Motorcycle Development Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

At Gates, we welcome challenges, celebrate hard work, and continually seek new talent to join our global company. Our Global Mobility group in Denver is looking for a Product Engineer - Powersports. This role is responsible for supporting the development and maturation of new product and process technologies that bridge early-stage innovation and downstream product commercialization. The Technical Product Engineer will work cross-functionally with internal teams and external suppliers to evaluate, prototype, test, and validate new concepts, materials, components, and manufacturing processes. This role focuses on reducing technical risk, proving feasibility, and preparing technologies for transfer to product development, operations, and commercialization teams. This position supports Product initiatives across Mobility and Powersports products and systems, including development of enabling materials, components, and manufacturing methods that can ultimately become commercial products. Please review below to see if this might be the right opportunity for you.

Technology and Product Development

• Support the development of new technologies, materials, components, and manufacturing processes from concept through feasibility validation.
• Evaluate technical concepts through prototyping, testing, analysis, and experimentation.
• Assist in translating early-stage ideas into structured engineering development plans and actionable workstreams.
• Contribute to the creation of design guidelines, technical requirements, and engineering documentation that support future product development and commercialization.
• Support design changes, product enhancements, and concept development activities related to new Mobility products and technical solutions.

Supplier and Process Development

• Work with external suppliers and internal manufacturing partners to explore and develop new process capabilities.
• Support feasibility studies for new manufacturing methods, including prototype trials, process assessments, and capability evaluations.
• Help identify technical risks, manufacturability concerns, and key process variables associated with new technologies.
• Conduct process-related evaluations to support cost, performance, and manufacturability improvements.
• Document development learnings, process constraints, and critical-to-quality requirements to support successful handoff.

Product / Design Engineering

• Develop concepts, prototypes, and test articles to assess performance, durability, and manufacturability.
• Perform design reviews, tolerance assessments, and design-for-manufacturing studies on new concepts and development projects.
• Investigate the impact of design tolerances and process variation on part and system performance.
• Collaborate with product development teams to ensure new technologies align with application requirements and future commercialization needs.
• Support engineering evaluation of inspection methods, validation approaches, and product performance criteria.

Testing and Validation

• Design and execute test plans to evaluate technical feasibility, product performance, and process robustness.
• Analyze test results and communicate findings, conclusions, and recommended next steps.
• Support root-cause investigations and engineering problem solving during development activities.
• Help define readiness criteria for transferring proven technologies into product development and commercialization pipelines.
• Assist in confirming that developed concepts and processes are ready for downstream scaling and industrialization.

Project Management and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Manage assigned development projects by tracking scope, timelines, deliverables, risks, and action items.
• Coordinate activities across engineering, sourcing, quality, operations, product management, and external suppliers to ensure projects progress effectively.
• Maintain project plans and provide regular communication on status, priorities, risks, and key decisions.
• Drive follow-up and accountability across stakeholders to support execution of development milestones and handoff activities.
• Support structured transfer of validated technologies into downstream product development and commercialization teams.

Assist in confirming that developed concepts and processes are ready for downstream scaling and industrialization

• No supervisory responsibilities but may provide guidance to new associates

Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of relevant engineering experience in product development, advanced development, R&D, manufacturing/process development, testing, or related technical roles.
• Experience supporting engineering projects involving prototyping, validation, process development, or product improvement.
• Demonstrated project management experience coordinating technical tasks, schedules, deliverables, and stakeholders.
• Experience working cross-functionally to drive projects forward and communicate status, risks, and priorities.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications; GD&T experience is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working with external suppliers or technical development partners.
• Exposure to new product development, technical product development initiatives, or technology transfer activities.
• Experience with CAD software such as SolidWorks or similar 3D modeling tools.
• Familiarity with DFM, DOE, process capability studies, tolerance analysis, or root-cause problem solving.
• Exposure to manufacturing technologies such as metal forming, polymer processing, or related process development environments.
• Experience in powersports, automotive, or similar mechanical systems.
• Passion for bicycles or cycling products, with a strong interest in applying engineering solutions to realworld riding, durability, efficiency, and performance applications.

Skills and Capabilities

• Strong engineering fundamentals in mechanical, materials, or manufacturing-related disciplines.
• Effective project management skills, including planning, organization, prioritization, timeline management, and cross-functional coordination.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and workstreams simultaneously while maintaining focus on quality and execution.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly convey technical progress, risks, and next steps to stakeholders.
• Hands-on problem-solving ability in prototyping, testing, validation, and process development.
• Curiosity and willingness to understand how products are designed, built, validated, and commercialized.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively with internal teams and external partners.
• Practical understanding of engineering tradeoffs, manufacturability, and process feasibility.
• Interest in bicycles and cycling products, with an appreciation for how engineering decisions impact rider experience, durability, efficiency, and performance.