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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for MTS Product Development Engineer

💰 $90,000 - $140,000

EngineeringProduct DevelopmentR&DManufacturingMechanical Engineering

🎯 Role Definition

The MTS Product Development Engineer is a hands-on product development leader responsible for taking medium-to-high complexity mechanical and electromechanical products from concept through production. This role combines systems thinking, mechanical design, validation testing, supplier coordination and manufacturing readiness to deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective products for test systems (MTS) and instrumentation. The engineer drives New Product Introduction (NPI), ensures design for manufacturability (DFM) and assembly (DFA), manages cross-functional teams (R&D, manufacturing, quality, purchasing), and maintains product documentation and compliance for sustained production.

Key SEO / LLM keywords: MTS Product Development Engineer, New Product Introduction (NPI), design for manufacturability (DFM), verification and validation (V&V), DFMEA, CAD, SolidWorks, Creo, FEA, supplier development, test stands, electromechanical systems.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Mechanical Design Engineer (CAD-focused)
  • Test Systems Engineer or Applications Engineer
  • Manufacturing / Process Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Senior Product Development Engineer / Lead Engineer
  • Manager of Product Development or R&D Manager
  • Program Manager or Director, New Product Introduction

Lateral Moves:

  • Systems Engineer (test & control systems)
  • Supplier Quality or Manufacturing Engineering lead
  • Product Management (technical product owner)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  1. Lead full product lifecycle activities for MTS test systems and electromechanical products: concept generation, requirements capture, mechanical/electrical design, prototyping, verification & validation (V&V), pre-production pilot builds, and production handover.
  2. Translate market, customer and product requirements into clear engineering specifications, system block diagrams, and detailed BOMs that align with cost, schedule and quality targets.
  3. Create robust 3D CAD models and 2D drawings (SolidWorks/Creo) with complete GD&T callouts, tolerance stacks and manufacturing notes to ensure first-time-right production.
  4. Perform design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) reviews to reduce part count, lower cost, improve serviceability and shorten time-to-market.
  5. Conduct DFMEA and risk assessments for new products and major design changes, write mitigation plans, and drive closure of identified failure modes with cross-functional stakeholders.
  6. Build and test prototypes in lab and field environments; develop and execute test plans, instrumentation setups, and test automation (LabVIEW, Python, or similar) to verify performance against requirements.
  7. Perform finite element analysis (FEA), modal and thermal simulation to validate design integrity and fatigue life for mechanical components and assemblies.
  8. Define and qualify manufacturing processes (welding, machining, surface treatment, assembly processes) including tooling, jigs, and fixtures required for production.
  9. Collaborate with purchasing and suppliers to select, source and qualify components and subassemblies; manage supplier design reviews, capability assessments and PPAP/APQP activities.
  10. Drive prototype and pilot build activities, collect build feedback, resolve production issues, update drawings and process documentation for continuous improvement.
  11. Define and optimize test plans, acceptance criteria, and verification protocols; author and maintain test reports, traceability matrices and qualification documentation.
  12. Lead root cause analysis (5-Why, Ishikawa, fishbone) and corrective & preventive actions (CAPA) for design and production failures, ensuring timely corrective actions and lessons learned integration.
  13. Create and maintain complete technical documentation sets: assembly instructions, work instructions, BOMs, ECOs, service manuals, and regulatory compliance documentation.
  14. Define product cost models and participate in design trade-off discussions to achieve target cost through value engineering and supplier negotiations.
  15. Work closely with electrical and embedded firmware teams to integrate sensors, actuators and control electronics; support hardware/software integration, EMI/EMC checks and system-level validation.
  16. Establish and execute reliability testing, accelerated life tests, environmental stress screening (ESS), thermal cycling and vibration testing to ensure product durability in target applications.
  17. Support manufacturing ramp-up, provide on-floor engineering support, train manufacturing staff, and ensure production meets quality and throughput targets.
  18. Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to reduce defects, improve yields and shorten cycle times.
  19. Participate actively in cross-functional program reviews, design reviews (PDR/CDR), staging gates and milestone reporting to program management and stakeholders.
  20. Provide technical support to sales and applications teams during customer engagements, field trials and acceptance testing, addressing engineering clarifications and custom requirements.
  21. Manage multiple concurrent projects with disciplined project planning, risk highlighting, resource coordination and timely communication of status to stakeholders.
  22. Ensure compliance with industry and regulatory standards relevant to the product (safety standards, CE/UL where applicable), and partner with quality/regulatory teams on certifications.
  23. Mentor and coach junior engineers and interns on product development best practices, CAD modelling, test method development and production readiness.
  24. Maintain an up-to-date technical knowledge base by evaluating new materials, processes and tools; propose adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies where beneficial.
  25. Support sustainment engineering and obsolescence management by evaluating component lifecycle risks and defining redesigns or alternate sourcing strategies.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for product performance and failure trends.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying test-data requirements and instrumentation needs.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements and structured metrics for continuous improvement.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within cross-functional product development teams and adapt engineering deliverables to iterative roadmaps.
  • Assist in customer-specific engineering change requests (ECRs), generate proposals and evaluate impact of customizations on cost, schedule and manufacturability.
  • Support marketing content creation with technical input for datasheets, whitepapers and application notes highlighting product differentiators and performance metrics.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Creo, or equivalent) including surfacing, assembly management and drawing release workflows.
  • Strong understanding and application of GD&T, tolerance stack analysis and geometric control for high-reliability assemblies.
  • Hands-on experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) processes: DFMEA, APQP, PPAP, ECO management and BoM governance.
  • Practical experience with FEA (ANSYS, Abaqus, or similar) for stress, modal and thermal analysis; ability to interpret results and implement design changes.
  • Proficient in test plan development, instrumentation, data acquisition (DAQ), and test automation (LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB).
  • Experience with electromechanical integration: sensors, actuators, power electronics, connectors and cable harness design.
  • Familiarity with manufacturing processes: CNC machining, sheet metal forming, stamping, injection molding, welding and surface treatments.
  • Supplier qualification and supplier quality engineering: audits, capability studies, corrective action management and technical specifications.
  • Experience with product reliability and environmental testing: vibration, thermal cycling, shock, and ingress protection testing.
  • Strong documentation skills: drafting assembly procedures, work instructions, FMEA documents, PV/validation reports and regulatory filings.
  • ERP/PLM/BOM tools experience (e.g., Windchill, Arena, SAP) for configuration control and release management.
  • Data literacy: ability to analyze test data, statistical process control (SPC) and use of Six Sigma tools for process improvements.

Soft Skills

  • Strong cross-functional communication: able to translate technical details to manufacturing, purchasing and customer-facing teams.
  • Project management discipline: prioritization, schedule management, risk mitigation and stakeholder reporting.
  • Problem-solving mindset: structured root cause analysis and pragmatic implementation of corrective actions.
  • Leadership and mentoring: guide junior engineers, encouraging best practices and knowledge transfer.
  • Adaptability and ownership: comfortable in fast-paced NPI environments with shifting priorities and tight schedules.
  • Customer-focus: proactive in addressing field issues and translating customer feedback into product improvements.
  • Attention to detail with a pragmatic approach to trade-offs between performance, cost and manufacturability.
  • Collaborative team player with experience in agile and stage-gate product development environments.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace, or a closely related engineering discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master of Science (MS) in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering or Product Design.
  • Certifications: Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, PMP, or relevant CAD/FEA certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechatronics / Electro-mechanical Engineering
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Systems Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 4–10+ years in product development or mechanical design engineering with hands-on NPI experience; 6+ years preferred for senior roles.

Preferred:

  • Demonstrated experience developing electromechanical test systems, industrial machinery, or instrumentation products.
  • Prior exposure to supplier development, manufacturing ramp-up and field support of complex assemblies.
  • Track record of successful product launches, cost reduction/value engineering projects and manufacturability improvements.
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