Product Development Engineer

Central Home Brands is seeking a motivated & talented Product Development Engineer, who is passionate about consumer-centered design. The Product Development Engineer will help engineer, prototype, test, and manage products and product data that bring innovative solutions and quality products to the Outdoor and Indoor Soft Home and Pet Bed categories. These solutions will come in the form of creative product design, material development, and process improvements across our manufacturing network.

Reporting to the Manager of Product Development Engineering, this key role requires a candidate with a strong work ethic, an appreciation for details and data accuracy, and a collaborative mindset. This position will work with a high-energy creative team including R&D, Product Development, Design, Sales, Operations, and Sourcing. The Product Development Engineer will help create products and manage them through development, launch, production, and testing phases to deliver solutions to our customers. This position requires the ability to discover creative solutions for problems by looking beyond current practices and thinking outside the box. The Product Development Engineer will also be responsible for creating CAD drawings, Spec Packs, and production rate data for our manufacturing teams both domestically and globally and maintaining that data in our PLM systems daily. The ideal candidate will be flexible, detail-oriented, timely, and collaborative and will exhibit strong skills in soft-lines development, specification creation, product testing, and line-item management.

We are a skilled and respected manufacturing company with a creative design twist. The journey of a patio cushion, pillow, or pet bed to someone’s home involves planning, hard work, and precision execution from our teams across the globe. We are excited to add a talented new member to our team!

Primary Responsibilities:

• Direct & manage Product Development Engineering processes and deliverables.
• Work closely with the Prototype Team to lead and manage the creation of development samples.
• Direct & manage Technical Services processes, which include but are not limited to: Engineering Drawing Specs, Bill of Materials, Routing Set-Up, Fabric Utilization and Cut Layouts, Packing Guidance, and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Maintain collaboration and communication between Product Development, Design, Launch, and Production teams to ensure accuracy of engineering specifications as it transitions from product develop to production stages.
• Manage and organize program details, specs, and research within Central Home Brands’ Product Lifecycle Management software.
• Create, manage, and organize Item Specification Drawings using CAD software.
• Provide assistance and Engineering guidance in Production Rate Evaluations with the Operations team.
• Help build and improve documentation for product design change implementation.
• Collaborate with Production Operations for building and releasing of engineering-supported reference documentation.
• Work with the Quality Team to offer insight and solutions to Quality issues and workmanship standards.
• Manage Internal Testing & Retail Product Testing; includes communication with our Central Sales Managers and 3^rd-Party Test Labs and maintaining ownership of test documentation.
• Maintain a working knowledge of material and process technologies applicable to both Technical Services and Product Development.
• Communicate effectively with Central teammates and external partners to ensure product development & technical services success.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Professional Qualifications:

• 3-5 years background in Textile Engineering, Textile Science, Industrial Design, or another related product development field
• Experience in soft lines, preferred but not required.

Required Skills:

• Strong competency in creating product specification drawings using Auto CAD, Turbo CAD, or similar.
• Highly Detail-Oriented – Be able to see the big picture while managing details and accuracy in communication and documentation.
• Flexible – Support special projects in Product Development Engineering, R&D, and Manufacturing outside of daily responsibilities.
• Strong competency in a visual communication tool (2D or 3D), Microsoft Office.
• Ability to work on multiple projects at once and shift gears, make decisions, and take action when priorities or conditions change.
• Excellent communication skills– written, verbal, and drawn – to describe technical details in a relatable way to a variety of audiences.

Helpful Skills but not required:

• Creative Suites
• Comprehensive knowledge of engineering fundamentals, including soft goods manufacturing processes
• Product Lifecycle Management software experience
• SAP experience
• 3D software

ABOUT US

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) understands that home is central to life and has proudly nurtured happy and healthy homes for over 40 years. With fiscal 2022 net sales of $3.3 billion, Central is on a mission to lead the future of the Pet and Garden industries. The Company’s innovative and trusted products are dedicated to helping lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a leading portfolio of more than 65 high-quality brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Cadet®, Farnam®, Ferry~Morse®, Four Paws®, Kaytee®, K&H®, Nylabone® and Pennington®, strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities and a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. Central Garden & Pet is based in Walnut Creek, California and has over 7,000 employees across North America and Europe. Visit www.central.com to learn more.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.