Seating Engineer Jobs in Wisconsin (NOW HIRING)

Position Summary:

The Sr. Industrial Designer develops innovative, manufacturable seating solutions for On / Off-road and specialty vehicle markets. This role balances OE customer needs, brand direction, ergonomic requirements, and initial manufacturing input into concepts, prototypes, and production-intent designs. The position works closely with the cross-functional teams to ensure designs meet customer expectations, cost targets, quality requirements, and production capabilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead industrial design activities for new and existing seating programs across construction, turfcare, motorcycle, golf, and off-road markets.
• Interface directly with OE customers to understand design intent, user needs, vehicle integration requirements, brand expectations, timelines, and program constraints.
• Translate customer and internal requirements into compelling product concepts using sketches, renderings, 3D CAD, digital models, physical mockups, and presentation materials.
• Develop seating design solutions that balance ergonomics, comfort, durability, safety, styling, serviceability, cost, and manufacturability.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, Sales, and Program Management to move concepts through development, validation, quote support, production release, and launch.
• Create and maintain product development documentation, including design briefs, concept packages, renderings, CAD data, product structures, trim and material direction, and quality criteria.
• Create, coordinate, and evaluate prototypes for customer reviews, internal design reviews, ergonomic assessment, design and manufacturing evaluation.
• Actively identify and support cost, value engineering, and process improvement opportunities throughout the development process.
• Manage design work for multiple programs simultaneously, balancing customer priorities, internal deadlines, design quality, and production requirements.
• Exhibit strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Conduct design reviews and communicate clearly with domestic and international teams, including collaboration with the Mexico facility as needed.
• Monitor competitive products, market trends, materials, manufacturing processes, seating technologies, and user needs relevant to off-road and specialty vehicle seating.
• May mentor and/or train less experienced Industrial Designers, Technicians, and interns.
• Ability to travel domestically and to Mexico if required, for customer meetings, production trials, launches, and supplier or facility support.

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Transportation Design, Product Design, or a related field preferred; equivalent technical degree, certification, and directly relevant experience may be considered.
• Four (4) or more years of industrial design experience; experience designing seating, vehicle interiors, powersports, turfcare, construction equipment, golf car, agricultural, or other durable products preferred.
• Proficiency with sketching, rendering, 3D modeling, and design presentation tools. Experience with software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Autodesk Alias, SolidWorks, Rhino, KeyShot, or comparable CAD/rendering tools preferred.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes relevant to seating, such as cut-and-sew upholstery, foam, vacuum forming, injection molding, rotational molding, seat mechanisms, and assembly operations preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills preferred but not required.

Key Competencies:

• Customer-focused design thinking and professional presentation skills.
• Practical understanding of ergonomics, user comfort, product durability, and vehicle/operator environments.
• Design for manufacturability mindset with sensitivity to cost, quality, schedule, and production constraints.
• Collaborative working style with the ability to influence and align Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales, Quality, and customer stakeholders.
• Ability to work across cultures, time zones, and functions with clear follow-through.

Physical & Mental Demands:

Physical and mental demands are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regularly required to sit, talk, hear, and use hands to touch, handle, or feel. Occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, bend, or move around prototypes, test samples, or manufacturing areas.
• May occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, including prototype parts, samples, or presentation materials.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus for sketches, CAD models, materials, samples, and detailed product reviews.
• Must be able to manage multiple priorities, communicate across functions and locations, and make sound design decisions under schedule, cost, quality, and customer constraints.

Work Environment:

• Primarily office-based with regular collaboration in design, engineering, prototype, manufacturing, and warehouse areas.
• The employee may enter manufacturing or warehouse environments where noise levels are louder and PPE may be required.
• Travel to customer sites, suppliers, trade events, and the Mexico manufacturing facility may be required.

The above descriptions reflect the principal functions of the Sr. Industrial Designer position and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all work requirements that may be inherent in the job.