Lead Turf Product Engineer

Lead Turf Product Engineer

Harper, KS - Full Time On-Site

Summary of Responsibilities:

The purpose of this job is to lead the team responsible for the design and development of turf products such as turf vacuums, hillside mowers, and debris blowers. This is a hands-on leadership position that requires the ability to delegate accordingly, as well as be a leader in setting expectations and meeting deadlines. This role will be responsible for developing, executing, and documenting of new product development processes and current product maintenance for existing turf products. This role will have responsibility for current and new product engineering deliverables including performance, reliability, quality, cost, weight, and serviceability targets. This person reports to the Chief Engineer.

Company Employee Requirements:

• Positive attitude
• Emotional intelligence
• Effective communication and organizational skills
• Strong customer service skills for serving both internal and external customers
• Ability to solve problems quickly and be flexible
• Continually driven to improve processes and efficiencies
• Ability to stand, stoop, squat, knee, climb, push, or pull for extended time and possibly lift, up to 50 lbs.

Summary of Duties:

• Uses technical expertise and product knowledge/experience to design solutions to meet corporate product development strategy.
• Analysis of mechanical systems using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), structural analysis, fatigue, etc. for improving product development practices
• Analysis and specification of hydraulic, electro-mechanical, and electro-hydraulic systems.
• Strong knowledge of steel weldments and general machining practices and equipment
• Development of accurate drawings for communicating design intent to different cross functional groups including manufacturing, purchasing, and outside vendors
• Work closely with the product management team and sales team for defining new product specifications and designing new products.
• Work with prototype technicians to construct prototype designs
• Interface with service department for solving issues seen by customers in the field
• Understanding of manufacturing practices to develop products for ease of manufacturing
• Use of CAD (computer aided drafting) for solution development
• Responsible to stay abreast of latest technological advancements to allow for development of innovative product designs to gain competitive market advantages for Harper
• Potential to travel to customer job sites, and field test locations related to the development of engineering projects and problem resolution
• Working with HR and Chief Engineer to identify recruiting, hiring, training, managing and mentoring employees
• Support the Chief Engineer in managing all aspects of employee growth and training through continuous coaching, performance management, and evaluations
• Providing adequate resources and staffing to meet project schedules, laws, regulations, best practices, and safety needs of the department

Qualifications:

Education/Certifications:

• A bachelor's degree in engineering from a 4-year accredited university or a 2-year technical degree is preferred
• Proficiency with Microsoft programs such as Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word are required
• Proficiency using data acquisition systems (EDaq, SOMAT, etc.) is preferred

Required Experience:

• Strong leadership ability and good communication skills
• Ability to work with diverse people in an engineering team
• Ability to work in a team setting and demonstrate positive attitude
• Good mechanical aptitude with ability to develop product validation concepts
• Ability to work flexibly in a dynamic environment
• Minimum five (5) years of engineering experience
• Understanding of CAD (computer aided drafting) software

Desired Experience:

• Direct experience with turf equipment or other off-highway products
• Knowledge of hydraulic power systems and components
• Seven (7) years of engineering experience

Special Job Dimensions:

• Travel may be required on an as-needed basis

Salary:

• Pay is commensurate with experience and education