Manufacturing Engineer – CAD & DFM

Northern Manufacturing Co•Oak Harbor, OH

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a manufacturing-focused engineering role, not a conventional product design position. The primary responsibility is to help determine how Northern Manufacturing can accurately, efficiently, and profitably manufacture customer-designed equipment. The role involves working between customer drawings, CAD models, and the shop floor to identify manufacturability issues, develop practical solutions, and assist Production in turning designs into finished products. The position offers variety and opportunities for growth in areas such as quoting support, capital equipment projects, process ownership, manufacturing automation, and engineering technology improvements. It is a hands-on role that requires regular presence on the production floor.

Requirements

Strong 3D CAD skills with the ability to develop and interpret parts, assemblies, and production drawings.
Strong blueprint reading skills and working knowledge of GD&T.
Practical understanding of metal fabrication processes, including laser cutting, forming, welding, and machining.
Ability to evaluate designs for manufacturability and identify potential production problems.
Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to work directly with employees on the shop floor.
Ability to clearly communicate technical issues and recommended solutions.
Ability to work on-site in Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Nice To Haves

Advanced SolidWorks capability, particularly with sheet metal, weldments, flat patterns, and large assemblies.
Experience in a custom or high-mix/low-volume manufacturing environment.
Experience designing fixtures, tooling, or work-holding.
Experience with stainless steel fabrication and welded assemblies.
Experience with CAD automation, configurations, macros, APIs, or other engineering automation tools.
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
Equivalent technical capability and experience in lieu of a four-year engineering degree, with strong backgrounds in machining, welding, fabrication, or manufacturing combined with demonstrated CAD/design experience.

Responsibilities

Review designs for manufacturability, evaluating customer drawings and models against Northern's fabrication capabilities (laser cutting, forming, welding, machining, finishing).
Identify potential tolerance, forming, fit-up, distortion, access, or fabrication issues before they reach production.
Develop and modify CAD models and drawings using SolidWorks, including sheet metal, weldments, assemblies, flat patterns, and production drawing packages.
Recommend practical DFM (Design for Manufacturability) solutions by identifying design features that create unnecessary manufacturing difficulty, cost, or risk, and working with customers and internal teams to develop alternatives.
Solve manufacturing problems by supporting fixture and work-holding design, weld sequencing, routing and process development, first articles, and improvements to cycle time and repeatability.
Work directly with the shop floor personnel (welders, operators, machinists, Quality, Production) to troubleshoot issues and improve manufacturing processes.
Support continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities to enhance processes, tooling, equipment utilization, and engineering workflows.
Recognize requirements needing additional engineering, code, welding, or technical review and involve the appropriate customer, internal team, or outside resource.