Product Design Engineer Rotation Associate

New Product Design Engineer Rotational Associate - MTI

Steel Partners Holdings L.P. is a diversified global holding company with operations and significant interests in diversified industrial products, energy, defense, supply chain management and logistics, banking, and youth sports.

Participants will complete three rotations at MTI (Pleasant Prairie, WI) and one six-month rotation at MTE (Menomonee Falls, WI).

The New Product Design Engineer Rotational Program is a two-year development program designed to build future engineering leaders across our diversified portfolio of operating companies.

This full-time program provides early-career mechanical engineering professionals with immersive, hands-on experience in product design, testing, and sales engineering.

Through four structured six-month rotations, participants gain broad exposure to new product development, testing, voice of customer, manufacturing processes, and cross-functional collaboration.

This associate will contribute to real business outcomes while developing the technical and leadership capabilities needed for long-term career growth within our organization.

Rotations Overview

• Reporting to Test Engineering or Quality Leadership
• Conduct product testing, inspections, and validation activities to understand component functionality and system performance.
• Build, test, and evaluate mechanical and electromechanical systems to ensure reliability, performance, and compliance to specifications.
• Perform failure analysis and support root cause investigations to deepen product and component knowledge.

• Reporting to Engineering Leadership
• Support new product development activities including concept design, modeling, and engineering documentation.
• Assist in translating test data and component learnings into improved product designs and engineering solutions.
• Contribute to design iterations, product layouts, and engineering change initiatives to enhance performance and manufacturability.

• Reporting to Manufacturing or Electrical Engineering Leadership
• Support development and implementation of test systems, instrumentation, and validation processes from an electrical engineering perspective.
• Assist with troubleshooting electrical components, test setups, and production-related issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between design, testing, and manufacturing requirements.

• Reporting to Commercial or Operations Leadership
• Gain exposure to customer-facing engineering and application support, leveraging technical product knowledge to support sales initiatives.
• Assist in translating engineering capabilities into customer solutions, proposals, and presentations.
• Support process engineering efforts including workflow optimization, production efficiency improvements, and alignment between customer requirements and manufacturing capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Support engineering projects involving new product development, testing, manufacturing support, and process improvements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and production teams.
• Assist with product layouts, engineering documentation, and continuous improvement projects.
• Audit bills of materials and work instructions to ensure alignment with engineering drawings and specifications.
• Participate in product testing, inspections, troubleshooting, and failure analysis activities.
• Support project management efforts for both existing and new product development programs.
• Analyze engineering and manufacturing data to identify opportunities for quality, efficiency, and cost improvements.
• Present project findings and recommendations to engineering and business leadership.

What We Offer

• Deep, hands-on learning across multiple engineering disciplines and operating companies
• Mentorship from engineering and business executives
• Competitive pay, benefits, and relocation support
• Exposure to innovative technologies, products, and manufacturing environments
• Post-…