Mechanical Design Engineer - OCS Technology: New Product Development (Hickory, NC, US, 28601)

Purpose:

This engineer will take ownership of design activities and apply expertise in areas such as plastic injection molding and sheet metal design. The role requires close collaboration with manufacturing, prototyping, and fabrication teams to ensure designs are robust, manufacturable, and cost-effective. It also involves direct communication with customers to help define requirements, support collaborative design efforts, and contribute to the successful execution of new product development programs.

The candidate should be comfortable balancing technical depth with execution, using sound engineering judgment to drive designs from early development through production. We are looking for someone with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field, relevant engineering experience, strong communication and collaboration skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities
•    Design and develop fiber optic hardware components and assemblies in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary product development environment.
•    Collaborate closely with customers and cross-functional teams, including molding, prototyping, fabrication, manufacturing, quality, production, and analysis, to ensure designs meet customer requirements and are manufacturable and cost-effective.

•    Utilize CAD (Creo) to create and refine parts and assemblies involving sheet metal, plastic molded components, and user-centered mechanical design approaches.
•    Apply engineering principles; including participating in root cause analysis,  performing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and other relevant mechanical evaluations,  to support product design, tolerance development, DFM, validation, optimization, reliability, and cost reduction efforts.
•    Contribute to a systems-level product development approach, ensuring designs are developed as part of an integrated product architecture rather than in isolation.
•    Use and contribute to Windchill or similar document management systems to maintain accurate design records, drawings, specifications, and product documentation.
•    Support prototype builds, design reviews, testing, and implementation of design improvements based on data and/or customer feedback.

Qualifications
•    Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or industrial engineering 
•    2+ years of relevant engineering experience in product development, mechanical design, or related engineering work.
•    1+ year of experience and proficiency with CAD software, preferably Creo Parametric.
•    1+ year of experience designing components involving sheet metal and plastic molded parts.
•    Understanding design for manufacturability, tolerance considerations, and engineering documentation practices.
•    Familiarity with Windchill or similar product lifecycle/document management systems.

Desired Skills and Abilities:
•    Working knowledge of mechanical analysis tools, including FEA; experience with additional analysis methods is a plus.
•    Ability to work independently on assigned tasks and drive work to completion with appropriate guidance.
•    Strong problem-solving skills and sound engineering judgment.
•    Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across functions, teams and customers.