Mid-Level Mechanical​/Product Development Engineer

RKS Design – Thousand Oaks, CA

Full-Time | In-Office

RKS Design is seeking a talented Mid-Level Mechanical/Product Development Engineer to join our multidisciplinary product development team.

In this role, you will work alongside Industrial Design, Research, Strategy, and Engineering teams to transform innovative concepts into thoughtfully engineered, manufacturable products. Your contributions will span the product development process—from early concept exploration and prototyping through detailed engineering, testing, manufacturing, and production.

We are looking for a hands‑on problem solver who enjoys working on a wide variety of products and technical challenges and who understands how great engineering supports both the design vision and the end‑user experience.

You will contribute to the development of complex mechanical and electro‑mechanical products while collaborating closely with designers, engineers, clients, suppliers, and manufacturing partners.

You should have solid experience developing products using 3D CAD and a practical understanding of manufacturing processes including plastic injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, machining, prototyping, and assembly.

You will be expected to take ownership of assigned engineering tasks and project work streams, identify potential technical risks, develop practical solutions, and help move products efficiently from concept through production.

As part of a consulting environment, you will have the opportunity to work across different industries, technologies, and product categories rather than focusing on a single product line.

• Create high‑quality mechanical, electro‑mechanical, and assembly designs using parametric 3D CAD.
• Develop components and assemblies that balance engineering requirements, manufacturability, cost, aesthetics, and user experience.
• Participate in brainstorming sessions, design reviews, engineering reviews, and other cross‑functional project meetings.
• Translate industrial design concepts into practical, manufacturable engineering solutions while maintaining the original design intent.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, bills of materials (BOMs), tolerance requirements, and supporting technical documentation.
• Build and evaluate prototypes and assist with testing and design verification.
• Perform tolerance analysis and identify potential mechanical, manufacturing, assembly, and reliability issues.
• Work with suppliers, prototype vendors, and contract manufacturers to obtain components, prototypes, tooling, and production parts.
• Review tooling and manufacturing designs to help ensure proper fit, finish, function, and production quality.
• Evaluate initial production samples for engineering and design intent and adherence to specifications and tolerances.
• Troubleshoot product and manufacturing issues, perform root‑cause analysis, and recommend corrective actions.
• Assist with the design and review of manufacturing test fixtures and procedures.
• Support engineering efforts during design transfer and transition into manufacturing.
• Research and evaluate new materials, components, manufacturing technologies, and prototyping processes.
• Participate in client meetings and clearly communicate engineering recommendations, technical challenges, project progress, and potential solutions.
• Work with senior engineers and project leadership to maintain project schedules, identify risks, and meet project milestones.
• Contribute ideas for improving RKS engineering processes, tools, and best practices.

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Approximately 6-8 years of professional product development/mechanical engineering…