Product Design Engineer (Mechanical Engineer V)

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Product Design Engineer V (Mechanical Engineer V)

Job Description

This role offers the opportunity to lead mechanical product design for next-generation augmented, mixed, and virtual reality hardware within a highly innovative environment. You will own complex components and systems from concept through mass production, turning early ideas into robust, manufacturable products for high-volume consumer electronics. Working closely with cross-functional partners and Asia-based JDM suppliers, you will develop, validate, and refine designs, prepare production documentation, and help push the boundaries of mechanical engineering for cutting-edge devices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the mechanical design of key components, features, and systems while maintaining a strong end-to-end understanding of the product development lifecycle.
• Own mechanical solutions within a highly cross-functional team, collaborating closely with electrical, industrial design, reliability, manufacturing, and other partners.
• Model, build, test, and refine prototypes and characterization test systems to evaluate and improve design performance.
• Drive designs from early concept through to shipping product, working in close partnership with JDM suppliers and Asia-based supply chain teams.
• Guide and manage Asia-based suppliers through design, build, validation, and ramp phases, ensuring design intent, quality, and schedule are met.
• Apply strong engineering fundamentals, including design for manufacturability and assembly, statistical tolerance analysis, and structural design principles, to create robust and reliable products.
• Develop and maintain production-ready documentation, including governing 3D/2D CAD, detailed production drawings, functional dimensioning, GD&T, and bills of materials.
• Incorporate PCBA and FPC design and manufacturing considerations into mechanical architectures and layouts.
• Select and specify materials such as plastics, metals, and adhesives based on performance, reliability, and manufacturing requirements.
• Collaborate with industrial design teams to realize highly cosmetic, user-facing products that balance aesthetics, performance, and manufacturability.
• Design mechanisms and moving components that meet functional, reliability, and usability requirements.
• Design for reliability and support reliability and compliance testing activities to ensure products meet required standards and field performance expectations.
• Use analytical tools such as FEA, simulation, and design of experiments to evaluate design options, optimize performance, and mitigate risk.
• Contribute to the development of softgoods-related mechanical solutions for handheld and wearable devices, where applicable.
• Communicate technical decisions, trade-offs, risks, and recommendations clearly and effectively to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.
• Continuously explore and implement new technologies, processes, and approaches to solve complex mechanical problems in advanced AR/VR hardware.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a related engineering field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of experience designing and shipping components or systems for consumer electronics or similar mid- to high-volume industries.
• Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end mechanical design for complex components, subsystems, or systems in high-volume products.
• Strong engineering fundamentals in areas such as heat transfer, statics, dynamics, structural design, and mechanical analysis.
• Hands-on experience with Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) for high-volume products.
• Proficiency with statistical tolerance analysis techniques to ensure robust fit and function across manufacturing variation.
• Experience with high-volume manufacturing techniques such as stamping, machining, injection molding, metal injection molding (MIM), and 3D printing.
• Experience integrating PCBA and FPC design and manufacturing methods into mechanical designs.
• Working knowledge of material properties for plastics, metals, adhesives, and related materials used in consumer electronics.
• Proficiency in creating and interpreting production drawings, including functional dimensioning and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
• Strong 3D/2D CAD skills for detailed mechanical design and documentation.
• Proven technical communication skills, including the ability to clearly present design concepts, analyses, and trade-offs to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience designing complete products or major subsystems within consumer electronics or medical devices, such as watches or other compact, high-precision devices.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering field.
• 10+ years of product design and development experience for handheld and/or wearable high-volume consumer electronics, including ownership of complex subsystems and/or full systems.
• Experience designing and shipping products using Asia-based supply chains, including working within a JDM (Joint Design Manufacturer) model.
• Experience designing with softgoods materials for wearables or handheld devices.
• Experience creating highly cosmetic products and partnering closely with industrial design teams to achieve premium fit, finish, and user experience.
• Experience designing mechanisms and moving assemblies for compact, high-volume products.
• Experience designing for reliability and familiarity with reliability and compliance testing methodologies and standards.
• Experience with testing and analysis tools and methods, including finite element analysis (FEA), simulation, and design of experiments (DOE).
• Proficiency with NX CAD software for mechanical design and documentation.
• Experience working on AR/VR, wearable, or other advanced consumer electronics is beneficial.

Work Environment

This position is based onsite in Sunnyvale, CA, within a fast-paced hardware development environment focused on next-generation augmented, mixed, and virtual reality products. You will work closely with a diverse, expert cross-functional team that includes mechanical, electrical, industrial design, reliability, manufacturing, and supply chain professionals. The role involves frequent collaboration with Asia-based JDM partners and suppliers, including remote coordination across time zones and occasional early or late meetings to support global development and manufacturing activities. The work centers around modern CAD tools, prototyping equipment, and test systems to support rapid iteration, validation, and refinement of complex mechanical designs. The environment emphasizes technical excellence, clear communication, and close teamwork, with an expectation that engineers take ownership of their designs from concept through mass production while maintaining a professional, respectful, and safety-conscious workplace.

This is a Contract position based out of Sunnyvale, CA.

The pay range for this position is $90.00 - $95.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a hybrid position in Sunnyvale,CA.

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 17, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.