Plastic Design Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Suncast Corporation is the leading US-based designer, manufacturer, and distributor of high-quality resin products for the home and industrial markets. A privately held company headquartered in Western Chicago, Illinois, Suncast prides itself on 35 years of innovation and sustainability across a wide range of product categories with materials proudly sourced in the USA. Everything we do is supported by the strength and ingenuity of American workers and we are committed to helping families across the country make the most of their unique spaces. We utilize state-of-the-art machinery and innovative manufacturing techniques to consistently engineer products of the highest possible quality.

The Senior Design Engineer is responsible for taking a product concept and developing it into a finished product. The Senior Design Engineer will lead all project-based activities from initial CAD design until production to successfully deliver projects on time, cost, and quality. Creates and verifies designs using CAE, manual methods, and functional test to minimize risk. Resulting products must meet cosmetic, functional, quality, cost, and timing expectations.

Responsibilities:

The following duties are considered essential to this position. Other responsibilities may be assigned.

• Has a full understanding of area of specialization; resolves a wide range of issues in creative ways.
• The Senior Design Engineer will have the ability to organize and prioritize simultaneous projects.
• Strong understanding of mechanical principles.
• The Senior Design Engineer will need a understanding of manufacturing processes from injection molding, blow molding, stamping, roll forming, and powder coating.
• Has developed proficiency in a range of processes or procedures through job-related training and considerable on-the-job experience.
• Completes a variety of atypical assignments.
• Works within defined processes and procedures or methodologies and helps determine the appropriate approach for new assignments.
• Works with a limited degree of supervision.
• Acts as an informal resource for colleagues with less experience.
• The Senior Design Engineer will develop solutions and recommendations; take ownership of the engineering process.
• Represents the level at which career may stabilize for many years or even until retirement.
• Understands and applies latest technology in designs.
• May participate in activities related to protecting Suncast intellectual property.
• Defines requirements to aid in the analysis and solving of problems.
• The Design Engineer works within cross-company collaboration and develops positive relationships with other engineering disciplines and other Suncast functions, such as product management, sales, manufacturing, and marketing to support client needs.

Qualifications:

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.

• A 4-year Bachelor of science degree in an appropriate engineering discipline (a Bachelor of applied science degree will NOT be accepted) from an accredited institution in the U.S. or a comparable foreign university.
• Must have 8+ years of experience.
• High level of expertise in solid modeling (SolidWorks preferred).
• Strong mechanical aptitude.
• Good conceptualization, visualization and creativity.
• Good time management, prioritization and analytical problem solving.
• Ability to perform detail-oriented work with high degree of accuracy.
• Good design experience with Plastics, sheet metal, metal castings (Die and sand) with knowledge of material specs and use.
• Good experience in new product design and development.
• Knowledge & experience of GD&T required.
• Knowledge of tools (FMEA, DOE, FEA, 8D etc) required.
• Complies with record-keeping and file sharing conventions.
• Adaptable, able to adjust to ongoing changes and improvements.
• Experience with assemblies and mechanisms.
• Good understanding of manufacturing processes.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• This position requires a high degree of computer literacy. The employee must understand file management methods using Windows platforms. There must be a strong understanding of three-dimensional CAD methods and solid modeling methods. Experience in SolidWorks is a strong plus. This employee must also be thoroughly familiar with spreadsheets and be able to use features such as complex formulas and graphing. 

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing these duties, the employee will divide his or her time between an office, a manufacturing facility, and a workshop. Typically, offices are climate controlled and have a moderate noise level for an office. Manufacturing areas are subject to seasonal variations in temperature. Noise level is generally moderate for manufacturing. The workshop is temperature controlled although it may be subject to some seasonal variations in temperature and humidity. Noise level is moderate for a workshop. Safety equipment must be worn when in the manufacturing area and the workshop. Some travel to outside vendors may be required.

The Anticipated Pay Range for This Position: $85K-$115K annually.

Suncast offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental, Prescription Drugs, Vision insurance, Telehealth benefits
• Group Term Life insurance
• 401K with employer match
• Paid vacation time off
• Paid holidays
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) & Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for health
• Paid Parental Leave (maternity & paternity)
• Tuition Reimbursement

All qualified applicants will be given equal consideration regardless of race, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, color, religion, protected veteran status or national origin.