Composites Product Engineer

Performance Seats, Inc•Spartanburg, SC

26d

About The Position

Overview: We are seeking a Composite Product Engineer in Spartanburg, SC to serve as the technical owner of carbon fiber and glass fiber composite components during the development phase. This role acts as the bridge between customer requirements, composite design, and manufacturing execution, partnering closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Validation, and Operations teams. This is a hands-on engineering role focused on composite design decisions, layup definition, and development-phase problem solving, not day-to-day production support.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Plastics, or Composites Engineering (or equivalent)
4+ years experience in carbon fiber / glass fiber composite product development
Hands-on experience defining: Composite materials Ply schedules and layups Composite part architecture
Strong understanding of composite molding processes: Compression molding Vacuum bag / oven molding Autoclave molding
Experience acting as a technical lead in cross-functional development teams
Experience with D-FMEA and structured problem solving
Ability to work independently and take ownership of outcomes
Willingness to travel up to 25%

Nice To Haves

Experience in motorsport or high-performance composite applications
Seat system development experience
CAD experience (CATIA V5 preferred)
Experience with Fibersim or equivalent composite design tools
Working knowledge of composite structural analysis and simulation
Prior OEM-facing engineering role experience
Knowledge of GD&T and tolerance analysis

Responsibilities

Serve as technical product lead for composite components throughout the development lifecycle
Act as the primary technical point of contact for OEM customers and key suppliers
Translate customer and motorsport requirements into clear engineering specifications
Lead and facilitate cross-functional design reviews
Define material selection, ply schedules, and layup strategies for carbon and glass fiber composite parts
Own composite design intent, ensuring performance, manufacturability, and cost targets are met
Utilize composite analysis and engineering judgment to guide design decisions
Maintain close collaboration with the Manufacturing Engineer on tooling, process selection, and build strategy
Lead root cause investigations for composite molding and development build issues
Drive corrective actions in collaboration with Manufacturing and Quality Engineering
Own and maintain D-FMEA for assigned products
Ensure design robustness prior to production release
Ensure compliance with customer-specific and internal development processes
Support validation activities by partnering with the Validation Engineer (no direct ownership of test execution)
Participate in continuous improvement of composite design and development standards