Mechanical Product Development Engineer

Mechanical Product Development Engineer

Reports To: Product Engineering Manager or Designee

Location: Saint Joseph, MI

Position Type: Full Time

Status: Salary Exempt

A day in this role

By mid-morning, you’ve translated a customer’s voice-of-need into design inputs, sketched early concepts in SolidWorks, and pulled in Quality and Operations for a quick design-for-manufacturability touchpoint. After lunch, you’re running FEA on a revised caster assembly, preparing a test plan, and coordinating a cross-functional review. Before the day ends, you brief Colson Group leadership on technical progress, risks, and mitigation steps—then step into the lab to help assemble a concept build for hands-on validation.

What you’ll do

• Partner directly with customers to capture requirements; collaborate across functions to design new products or implement changes to existing ones.
• Prepare compelling proposals for customers and Colson Group management, including analyses, drawings, concepts, and cost estimates.
• Own engineering/design projects—scope, plan, execute, and deliver.
• Coordinate reviews of designs, drawings, and analyses to drive quality decisions.
• Track program status and report technical progress and risk items to Colson Group leadership.
• Work cross-functionally with Sales, Operations, Customer Service, Product Management, and Quality to meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Execute detailed product development tasks (FMEA, FEA, design reviews, and related activities).
• Develop test plans; support testing as needed; analyze, summarize, and act on results.
• Respond to customer and supplier inquiries by phone, email, and on-site reviews.
• Provide hands-on support for engineering and concept builds, including assembly, welding, and testing.
• Create, maintain, implement, and ensure adherence to Product Engineering standards.
• Perform other related duties and projects as assigned.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field (required).
• Training in CAD/FEA/Product Development (preferred).
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• 2+ years of experience with SolidWorks (or appropriate CAD) and related procedures.
• 2+ years working with ergonomics, material handling, caster design, metal fabrication, injection-molded plastics, cast polyurethane, or equivalent domains.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills; strong analytical capability; effective interpersonal skills.

You should be proficient in: Bachelor’s Degree; CAD/CAM Software

Legal Notices

FLSA Classification

**Status:

** Salary Exempt

ADA/Essential Functions

*Note

*Every effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position. However, this in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is an essential function of the position.

Safety-Sensitive/Drug and Alcohol

*This position is a safety-sensitive position. The position requires operating or working around heavy equipment, which if performed while under the influence of drugs (including marijuana) or alcohol could result in errors in judgment, inattentiveness or diminished coordination, dexterity or composure that could in turn result in mistakes that would endanger the health and safety of you and others.