Design Engineer III

Position Overview:  

At Yakima we believe in connecting you, your family, friends and all your favorite gear to your desired destination or activity through our mission of enhancing the journey and earning trust every day.  As part of the Yakima Aftermarket Engineering Team this position will be responsible for engineering design of new products and/or redesign of current products for Yakima branded products. The position will lead the technical efforts on aftermarket product design projects. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll do:

• Collaborate with Category Business Management, Industrial Design, Quality Engineering, Global Sourcing, and manufacturing partner teams to design innovative products to that meet performance, manufacturing and market needs.
• Resolve issues that arise during the design phase of product development and complete prototypes, CAD, drawing, Bill of Materials, and Product Specifications.
• Support cost reduction and sustaining engineering projects.

Specifics Include:

• Lead projects with multiple contributors to ensure the projects meet cost, schedule, KPIs and resource requirements.
• Design innovative solutions to product needs that meet product specifications.
• Produce completed engineering work using world-class processes and techniques. Generate or review 2D Drawings, 3D CAD, Bills of Material, engineering analysis, and testing.
• Work with the Project Manager as well as internal resources to develop and drive project schedule and budget.
• Validate designs through analysis, prototyping, and testing.
• Work with project team to create product and tooling cost estimates. 
• Work with test team to determine performance testing procedures for prototype and production parts to test the viability of the new product and design equipment and perform these tests if required. 
• Document the design with 3D CAD, 2D drawings, ECOs, tolerance analysis, FMEAs and FEA. 
• Create and maintain product specification documents.
• Work closely with offshore partners to complete designs.
• Mentor and guide other engineers at Yakima and offshore to ensure consistent, high-quality designs and efficient projects.
• Follow, influence and improve the Product Development Process.
• Manage/Balance time among multiple projects at the same or different stages simultaneously. 
• Keep informed of latest developments in the field by reading, individual contacts, trade shows and attendance at appropriate meetings.  
• Travel domestically and internationally in support of projects.
• Carry out other duties, responsibilities, and projects as may be assigned, in an effective manner.

What you Bring:

• Degree in Design/Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 6 years of related engineering work experience required.
• 3 years of consumer product design experience preferred.
• Proficiency in the use of SolidWorks CAD software including Surfacing and FEA
• Thorough understanding of manufacturing processes, test methods and basic machine shop practices, including but not limited to injection molding, vacuum forming, metal fabrication, die casting and extrusions.
• Lean manufacturing experience, experience with offshore manufacturers, mechanism design, and knowledge of outdoor products and automotive equipment preferred.
• Experience using FEA software packages.
• Experienced using design tools such as FMEA and GD&T preferred.
• Demonstrable creativity and innovative thinking
• Strong attention to detail and quality
• Capable of managing multiple projects in a deadline driven environment
• Written and Oral Skills:  English mandatory.  Bilingual fluency in Mandarin Chinese desirable 
• Advanced level with P.C.’s: Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, PowerPoint
• 4 years of experience in completing and managing projects with minimal oversight and against aggressive timelines. 
• Experience with leading product development projects.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as a member and/or leader of a team.
• Effective interpersonal verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and project/time management skills
• Knowledge of outdoor hard goods and/or automotive industries.
• Extensive knowledge of vehicle makes and models and automotive industry preferred.