Product Development Engineering Manager

Position Overview

The Product Development Engineering Manager oversees the engineering and development of new furniture products from concept through production. This role leads a team of engineers and designers to create innovative, functional, ergonomically sound, and cost-effective furniture solutions that meet customer needs and align with brand aesthetics. The manager ensures all products adhere to quality, safety, sustainability, and manufacturability requirements while delivering on schedule and budget.

Primary Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of product development engineers and technical specialists.
• Provide training, performance feedback, and career development support.
• Allocate resources, balance workloads, and ensure timely execution of development programs.

Product Development & Engineering

• Oversee the end-to-end development of furniture products, including conceptual design, engineering modeling, prototyping, testing, and final design release.
• Approve 3D models, engineering drawings, BOMs, material specifications, and technical documentation.
• Integrate ergonomics, user experience, and accessibility standards into product designs.
• Ensure adherence to furniture safety standards such as BIFMA, ANSI, ASTM, and other relevant certifications.
• Apply principles of DFM/DFA to optimize designs for manufacturability, durability, sustainability, and cost efficiency.

Materials & Manufacturing

• Select appropriate materials (wood, metal, plastics, upholstery, composites) based on durability, cost, performance, and aesthetic requirements.
• Collaborate with manufacturing teams to validate production processes including woodworking, metal fabrication, CNC machining, upholstery, injection molding, and finishing.
• Support sourcing in evaluating suppliers and assessing material and component feasibility.

Project & Program Management

• Develop project schedules, budgets, and milestones; manage engineering workflows to ensure on-time delivery.
• Lead design reviews, prototype evaluations, engineering builds, and pre-production validation.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks throughout the development cycle.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive innovation in furniture materials, mechanisms, ergonomics, and sustainability.
• Implement continuous improvement tools such as root-cause analysis, value engineering, and Lean practices.
• Establish standardized development processes and maintain engineering documentation.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with marketing, sales, product management, supply chain, and manufacturing to capture requirements and ensure designs align with market trends and customer expectations.
• Communicate development progress and recommendations to leadership and key stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• 7–10 years of product development experience, ideally within furniture, cabinetry, or related consumer products.
• 3–5 years of engineering leadership or team management experience.
• Strong proficiency in SolidWorks.
• Experience with prototyping techniques, model making, and furniture performance testing.
• Knowledge of furniture materials, joinery, ergonomics, and durability standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with BIFMA/ANSI testing and compliance.
• Familiarity with sustainable design practices and eco-friendly materials.
• Knowledge of mass production methods including metalwork, woodworking, molded plastics, and upholstery.
• Strong vendor and supplier management experience.

Key Competencies

• Technical leadership
• Creative problem-solving
• Innovation and design thinking
• Manufacturing and materials insight
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Attention to detail
• Strong communication and presentation skills