Lead Product Engineer

Role Summary Job Description Location: Gastonia, NC As a Lead Product Engineer at MANN+HUMMEL, you will play a pivotal role in driving the design and development of filtration system products. Your responsibilities will include leading the conceptualization of complex designs, ensuring alignment with specifications, cost targets, and project timelines. Additionally, you will foster cross-functional collaboration, contribute to manufacturing process enhancements, and mentor team members to effectively achieve project objectives. Main Tasks Lead the design and development of air/liquid filtration system products, conceptualizing complex mechanical designs, components, and assemblies to meet internal/external specifications, cost, and timelinesMaintain a high level of accountability and responsiveness in customer communication, ensuring customer satisfaction and positioning the company as the preferred choice for technical engineering solutionsCollaborate with cross-functional teams to evaluate product designs, determine feasibility, and minimize costs for development and manufacturing while ensuring strong design for manufacturability (DFM)Work closely with operations to align product designs with production strategies, understanding and optimizing process capabilities and manufacturing requirements for mechanical componentsCoordinate Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) activities for product design validation, analyzing results to optimize performance, reliability, robust manufacturing, and costCollaborate with Testing to establish validation methods, interpret results, and recommend design improvements and corrective actions based on test outcomesWork with Global Business and Technology Solutions (GBTS) for engineering and CAD tasks including support for 3D modeling, engineering drawings, and design documentationActively participate and support Kaizen/DLS workshops and contribute to annual objectives related to product design and development improvementsComplete required tasks for each Gate as per the program management development process including required engineering deliverables and design release documentationSupport development and release of engineering drawings, design documentation, and Bills of Material (BOM) to ensure accurate product release into manufacturing Required Qualifications Education Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related engineering disciplineExperienceMinimum 3 years of experience in mechanical product design and developmentDemonstrated ownership of product development from concept through production releaseExperience creating and releasing engineering drawings and managing engineering change processes Required Technical Skills Proficiency in 3D CAD modeling tools such as NX, Creo, CATIA, or similar platformsStrong knowledge of GD&T (ASME Y14.5)Experience performing tolerance stack-up analysisExperience creating and managing Bills of Material within engineering or ERP systems such as SAPExperience in Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis (DFMEA)Strong problem-solving and analytical skillsAbility to collaborate across global engineering teamsAvailability for 10–20% domestic travel Preferred Experience Experience designing industrial equipment, automotive components, or fluid handling productsExperience designing plastic injection molded, stamped metal, or cast mechanical componentsExperience with filtration systems or fluid system componentsFamiliarity with filter manufacturing processesExposure to program or project management within product development programs