Mechanical ​/ Product Development Engineer

Mechanical / Product Development Engineer

We are seeking a hands-on Mechanical / Product Development Engineer to join a growing manufacturing organization in West Michigan. This role is primarily focused on product design and development, with additional involvement in manufacturing support, testing, process improvement, and new product introduction.

The ideal candidate enjoys designing products in CAD but also wants to see those designs through manufacturing. You will work closely with production and operations teams to troubleshoot issues, run trials, improve existing products and processes, and help move new designs from concept into production.

What You'll Do

• Design and develop new products and improve existing designs using 3D CAD.
• Create and modify models, drawings, and related engineering documentation.
• Support products from initial concept through testing, validation, and production.
• Work directly with manufacturing and operations to troubleshoot design and production issues.
• Participate in product and material trials and evaluate results.
• Apply design-for-manufacturing principles to improve product quality and manufacturability.
• Assist with manufacturing process improvements and new product introductions.
• Perform engineering analysis and use test results to guide design decisions.
• Support material evaluation, quality testing, and root-cause investigations.
• Manage multiple engineering projects and changing priorities.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Professional experience in mechanical design, product development, or manufacturing engineering.
• Strong 3D CAD skills. Solid Works and/or AutoCAD experience is preferred.
• Experience designing products that are ultimately manufactured, rather than CAD/drafting experience alone.
• Comfortable working directly with manufacturing and spending time on the production floor.
• Experience troubleshooting manufacturing or product-quality issues.
• Exposure to plastics, polymers, composites, fiberglass, resins, or similar engineered materials is strongly preferred.
• Experience with manufacturing processes such as pultrusion, extrusion, injection molding, compounding, composite manufacturing, or other process-driven manufacturing methods is a plus.
• Experience with product testing, process validation, DOE, FEA, or Six Sigma is beneficial but not required.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.

Who Could Be a Good Fit?

We're open to candidates from a variety of manufacturing industries. You could come from plastics, composites, automotive, building products, industrial products, consumer products, fabricated products, or another engineered manufacturing environment.

The strongest candidates will combine mechanical/product design skills with practical manufacturing experience. You don't need to be a dedicated Process Engineer, but you should understand how products are manufactured and be comfortable working with production teams to solve problems and improve designs.