What are the responsibilities and job description for the Design Engineer position at Upstate Door, Inc.?
About Upstate Door
At Upstate Door, we don't make ordinary doors.
We design and manufacture highly customized wood doors for some of the most distinctive residential and commercial projects throughout the Northeast. From one-of-a-kind entry doors to complex architectural openings, our team takes unique designs and turns them into products that can actually be built, finished, and installed in the field.
Every project presents a new challenge—and that's what makes the work interesting.
Our doors are handcrafted in New York at our Warsaw and Castile manufacturing facilities and shipped throughout the East Coast. As a growing company, we're looking for people who enjoy solving problems, learning new things, working with others, and taking ownership of their work.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Design Engineer to join our team.
This is a hands-on role that combines drafting, design, engineering, problem-solving, and customer collaboration. You will take architectural concepts and customer requirements and develop detailed solutions that can be manufactured accurately and efficiently.
You'll work closely with our Project Team, Sales, Engineering, and Production departments to solve unique design challenges and bring custom products from concept to reality.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a background in engineering, drafting, architecture, manufacturing, or product design who wants to expand their technical skills and take on greater responsibility.
What You'll Do
- Develop detailed CAD drawings and designs for highly customized wood doors and architectural products
- Interpret architectural drawings, specifications, sketches, and customer requirements
- Transform design concepts into accurate, manufacturable products
- Work with Sales and Project Teams to develop solutions for unique customer applications
- Collaborate with Engineering and Production to resolve design and manufacturing challenges
- Review designs for accuracy, functionality, manufacturability, and overall quality
- Help identify potential issues before products reach manufacturing or the job site
- Make design modifications based on engineering, customer, and production requirements
- Support the development and improvement of new products and manufacturing processes
- Communicate technical information clearly with internal teams, customers, architects, builders, and dealers
- Maintain accurate documentation and drawings throughout the project lifecycle
- Participate in continuous improvement initiatives and help develop better ways to design and manufacture our products
What Success Looks Like
You'll be successful in this role if you:
- Produce accurate, detailed drawings
- Develop practical solutions to unique problems
- Meet project and drawing deadlines
- Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical team members
- Take ownership of projects and follow them through to completion
- Build strong product knowledge and become a technical resource for the organization
- Continuously look for ways to improve our products, processes, and customer experience
What We're Looking For
Required:
- 2-year degree in engineering, engineering technology, drafting, architecture, manufacturing, or a related technical field
- Experience with Autodesk AutoCAD
- Strong mathematical and analytical skills
- Ability to read and interpret technical and architectural drawings
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to solve problems independently and work collaboratively
Preferred:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, engineering technology, architecture, manufacturing, or a related field
- 1–3 years of experience in drafting, engineering, product design, manufacturing, or a related field
- Experience in a manufacturing environment
- Knowledge of construction, architectural products, doors, windows, or millwork
We are also interested in candidates who may not have traditional engineering experience but have strong technical aptitude, CAD skills, and a desire to learn.
Why Work at Upstate Door?
We believe great products start with great people.
You'll work alongside experienced sales professionals, designers, engineers, craftsmen, and manufacturing professionals who take pride in what they do. Because our products are custom, you'll have the opportunity to work on projects that are different every day rather than producing the same design over and over.
We invest in our employees and encourage professional growth, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Our core values are:
- Distinctive Solutions – We find creative solutions to unique challenges.
- Collaboration – We work together to achieve better results.
- Enthusiasm – We take pride in what we do.
- Learning & Growth – We continually develop our skills, products, and processes.
If you're someone who enjoys figuring out how things should work, turning ideas into real products, and solving problems that don't have an obvious answer, we'd like to hear from you.
Join a team where your designs don't just live on a computer screen—they become real products that are built and installed across the East Coast.
Location: Warsaw, NY
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $23-$25/ hr
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8-hour shift
Work Location: In person
Salary : $23 - $25