Product Development Engineer – Chicago, IL

Switchcraft, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of harsh environment circular connectors, cable assemblies, and interconnect solutions. Our products are used in a wide variety of industries including medical, aviation, pro audio, and transportation. We are located on the Northwest side of Chicago and currently have an opening for a New Product Development Engineer.

We are looking for an addition to the New Product Development Engineering team. The New Product Development (NPD) team takes ideas and concepts for new products and designs to make them a reality. Our work touches on every part of the development process from ideation to production, working with teams both on site and abroad. NPD engineers lead their own projects and collaborate with Marketing and management to conceptualize and develop new products.

This position is perfect for an engineer who takes ownership of their own designs, enjoys collaboration, and wants to see their ideas grow into real products.

Location: Chicago, IL (Jefferson Park)

Hours: 100% On Site Position M-F 7:30a-4p

Pay: $80,000 – $85,000 annual

Responsibilities:

• Manage several projects simultaneously, ensuring scope, schedule, and cost targets are met
• Translate marketing ideas and requirements into clear engineering specifications and designs
• Drive assigned projects from concept to production release
• Lead technical development activities including concept generation, design reviews, prototyping, testing, and validation
• Generate cost estimates for materials and labor
• Create CAD models and drawings for custom components and assemblies
• Present designs for weekly and milestone reviews
• Develop project documentation, such as tolerance analysis, FEA, DFMEA, BOMs, etc.
• Specify test requirements and work with test lab to validate products
• Collaborate closely with purchasing and manufacturing and make recommendations for parts, materials and tooling
• Design for manufacturing and assembly and support products through the initial production runs

Must-Have Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME)
• 3 to 5 years work experience
• Experience with 3-D CAD modeling software (SolidWorks preferred)
• Mechanical Design Skills
• Good project management skills
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Understanding of injection molded plastic parts and metal screw machine parts

Nice-to-Have Attributes:

• Design experience with connector and cable products
• Basic understanding of Electrical Engineering skills
• Understanding of mechanical drawing requirements and proper Application of dimensional and tolerance information
• Experience with engineering tools such as FEA, Moldflow, and Solidworks Simulation
• Knowledge of plastic and metal materials and their uses/applications
• Strong verbal & written communication skills