Senior Project Engineer

Senior Project Engineer

Summary:  Provide daily project management for all details related to designing, developing, and bringing a new product concept to market.  Work in a team environment with peers in Industrial Design, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Quality Assurance roles.  This role is responsible for the scheduling, costing, and delivery of all products within the Business Unit product line.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:    (Other duties may be assigned/required.)

Provide Project Management to Support the Design of New Products for the Business Unit

• Participate in new product brainstorming meetings.
  
• Assist with preliminary product design, design evaluation, and FEMA
  
• Guide design work and lead design reviews to ensure adherence to overarching BU direction and goals.
  
• Prepare and issue Vendor Quotation Packages and Final Engineering Spec packages; facilitate accurate quotes from Domestic and Orient vendors.

Lead the Development efforts for new products for Business Unit

• Interface and communicate with partners (both overseas and domestic) as needed to define costing and scheduling
  
• Serve as the “key interface" to internal departments such as: ops, graphics, marketing, QA, & Finance to identify, track, and resolve cross-functional project needs
  
• Log and maintain purchase orders and related records.
  
• Review & critique preliminary product models & samples for engineering, manufacturing, & safety criterion.
  
• Assist with new product debugging, prepare and issue VSP notes.  Track changes.
  
• Lead / facilitate troubleshooting to support development timelines and goals.
  
• Monitor, track, and report status of Product Development against schedules and milestones; present as needed for management review meetings.
  
• Facilitate Final Engineering Pilot review meetings, and prepare/ issue Release to Production documents.
  
• Prepare and issue Engineering Change Notices
  
• Travel to Orient approximately two times a year

Ensure Business Unit’s Products are brought to market successfully

• Build work plans, and effectively estimate product cost and schedules.  Modify plans as necessary to accommodate changes in business environment.
  
• Prepare and distribute weekly updates to the Team Product Line List, addressing all pertinent details relating to cost, delivery dates, sales and marketing factors
  
• Provide Project Engineering support for up to 200 SKU’s within the Business Unit’s current “running line"
  
• Participate in product line presentations and other meeting with major customers
  
• Develop and deliver 30-60 items annually, on time and within budget.

Organizational Relationships:

Reports to:                       VP / GM of Business Unit

Supervises:                       N/A

Internal Relationships:   Upper management, all departments and all positions

External Relationships:   Vendors, Orient & Domestic Manufacturers

Minimum/Preferred Requirements::

Education:                         Bachelor's degree (B. S.)  in Engineering or equivalent experience

Experience:                       Minimum 5-8 years

Licenses/Certification:  

Knowledge/Skills:

Required: 

• 5-8 years experience of hands-on development experience bringing plastic-based products to market
  
• Significant injection molding experience
  
• Ability to concurrently  manage multiple projects in more than one category
  
• Previous experience working with Asia
  
• Ability to read, analyze, and understand CAD Databases
  
• Fundamental engineering skills in Product Design and Development
  
• Well-rounded knowledge of various manufacturing methods used in development of consumer goods
  
• Ability to understand product costing factors
  
• Good Working knowledge of MS-Office Suite, as well as any Project Management software

Preferred:

• Ideally will have Juvenile, Toy, or House wares industry background
  
• Solid Works software is knowledge preferred
  
• Previous supervisory experience is a plus, but not required

Physical Demands/Environmental Conditions:

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts and risk of electrical shock.
  
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
  
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 
  
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and talk or hear.
  
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.