Mechanical Design Engineer II

Job Summary

The Mechanical Design Engineer (MDE) is responsible for the engineering of New Product Development (NPD) projects. The MDE will work directly with suppliers in all areas concerning product development. The MDE will integrate creative thinking into all aspects of their job responsibilities and provide guidance and recommendations to the cross-functional groups within Luxor. Given the MDE’s knowledge and experience, projects will be managed with a minimum of functional supervision.

Other responsibilities include working closely with Product Management, Product Design, Sales, Design Consultancies, Marketing Communications, Supply Chain, Suppliers, and Customer Support to deliver winning products that ensure incremental revenue, customer satisfaction, time to market, and margin goals are met.

While involved with the entire product lifecycle, the Mechanical Design Engineer’s main focus is on supporting new product development from the point of concept definition through production. These products will be highly differentiated and deliver meaningful, preferred benefits possessing superior value to the customer to solve their most important needs.

The MDE will also be involved in design improvement and value engineering projects to improve products and profitability for Luxor.

In short, the Mechanical Engineer must initiate, create, capture, nurture, promote, manage, and deliver innovation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Functional Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Product Management to define the products prioritized features, financial estimates, feasibility analysis, positioning, messaging, packaging design and corresponding justifications.
• Communicate project updates to broader cross-functional teams on a weekly basis.
• Be knowledgeable with respect to competitors and their activities to identify product differentiation opportunities.
• Understand customer dynamics and Voice of the Customer to make quality product decisions with those in mind (delivered by Product Management).
• Evaluate sources of new products in partnership with Sourcing, Product Management and Product Design.
• Create, communicate, verify and validate product specifications to internal and external designers for all projects.
• Consult with and problem-solve technical product design and manufacturing details with domestic and overseas suppliers, industrial designers, and engineering firms.
• Create own designs in CAD as needed to support design effort.

• • Work with the cross-functional team to incorporate changes to existing products (ECOs).
  • Author engineering specifications for new and existing products.
• Work with Quality Control to translate specifications into Product Quality Plans.
• Ensure that current and historical information involved in the development of projects are being properly archived for future reference.
• Assist with patent reviews and research as needed.
• Participate in project meetings with the cross-functional and NPD team.
• Confirm all projects pass each point of the NPD process from concept to production
• Collaborate with Product Management and Marketing in the completion of sell-sheets, customer-facing specifications, and user instructions (as needed).
• Work directly with suppliers on product development.
• Meet all deadlines as established in coordination with the Sr. Product Manager and continuously ensure alignment of project priorities.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Travel to partners and factories as needed.
• Assists other department team members where possible.
• Identifies achievable goals and methods of handling customer requirements/requests with team members.
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills and teamwork.
• Improves, streamlines and implements standardized processes and procedures.
• Works on projects and tasks requested by the department manager.
• Maintains and updates the relevant product information in systems including items, descriptions, costs, etc.

Skills and Abilities Required

• Travel to partners and factories as needed.
• Assists other department team members where possible.
• Identifies achievable goals and methods of handling customer requirements/requests with team members.
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills and teamwork.
• Improves, streamlines and implements standardized processes and procedures.
• Works on projects and tasks requested by the department manager.
• Maintains and updates the relevant product information in systems including items, descriptions, costs, etc.

Education and Experience Required

Work History Requirements:

• 2 - 5 years' experience in managing complex, long-term, cross-functional projects designing for a wide variety of materials/manufacturing processes as well as products needing compliance with national and industry certifications.
• Experience in working with overseas manufacturers a plus.
• Knowledge of latest project management techniques with specific examples of on-time delivery of cost-appropriate, high-quality goods resulting in market success.
• High attention to detail.
• Experience in uncovering and translating customer/consumer needs into relevant products features.
• Excellent teamwork skills coupled with excellent written and verbal communication skills, a polite and approachable demeanor, and a proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Working hours must be flexible as required by each project, e.g., late-night phone calls to Asian suppliers or early departures for out-of-town meetings are sometimes required.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical Preferred) required.

Computer equipment and level of software requirements:

• Proficient in 3D modeling software such as Solidworks and Simulation.
• Must possess a high competency with common office software such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook.
• Experience with project management software such as MS Project
• Intermediate Level in ERP systems preferred

Intangibles

To be successful, the individual will need to possess the following characteristics:

1. Holistic thinking that does not rely only on the simple analytical solutions, but can recognize all the important components of a challenging problem and create inventive solutions that greatly enhance existing options.
2. Optimism that assumes that there is one or more unique solution that beats the other known alternatives.
3. Inquisitive nature that asks questions and challenges constraints in unconventional ways that lead in unexplored directions.
4.  Enthusiastic interdisciplinary collaborator with more than one area of expertise to share with the team.

Specific Knowledge, licenses, certifications REQUIRED:

• None

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• None

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

• None

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Ability to assemble and test products as needed.
• Ability to build proofs of concept as needed.
• Occasional lifting and assembly in the general office environment up to 40 lbs.

PHYSICAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT:

• Occasional use of machines that require basic safety equipment like safety glasses and protective gloves.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Usual office working conditions, with some basic workshop demands.