Job Description
RKS Design - Thousand Oaks, CA

Full-TimeIn-Office

RKS Design is seeking a talented Mid-Level Mechanical/Product Development Engineer to join our multidisciplinary product development team.

In this role, you will work alongside Industrial Design, Research, Strategy, and Engineering teams to transform innovative concepts into thoughtfully engineered, manufacturable products. Your contributions will span the product development process-from early concept exploration and prototyping through detailed engineering, testing, manufacturing, and production.

We are looking for a hands-on problem solver who enjoys working on a wide variety of products and technical challenges and who understands how great engineering supports both the design vision and the end-user experience.

Your Role

You will contribute to the development of complex mechanical and electro-mechanical products while collaborating closely with designers, engineers, clients, suppliers, and manufacturing partners.

You should have solid experience developing products using 3D CAD and a practical understanding of manufacturing processes including plastic injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, machining, prototyping, and assembly.

You will be expected to take ownership of assigned engineering tasks and project work streams, identify potential technical risks, develop practical solutions, and help move products efficiently from concept through production.

As part of a consulting environment, you will have the opportunity to work across different industries, technologies, and product categories rather than focusing on a single product line.

Responsibilities

• Createhigh-quality mechanical, electro-mechanical, and assembly designs usingparametric 3D CAD.
• Developcomponents and assemblies that balance engineering requirements,manufacturability, cost, aesthetics, and user experience.
• Participatein brainstorming sessions, design reviews, engineering reviews, and othercross-functional project meetings.
• Translateindustrial design concepts into practical, manufacturable engineeringsolutions while maintaining the original design intent.
• Developand maintain engineering documentation including drawings, specifications,bills of materials (BOMs), tolerance requirements, and supportingtechnical documentation.
• Buildand evaluate prototypes and assist with testing and design verification.
• Performtolerance analysis and identify potential mechanical, manufacturing,assembly, and reliability issues.
• Workwith suppliers, prototype vendors, and contract manufacturers to obtaincomponents, prototypes, tooling, and production parts.
• Reviewtooling and manufacturing designs to help ensure proper fit, finish,function, and production quality.
• Evaluateinitial production samples for engineering and design intent and adherenceto specifications and tolerances.
• Troubleshootproduct and manufacturing issues, perform root-cause analysis, andrecommend corrective actions.
• Assistwith the design and review of manufacturing test fixtures and procedures.
• Supportengineering efforts during design transfer and transition intomanufacturing.
• Researchand evaluate new materials, components, manufacturing technologies, andprototyping processes.
• Participatein client meetings and clearly communicate engineering recommendations,technical challenges, project progress, and potential solutions.
• Workwith senior engineers and project leadership to maintain projectschedules, identify risks, and meet project milestones.
• Contributeideas for improving RKS engineering processes, tools, and best practices.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor'sdegree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Approximately6-8 yearsof professional productdevelopment/mechanical engineering experience.
• Strongproficiency with parametric 3D CAD and experience creatingproduction-ready mechanical designs.
• Experiencedesigning parts for plastic injection molding.
• Workingknowledge of sheet metal, machining, castings, additive manufacturing, andother common manufacturing processes.
• Experiencedeveloping mechanical assemblies and integrating off-the-shelf componentsinto product designs.
• Understandingof GD&T, tolerance analysis, engineering drawings, and design formanufacturing and assembly (DFMA).
• Experienceworking with prototypes and taking products through multiple designiterations.
• Abilityto identify engineering problems, investigate root causes, and developpractical solutions.
• Strongorganizational skills and the ability to manage multiple assignments andpriorities in a fast-paced consulting environment.
• Strongwritten and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortablecollaborating directly with industrial designers, engineers, suppliers,manufacturers, and clients.

Benefits

Medical, Standard Holidays, Vacation days