Associate Product Engineer - Home Hardlines
About The Position
The Associate Product Engineer role is within the Engineering and Technical Design team, focusing on creating products that embody Target-owned brands. This role involves ensuring a balance of style, quality, and value in products, and developing technical product solutions to meet strategic business goals. The engineer will partner with quality and compliance teams, understand performance testing, develop products that meet standards, identify technical specifications and quality standards (raw materials, fit, function, construction, dimensions), suggest improvements for cost, assembly, sustainability, and ROI, and collaborate with vendors to ensure brand vision is realized. The position supports the development of industry-leading products by monitoring user feedback, vendor products, and industry advances, and developing technical specifications for owned brand products. It also involves quality monitoring and control, maintaining knowledge of regulatory requirements, safety protocols, and Target performance standards, and identifying opportunities for product improvement and new category growth. The role will also research emerging trends, identify white space opportunities, and contribute to the creation, testing, and refinement of prototypes. This role is performed in office 4 days per week at the Downtown MN HQ campus.
Requirements
- Four-year degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Product Development, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- 1+ years of related industry experience, preferably in consumer product development, ideally within outdoor living products, furniture, or other home categories.
- Proficiency in 2D/3D CAD software and technical knowledge of product manufacturing desired.
- Excellent problem solving skills and creative thinking skills.
- Strong project management skills.
Nice To Haves
- Proficiency in 2D/3D CAD software
- Technical knowledge of product manufacturing
Responsibilities
- Support the development of industry leading products used by millions of people every day.
- Monitor user feedback, vendor product, and industry advances.
- Develop and maintain technical specifications for owned brand products.
- Focus on quality monitoring and control by maintaining a working knowledge of applicable government regulatory requirements, safety protocols, and Target performance standards for products.
- Identify and communicate recommendations for product improvement and new category growth.
- Support the creation of engineering and technical strategies for product development based on trends in product innovation, technology, raw materials, and manufacturing.
- Research emerging trends in product development and identify white space opportunities for owned brands.
- Contribute to the creation, testing, and refinement of prototypes for new product concepts.
- Partner with quality and compliance teams to understand performance testing protocols and develop products that meet them.
- Identify technical specifications and quality standards like raw materials, fit and function, construction details and dimensions.
- Leverage collective expertise to suggest improvements to cost of goods, assembly, sustainability and ROI.
- Collaborate with vendors to ensure that the brand vision is clearly understood and successfully brought to life with every product we offer.
Benefits
- Comprehensive health benefits and programs (medical, vision, dental, life insurance)
- 401(k)
- Employee discount
- Short term disability
- Long term disability
- Paid sick leave
- Paid national holidays
- Paid vacation
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Associate degree
