Product Development Engineer

Position Summary:
Our client is seeking a Product Development Engineer to join its growing engineering team in the greater Charlotte area.

This role will be responsible for the design, development, testing, and continuous improvement of mechanical products and assemblies. The ideal candidate will combine strong CAD design capabilities with a hands-on engineering mindset, helping bring new products from concept through production while supporting ongoing product enhancements and cost improvement initiatives.

This position offers the opportunity to work on highly visible projects, collaborate across engineering and manufacturing teams, and play a key role in developing innovative products for a well-established manufacturing organization.

Key Responsibilities:
• Design and develop mechanical products, components, and assemblies from concept through production.
• Create and maintain detailed 3D CAD models, drawings, and engineering documentation.
• Manage and maintain product data within a CAD/PDM environment.
• Evaluate designs for manufacturability, quality, safety, performance, and cost effectiveness.
• Conduct product testing, validation, and analysis to ensure designs meet performance requirements.
• Support new product development initiatives and continuous improvement efforts for existing product lines.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing, tooling, purchasing, and operations teams to support production needs.
• Reverse engineer existing products and develop innovative design enhancements.
• Troubleshoot technical challenges and develop practical engineering solutions.
• Drive projects through the complete product development lifecycle, from concept and prototyping through production launch and post-launch support.

Required Experience & Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 2+ years of product development and mechanical design experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong proficiency with SolidWorks or a comparable 3D CAD platform.
• Experience working with Product Data Management (PDM) systems.
• Proven ability to create production-ready designs, drawings, and technical documentation.
• Experience supporting products from concept through manufacturing implementation.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to independently manage multiple engineering projects.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills in a cross-functional environment.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and capable of balancing competing priorities.

Preferred Experience:
• Experience designing fabricated metal, mechanical, or industrial products.
• Exposure to manufacturing processes such as welding, fabrication, forming, molding, or assembly.
• Experience with reverse engineering and product improvement initiatives.
• Familiarity with manufacturing, tooling, and production support activities.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.