Design Researcher Jobs in Indiana (NOW HIRING)

Who We Are:

Lippert is a leading, global manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered products and customized solutions, dedicated to shaping, growing and bettering the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle and building products industries.  We combine our strategic manufacturing capabilities with the power of our winning team culture to deliver unrivaled customer service, award-winning innovation and premium products to all of our customers.

Why We are Different:

At Lippert, Everyone Matters. This is not just a tagline or empty promise; it is who we are.  We have intentionally created a culture that values and celebrates our team members’ unique and varied backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.  We strive to give our team members a deeper sense of purpose at work, and we continue to build a better work environment by aligning our cultural and business strategies with the needs of our team members.

What You will Get:

1. A unique, inclusive and supportive company culture.
2. Comprehensive benefit offerings including medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match, vacation, and more!
3. Fair and competitive compensation.
4. Career development and mentoring and opportunities to grow.
5. Holiday, personal and vacation days.

Summary/Objective:

The Senior Design Engineer is responsible for leading program level designs and prototype fabrications for Aftermarket and OE automotive design solutions.  The senior design engineer utilizes standard structural analyses and modeling to develop innovative solutions to customer program requirements and needs.  The senior design engineer is also responsible for the management and execution of design programs within the engineering department.  This includes but is not limited to, program schedule management, program budget management, overall program scope and execution.  The senior design engineer also works with and mentors, design engineers as part of a complete team to ensure program design activities, goals, and targets are completed on-time, on budget and are successful.  Key emphasis is the ability to lead a fast-paced project team to bring towing solutions from concept through prototyping/production for customers in the automotive industry.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Lead engineer on design programs within the department; Responsible for program/project management (schedule, budget, action items) as well as reporting
2. Conceptual and detailed designs of automotive towing components and assemblies
3. Ability to perform and review detailed finite element structural analysis of towing and metallic components and assemblies to investigate performance to customer requirements
4. Perform and present gated design reviews with both internal staff, as well as with customers at specific times in the design lifecycle of project
5. Generate solid and surface component and assembly CAD models
6. Create drawings of products using CAD
7. Develop innovative solutions to customer requirements for towing component designs
8. Work as part of a team of design and manufacturing engineering staff to bring designs from concept through prototyping and into production
9. Develop new and improve existing engineering products and processes
10. Research new product ideas and methods
11. Ensure compliance with the industry’s safety standards and requirements
12. Maintain accurate records
13. Ensure products are user and environment friendly
14. Write detailed reports, work instructions and SOP’s
15. Present prototypes and designs to project managers and customers
16. Utilize knowledge of engineering practices, mathematics, strengths of material and other physical science
17. Have a good working knowledge of various machines and production equipment
18. Create DXF files for use on CNC equipment
19. Communicate with cross-functional teams, working closely with Product Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality and Operations
20. Perform other duties as assigned

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Working Conditions:

• Primarily working indoors, office environment
• Normal office work setting with some work in dedicated R&D space

Competencies:

1. Customer Focus
2. Decision Quality
3. Results, Action Oriented
4. Displaying Technical Expertise
5. Time Management/Organizational Ability

Requirements and Skills:

1. Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a similar field with appropriate experience
2. Previous experience as a Design Engineer or a similar role (preferred)
3. Proficient in Autodesk Inventor / SolidWorks; CATIA V5 is a plus
4. All Microsoft Office software including Project
5. 3D printer experience is a plus
6. 3D laser scanning / CMM experience is a plus (FARO)
7. Good understanding of safety standards and environmental impact of a design
8. Ability to present in front of stakeholders and managers
9. Great computational and spatial ability to solve complex problems
10. Excellent oral and written communication; ability to maintain a professional and pleasant demeanor
11. Attention to detail and accuracy
12. Ability to work on projects demanding fast prototype/production startups
13. Ability to work with vendors, customers and employees
14. Experience leading high performance teams in a fast-paced environment
15. Ability to sit/stand for long periods daily; position requires some lifting when doing installations on vehicles

Supervisory Responsibility:

This role does not have any supervisory responsibility upon hiring.

Physical Demands:

1. May sit for several hours
2. Prolonged exposure to computer screens
3. Repetitive use of hands to operate computer, printers and copiers
4. When in R&D areas, assist in prototype development as needed
5. Conduct design reviews in a manufacturing environment around physical prototypes

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time salary position, and hours/days of work are decided by production schedules and your reporting manager.

Travel:

1. Occasional travel to other design and manufacturing facilities
2. Occasional travel to trade shows / seminars
3. Occasional travel for customer visits

Preferred Education and Experience:

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and 5 years’ experience or a similar field with appropriate experience
2. Previous experience in the automotive industry with towing or hitch experience
3. Experience working with OE customers
4. Experience in global organization
5. Lateral thinker

Work Authorization/Security Clearance 

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the Team Member for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Lippert provides equal employment opportunity to all team members and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, disability, citizen status, protected veteran status, military service, marital status or any other legally protected category as established by federal, state, or local law.  This policy governs all employment decisions, including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, compensation, training, promotion, discipline, transfer, leave-of-absence, access to benefits, layoff, recall, termination and other personnel matters.  All employment and personnel-related decisions are based solely upon legitimate, job-related factors, such as skill, ability, past performance, and length of service with Lippert.

Lippert’s strong commitment to equal employment opportunity requires a commitment by each individual team member.  Compliance with the letter and spirit of this policy is required of all team members.  Violations of this policy should be immediately reported to your leader or to any member of leadership.  Team members who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Know Your Rights