Design Engineer (Ref: 197720)

My client are an established global engineering and manufacturing organization that designs and produces highly engineered products and solutions for industrial customers.

Innovation sits at the heart of our business, and we continue to invest in new product development, automation, connected technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Our R&D function works closely with manufacturing, product management, customers, and suppliers to take new ideas from early-stage concept through prototyping, validation, and successful production launch.

As part of continued investment in our product development capability, we are looking to appoint an Electro-Mechanical Design Engineer – R&D to join our Minnesota-based engineering team.

The Electro-Mechanical Design Engineer will develop innovative products and technologies combining mechanical engineering, electrical components, sensors, controls, and software-enabled functionality.

This is a hands-on R&D position covering the complete product development lifecycle – from understanding customer requirements and developing initial concepts through detailed design, prototype builds, testing, validation, production launch, and post-launch improvement.

You'll work in a highly cross-functional environment alongside mechanical, electrical, embedded systems, manufacturing, and product specialists, while also engaging with suppliers and customers.

This role would particularly suit an engineer who enjoys building, testing, troubleshooting, and improving physical products, rather than working exclusively within a design office.

Product & Technology Development

• Design and develop electro-mechanical products, subsystems, test fixtures, and technology demonstrators.

• Translate customer, market, and technical requirements into practical engineering concepts and detailed designs.

• Integrate mechanical systems with sensors, motors, actuators, switches, controls, power supplies, wiring, communication devices, and embedded or connected technologies.

• Produce mechanical designs, assemblies, engineering drawings, specifications, schematics, wiring diagrams, and bills of material.

• Apply engineering principles across tolerance, motion, loading, thermal, environmental, electrical, and safety considerations.

• Research emerging technologies across automation, robotics, sensing, controls, connected products, and advanced manufacturing.

Prototyping, Testing & Validation

• Take ownership of prototype builds, bench testing, design verification, validation, and field trials.

• Develop test methods, fixtures, data-acquisition approaches, and acceptance criteria.

• Analyse test data and troubleshoot complex mechanical and electrical issues.

• Conduct root-cause analysis and implement appropriate corrective design actions.

• Document testing, technical findings, design decisions, risks, and recommendations.

• Use structured experimentation and rapid prototyping to evaluate new technologies and concepts.

Cross-Functional Development & Product Launch

• Work closely with mechanical, electrical, embedded systems, manufacturing, product management, sales, service, and technical teams throughout development.

• Participate in formal Stage-Gate product development, including technical deliverables, gate preparation, design reviews, risk assessments, cost reviews, and production-readiness activities.

• Partner with manufacturing engineering to optimise products for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, serviceability, quality, and cost.

• Work directly with suppliers to establish component requirements, assess alternatives, and resolve technical or quality issues.

• Support first builds, pilot production, product launches, customer trials, and transition into normal production.

• Engage with customers and end users to understand applications, observe products in use, and validate proposed solutions.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve existing products and R&D processes.

• Investigate potentially patentable technologies and support invention disclosures and intellectual-property reviews.

• Provide specialist technical support for troubleshooting and improvement of released products.

• Apply continuous-improvement and structured problem-solving methodologies.

• Ensure designs comply with relevant safety, quality, regulatory, and cybersecurity requirements.

We are looking for an experienced engineer who can operate across both the mechanical and electrical elements of product development.

Essential experience includes:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

• 5+ years' experience developing electro-mechanical products, automation, industrial equipment, or engineered systems within a manufacturing environment.

• Proven experience integrating mechanical designs with electrical components, sensors, actuators, motors, controls, or embedded systems.

• Strong experience with 3D CAD, engineering drawings, bills of material, prototyping, testing, and technical design documentation.

• Experience working within a formal Stage-Gate/New Product Development process, including gate reviews and technical deliverables.

• Experience using a structured project-management platform to manage engineering tasks, milestones, risks, and deliverables.

• Good understanding of Design for Manufacturability (DFM), structured problem-solving, and product validation.

• Strong hands-on prototyping, troubleshooting, experimentation, and laboratory skills.

Highly desirable experience includes:

• SolidWorks and/or SolidWorks PDM.

• Electrical schematic/design software.

• Tooling, machining, metal forming, industrial equipment, robotics, automation, or discrete manufacturing.

• PLCs, embedded controllers, industrial communications, data acquisition, or connected/IoT-enabled products.

• FMEA, tolerance analysis, statistical methods, Lean product development, or Design for Six Sigma.

• Working directly with suppliers and customers.

• Experience supporting patents or intellectual-property processes.

• Experience working with international or globally distributed engineering teams.

Location & Working Environment: This is an on-site position based in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The role operates across office, engineering, laboratory, and manufacturing environments and involves hands-on prototype builds, testing, and production-support activities. Appropriate PPE may be required within designated manufacturing areas.

Working Hours: Full-time, primarily during core business hours, with flexibility according to project and operational requirements.

Travel: Some travel will be required to other company facilities, suppliers, customers, trade events, and project partners.

Leadership: The position does not typically carry formal direct reports. However, the successful engineer may coordinate technicians, interns, suppliers, and cross-functional contributors as part of individual development projects.

What We're Looking For: Above all, we're looking for a genuinely hands-on engineer who is comfortable moving between CAD/design work, electrical and mechanical integration, prototype development, testing, troubleshooting, manufacturing, and customer applications. You'll need the curiosity to explore new technologies, but also the practical engineering judgement to turn promising ideas into safe, reliable, manufacturable products.