuring product (including parts, assemblies or tools) are consistent with company and customer quality standards.
• Research and develop material and processes that support the translation from abstract concepts to functional products.
• Support, identify or implement Lean initiatives to improve products and processes.
• Utiliize engineering CAD software to generate product models, determine ease of manufacturability, and ability to effectively communicate design review proceedings across multiple departments.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

B.S. degree in Engineering

5 years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience utilizing Windchill and Creo experience preferred.

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the practical situations.
• Dynamic individual with a high results orientation, a proactive self-starter who is confident and able to work independently as well as constructively within a global organization. Experience in implementing industry leading best practices.
• Relentless and results driven performer with a continuous improvement mind-set.
• Strong PC skills (Excel, Power Point, Word and Microsoft Project).