Design Engineer, Material Handling

Purpose of the Role

The Design Engineer, Material Handling is responsible for the design and development of new delivery equipment products within Rehrig Pacific's material handling portfolio. Working collaboratively with Sales, Category Management, NPD project teams, and Operations, this role drives the successful development and launch of new products within a 0-2 year horizon.

Areas of Responsibility

Product Design & Development

• Develop product concepts collaboratively or through design sprints and present them internally and externally through sketches, renderings, 3D models, and prototypes.
• Drive cross-functional design reviews to validate concepts against the value proposition and project objectives.
• Refine approved concepts through 3D modeling, prototyping, physical testing, and finite element analysis (FEA).
• Deliver tooling-ready CAD files and engineering prints; partner with tooling, manufacturing, and quality to ensure manufacturability through P3 and P4.
• Provide ongoing support in P4 through design revisions and product validation testing.
• Complete product revisions through the Engineering Change Request (ECR) process based on development, customer, or supplier feedback.

NPD Process & Validation

• Demonstrate consistent adherence to Rehrig Pacific's phase gate process, NPD SOPs, and established practices.
• Develop and execute product validation plans and testing protocols in alignment with industry standards.
• Collaborate with NPD project teams to drive alignment on deliverables, milestones, and time-to-market expectations.

Manufacturing & Supplier Development

• Produce tooling-ready designs for manufacturability across steel fabrication (weldments, formed and stamped parts), machining, and plastic injection molding processes, including tolerance stack-up analysis and fabrication drawing packages.
• Collaborate with operations, procurement, and quality during supplier evaluation, contributing technical expertise to assess whether suppliers can meet design requirements.
• Support the expansion of Rehrig Pacific's domestic and international supplier network alongside operations.

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as an active NPD project team contributor, coordinating cross-functionally across engineering, sales, marketing, and procurement.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to support the development of sales collateral in P4.

Knowledge Development & Sharing

• Consistently contribute to Project Knowledge capture at each phase gate, documenting design decisions, supplier findings, test outcomes, and lessons learned.
• Apply Domain Standards in project work and flag areas that need updating.
• Follow document control procedures.

Customer & Industry Engagement

• Collaborate with customers and Sales during opportunity discovery to capture needs, challenges, process flow, and success metrics.
• Participate in field investigations to assist in opportunity identification and clarify design requirements throughout the NPD process.

Technical Domain

Delivery Mechanical Systems

• Proficiency in 3D modeling software (SolidWorks or equivalent) and FEA tools.
• Strong understanding of mechanical design and manufacturing processes including injection molding, welding, and machining, with depth in steel component manufacturing: weldment design, GD&T and tolerancing, fabrication drawings, jig and fixture design, and structural weld processes (MIG/TIG).
• Knowledge of delivery equipment systems, applications, and customer use cases within the material handling industry.
• Familiarity with mechanical safety requirements and regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, or related technical discipline.
• 04 years of professional design or product development experience, including FAE or equivalent field experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and drive projects to completion in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to build rapport with others.
• Flexibility to travel to customer, supplier, and Rehrig Pacific facilities as needed, up to 30% of the time.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) or structural simulation tools.
• Familiarity with the full NPD lifecycle and stage gate processes.
• Exposure to supply chain analysis and value engineering.
• Experience designing weldments or fabricated steel structures, including GD&T application, tolerance analysis, and jig/fixture development.

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Rehrig Pacific, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $90,000-110,000.