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Location: Waterloo, Iowa | Schedule: Full-time, on-site | Compensation: $80,000-$90,000 plus 15% bonus

Overview

An established manufacturer of heavy haul trailers and fabricated mobile equipment is seeking a Product Design Engineering Manager to lead a team responsible for a defined portion of standard product offerings supporting the production schedule. This role centers on ownership, standardization, continuous improvement, and lifecycle support of existing product platforms, ensuring designs remain manufacturable, cost-effective, compliant, and scalable. The position blends hands-on technical oversight with people leadership, working closely with other engineering leaders, Manufacturing, Warranty, Customer Service, and occasionally Sales.

What you'll do

• Lead, develop, and manage a team of product design engineers supporting production and in-market products
• Own product architectures, standards, and design intent across heavy haul trailer platforms
• Prioritize and assign engineering work based on production needs, product improvements, cost-reduction initiatives, and field feedback
• Serve as engineering owner for sustaining engineering, product changes, and platform evolution (non-NPD)
• Ensure engineering support for production, including rapid resolution of design, quality, and manufacturability issues
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Production to improve weldment, fabrication, and assembly methods
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Production to improve BOM accuracy, drawings, and release quality
• Lead and participate in structured design reviews and approve engineering changes
• Oversee ECN/ECO execution to ensure timely, accurate, and well-documented product changes
• Ensure compliance with FMVSS, DOT, and internal engineering and quality standards
• Apply DFMEA, lessons learned, warranty data, and field feedback to improve durability, safety, and product reliability
• Drive design-for-manufacturing, design-to-cost, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Support sales, service, and operations by providing clear engineering guidance and technical explanations
• Maintain and improve engineering documentation, databases, and design tools
• Assist with development and implementation of standard, pre-engineered product offerings to reduce custom engineering resource demands and improve schedule execution

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• Experience in heavy haul trailers, heavy equipment, or fabricated mobile equipment
• Strong background in mechanical systems, structures, hydraulics, and manufacturing processes
• Proven experience supporting products in production environments
• Practical, hands-on engineering judgment
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to balance cost, performance, manufacturability, and reliability
• Proficiency with CAD tools, Excel, and engineering data systems

Compensation and benefits

• $80,000-$90,000 salary
• 15% bonus

Why this role

This position offers the opportunity to blend hands-on technical leadership with people management, owning key product platforms and driving continuous improvement across production, quality, and cross-functional teams.