Automotive Design Engineering Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

Senior Design Engineer

Lenexa, KS – Full Time

Productive Resources (www.productiveresources.com) is seeking a candidate to be part of our engineering team at our customer's facility in Lenexa, KS. As a member of our team, the selected candidate will leverage their extensive experience to lead and execute complex engineering projects, mentor junior and mid-level engineers, and contribute to the innovation and technical growth of the team. You will take ownership of design, development, and optimization tasks, ensuring that solutions are efficient, scalable, and meet all regulatory and industry standards. The Senior Design Engineer owns the mechanical design of our robot platform and supports equipment from concept through validated prototype — and stays accountable through seasonal production cycles.

This is a full-time position that is indefinite in duration with the opportunity of professional growth, and additional opportunities within our organization.

Duties:

• Own mechanical design of new systems and subsystems — from requirements and architecture through detailed CAD, tolerance analysis, and released drawings.
• Document Control- demonstrates ownership and organization for files that are created ensuring that CAD files, requirements documents and design document revisions produced are organized and managed throughout lifecycle.
• Ensure our BOMs and documents are updated and accurate - we move fast, but with accuracy.
• Design for the field: soil abrasion, vibration, dust ingress, impact, and thermal cycling are your test cases, not edge cases.
• Apply a DFMEA approach and robust design to predict and protect from edge cases and failure modes.
• Build and instrument test rigs; develop test/DVP&R plans and run validation protocols in the field alongside our operations team; document failure modes and own the fix.
• Work tightly with software and electrical engineers to integrate sensors, actuators, and control systems into mechanical designs.
• Conduct tolerance stack-up calculations and identify critical to quality(CTQ) tolerance call outs while producing DFM-ready drawing packages for our manufacturing partner; own the design through first-article inspection.
• Feed field failure data back into the design — close the loop on what breaks and why utilizing first principles and solid engineering judgment.
• Apply root cause corrective actions process RCCA or FRACAS while documenting the cycles of learning.
• Mentor junior engineers; set the standard for design rigor on the hardware team.

Requirements:

• 7+ years of mechanical design experience.
• Background in off-highway vehicles, automotive, agricultural equipment, or industrial vehicles —required.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks strongly preferred); GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and DFM for external manufacturing.
• Experience taking a design from prototype through production drawing release — not just design validation.
• Hands-on with physical hardware: you have built things, tested them in the field, watched them fail, and redesigned them.
• Working knowledge of FEA and structural analysis experience preferred.
• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.
• Proven toughness - changing the world is not for the faint of heart.
• Designs for where the machine actually runs, not where it’s supposed to run.
• Takes direct feedback - both positive and negative - owns it, and addresses it.
• Comfortable owning a design end to end with limited oversight — we are a small team.
• Experience (personal or professional) working on or near a farm is a strong plus.

As a condition of employment consideration, Productive Resources conducts pre-employment screening, including a background check and drug test. In addition, an employment candidate is required to provide proof of identity and legal authority to work in the United States.

Why work for Productive Resources? 

Productive Resources is a full-service engineering firm with over two decades of experience serving leading global clients. Our expertise is project-based product development and manufacturing engineering support. Our primary focus industries are off highway equipment including agricultural, construction, defense, mining, recreational, industrial, and specialty machines.

We lead with our reputation for quality, teamwork, and innovative solutions. We invest in our people, providing resources and opportunities for ongoing development. Our workplace fosters innovation, prioritizes the well-being of our team, and encourages creativity. Our diverse experience and client base will challenge your technical skills and provide greater opportunities for growth.

We Offer Competitive Benefits:

• Group Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Voluntary Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance available
• Voluntary Critical Illness and Accident Insurance available
• Long-Term Disability
• Short-term Disability
• Retirement Savings Account (Traditional 401k & Roth 401k)
• Flexible Spending Plans for Medical Expenses and Dependent Care
• Health Savings Account (HSA) Programs available
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Plan
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Health Care Support Program complimentary health advocacy program provides 24/7 assistance.
• Adoption Assistance Program
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Caregiver Support Programs
• Financial Wellbeing Support
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Training and Development

Equal Opportunity and Veteran Friendly