Product Engineer (Direct Hire)
Lebanon, OH
Job Requisition: 7572
Description for Product Engineer:
The Product Engineer owns the end-to-end execution of product design changes and enhancements, serving as the technical authority that bridges engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and customer support. This role drives the development, documentation, and implementation of cost-effective, reliable product designs while managing multiple projects, engineering change notices, and production issue resolution. Partnering closely with operations and production teams, the Lead Product Engineer ensures design changes are manufacturable, clearly communicated, and executed without disrupting production.
The role also supports new product launches, cost-reduction initiatives, and field campaigns, leveraging CAD and ERP systems to manage drawings, bills of materials, and part revisions. In addition, the Lead Product Engineer mentors junior resources, contributes to cross-functional gate reviews, and plays a key role in continuous improvement efforts that enhance product performance, quality, and operational efficiency.
Responsibilities for Product Engineer:
- Translate design packages into accurate manufacturing cost estimates, including tooling, labor, and material considerations, based on plant capabilities
- Maintain and update standard cost estimation models to reflect current labor rates, cycle times, raw material pricing, and manufacturing processes
- Analyze and audit labor processes, create and maintain routings, and ensure accurate data flow within SAP
- Partner with plant leadership, manufacturing engineers, and operators to understand capacity constraints, equipment capability, and process limitations
- Support new programs and trial runs by evaluating manufacturability, identifying risks, and recommending process adjustments
- Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives, including kaizen events, focused on efficiency, cost reduction, and process standardization
- Develop and implement tools (including Excel/VBA solutions) to improve data accuracy, reduce manual work, and streamline reporting
- Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to cross-functional teams to drive alignment and execution across multiple plants
- Provide training and guidance to plant teams on updated processes, costing assumptions, and system changes
Requirements for Product Engineer:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
- 2–10 years of experience in a product-focused manufacturing environment
- Demonstrated ownership of products and decisions, going beyond task execution
- Strong production-oriented mindset, comfortable on the shop floor and translating designs into manufacturable solutions
- Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve production and quality issues under pressure
- Skilled at aligning cross-functional teams (engineering, operations, supply chain, service) to keep projects on track
- Solid engineering judgment to balance cost, reliability, safety, and speed
- Capable of making and defending design trade-offs using data and sound reasoning
- Highly disciplined in execution — prioritizes effectively, follows through, and closes loops
- Clear and confident technical communicator, especially when design or process changes impact production or customers
- Committed to continuous improvement and cost-conscious design
