What are the responsibilities and job description for the Mechanical Engineering Manager position at Whisker?
Description
Whisker is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and Litterbox.com. At Whisker, we believe pet parenthood can always get better.
As leading innovators in pet tech and refined pet accessories, we work tirelessly to solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents while enriching the lives of pets. Whether it’s a self-cleaning litter box that automates scooping, an automatic feeder that helps pets develop healthier eating habits, or a modern cat tree that delights both humans and felines, we strive to deliver better solutions for consumers while transforming pet care along the way. To us, having a pet is the best thing ever. At Whisker, life together just keeps getting better.
Whisker is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Juneau, Wisconsin with 700 passionate team members. We work onsite 4 days a week.
What You’ll Do:
The Mechanical Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the Whisker team of Mechanical Engineers in the design, development and launch of current and upcoming connected pet products. The Mechanical Engineering Manager will work with cross functional engineering teams to ensure cohesive product development and best in class mechanical design to drive the Whisker product roadmap.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.
- Leads and manages a team of mechanical engineers through all phases of product development: concept, design, prototyping, testing, and production
- Defines mechanical design strategies, processes, and best practices to meet product requirements, cost, and timeline goals
- Responsible for both people management (development, coaching) and project escalation
- Collaborates with cross-functional teams including industrial design, electrical engineering, manufacturing, and product management to develop robust, high-quality consumer products
- Ensures the team delivers innovative, manufacturable, and reliable electro-mechanical product designs using appropriate materials, processes, and technologies (e.g., injection molding, die casting, CNC, etc.)
- Ensures that programs are properly resourced (both staffing and skills required) with respect to hardware activities
- Drives root-cause analysis and continuous improvement for mechanical-related issues in development and production
- Ensures the team is using best practices of mechanical design
- Manages and recommends professional training (informal and formal) where needs arise
- Stays up to date with market trends and drives benchmarking studies
- Will perform additional responsibilities when required
Requirements
Leadership Responsibilities:
Directly supervises department Teams. Carries out supervisory responsibilities following Whisker policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, training, and hiring, planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, addressing team issues, and upholding safety and quality guidelines.
What You’ll Bring:
- BS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics or other relevant field and / or equivalent years of experience
- 10 years experience in product design
- 5 years experience managing a team of Mechanical Engineers
- Experience overseeing and evaluating the design of durable consumer products from start to finish
- 6 years experience with injection molded plastics, electronics packaging and motor-driven mechanisms
- Experience with domestic and overseas manufacturing partners.
- Proven ability to be a leader and motivate teams to be creative, agile, and detail oriented
- Background in plastics product design
- Familiar with top down modeling techniques, as well as surfacing
- Has been involved in multiple successful new product introductions
- Strong knowledge of DFM/DFA, GD&T, and materials commonly used in electronics (plastics, metals, thermal materials)
- Proficient in PTC Creo
- Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
- Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
- A high degree of initiative, self-motivation, and ability to motivate others
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues
- Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs)
Not Required but nice to have:
- Experience with IoT connected devices and mechatronics.
- Windchill PDM
- Arena PLM
Benefits & Purrks:
Join a tenacious, inventive company that empowers team members to chart their own path, lead by grounding decisions in the “why”, and has a strong sense of empathy and openness to new perspectives. Be a part of exciting growth, work with incredible people, and create tomorrow’s pet products—plus a whole lot of extras. You will also be provided with:
- Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Whisker Parents Program
- 1 day "pawternity" leave for new pet adoption
- Pet Insurance Discount
- 401K match
- Flexible spending accounts
- Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Generous paid time off
- 14 Paid Holidays
- Top of the line equipment
- Pet-friendly office
- Whisker products and swag
- Continuing education Support
- On-site gym with Peloton
- Referral program
Statement of Inclusivity:
We believe different perspectives make Whisker better and strive to create a place where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.
Please ensure to regularly check your email spam folder for any communication from Whisker to avoid missing important updates regarding your application status.
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