Kohler Development Program - Accelerated Engineering

Work Mode: Onsite – 4 days per week in Kohler, WI

About the role

Kohler’s Leadership Development Programs are designed to accelerate the development of future leaders through structured, cross-functional rotational experiences that drive meaningful business impact. Participants join as full-time associates, gaining broad exposure across the organization while being supported through intentional development, mentorship, and a strong cohort experience.

This Accelerated Engineering Development Program is a transformative journey toward becoming a future engineering leader. The mission is to accelerate the growth of engineers through focused training, mentorship, and hands-on experience in diverse product categories to drive leading-edge innovation at Kohler. The vision is to build a world-class team of engineers equipped with the skills and network to develop meaningful products and innovations that will shape the future of Kohler.

We are looking for early-career engineers who bring curiosity, creativity, and a strong desire to solve meaningful business and product challenges. Successful participants will be innovative thinkers who can translate ideas into cost-effective, functional solutions that reflect Kohler’s brand values while collaborating effectively across marketing, program management, industrial design, manufacturing operations, and other cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Product Marketing, Industrial Design, Program Management, and other cross-functional partners to define product specifications grounded in consumer research, market data, and business needs.
• Analyze competitive products, warranty insights, sales feedback, and technical data to benchmark performance and inform new design approaches.
• Conduct feasibility assessments of early product concepts to evaluate technical viability, cost, manufacturability, and alignment to customer expectations.
• Develop and refine product concepts using 3D modeling software, engineering analysis tools, FEA, CFD, and design critique processes.
• Leverage advanced prototyping and test lab capabilities to build, evaluate, and validate physical prototypes through hands-on experimentation.
• Apply engineering tools such as DFMEA, tolerance analysis, technical drawings, engineering standards, and GD&T to strengthen product quality and mitigate potential failure modes.
• Partner with internal manufacturing teams and external suppliers to optimize design performance, cost, quality, timing, reliability, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Develop verification plans, support regulatory compliance, and provide hands-on engineering support during pre-production builds and manufacturing ramp-up.

Program Structure & Experiences

This is a two-year, full-time rotational program providing broad exposure to the business while accelerating leadership readiness. Participants complete 3–4 cross-functional rotations, each lasting 6–8 months, contributing to impactful work aligned to business priorities.

Beyond on-the-job experience, participants engage in a structured, enterprise-wide development journey that includes:

• A week-long immersive onboarding experience with their cross-functional cohort.
• Intentional semi-annual seminars and quarterly learning sessions throughout the program.
• Exposure to senior leaders and key stakeholders across the organization.
• Ongoing mentorship, coaching, and performance feedback.
• Opportunities to build community through a cohort-based experience and networking events.

The program culminates in a formal graduation experience, positioning participants for strategic placement into full-time roles aligned to their strengths, interests, and business priorities.

Requirements

• Must have obtained a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Engineering (Mechanical preferred) or a related technical discipline no later than June 2027.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship on an ongoing basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated working knowledge of CAD modeling.
• Hands-on fabrication and prototyping skills.
• Intern and/or co-op experience exhibiting these skills.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $76,050 - $96,050. The specific salary offered may be influenced by factors including the candidate’s experience, education, and work location.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401k retirement plan.

Why Choose Kohler?

We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.