Lead Design Engineer - Elkhart, IN

Essential Accountabilities

• Provide direction and leadership to the Barger design department; scheduling and prioritization of workloads including external design resources when they are utilized.
• Evaluate team and individual performance. Identify team and individual development goals that align to strategic initiatives and department objectives.
• Create and manage metrics to track and measure the design department performance to meet customer expectations.
• Lead the external tool procurement efforts and manage their performance to established criteria and specifications.
• Aid Account Managers with technical support for specific projects, present design solutions, and build strong working relationships. Be able to represent company with customers in the absence of Account Manager.
• Create and lead the efforts of ideation, concept, and product design resources for specific projects; coordinate the sample creation and approval process.
• Create complex computer aided design geometry, product and tool drawings based on the project analysis, customer specifications, and the assumption spreadsheet that the quote was based on.
• Integrate full proficiency of thermoforming and manufacturing processes with design projects and customer needs. Relate knowledge of plastic formulation and characteristics to customer requirements.
• Ensure tooling specifications, optimization, and performance standards are in place through working with Pricing, Process Engineering, internal and external tooling vendors, and other applicable parties.
• Provide development support to process engineering and production teams for tooling with additional input to product design, machine, process operation, and material suitability.
• Approve parts and confirm specification database.
• Review and initiate engineering change orders related to customer design changes, purchasing changes, and evaluations of possible specification changes.
• Production lifecycle support by supporting corrective action efforts along with financial analysis of changes.
• Comply with all safety, ISO procedures and work instructions related to job responsibilities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering or other related field with 5 years design (product or tooling) experience or Associate degree with 9 years design (product or tooling) experience in the plastics industry with project management and supervisory leadership experience.
• Proficient in the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems in both 2D and 3D.

Desired Skills

• Standard office professional software (i.e. word processing, spreadsheets)
• Thermoform plastics manufacturing experience
• Knowledge of quality systems and controlled documentation systems
• Ability to multi-task
• Supervisory leadership experience
• Strong organizational skills
• Self-directed with ability to work without close direction