Mechanical Engineering Manager

Whisker•Auburn Hills, MI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Whisker is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Manager to lead the mechanical engineering team responsible for its pet products. The manager will guide development from concept and prototyping through testing, production, and launch, and establish design standards that support reliability, manufacturability, and product durability. The role partners with industrial design, electrical engineering, firmware, manufacturing, quality, and product management, and supports the growth of the engineering team through coaching and development. The position leads mechanical engineering across concurrent programs, oversees design strategies and technical reviews, manages risks and resources, and works with suppliers and manufacturers on tooling, development builds, and production readiness. It also ensures engineering documentation and changes are complete and controlled. The role directly supervises mechanical engineers and, where assigned, engineering leads or managers, with responsibilities for hiring, onboarding, work assignment, performance management, and career development. Whisker’s team is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Juneau, Wisconsin. The company works onsite four or more days per week in a pet-friendly office environment with cats and dogs.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related engineering discipline.
10 or more years of mechanical product development experience, including 5 or more years of people management, and demonstrated leadership across multiple concurrent programs or teams.
Demonstrated ownership of mechanical development for consumer electronics, smart appliances, or comparable electromechanical products from concept to mass production.
Strong practical expertise in injection-molded plastics, electronics packaging, and motor-driven mechanisms, including material selection and production failure modes.
Experience working directly with domestic and overseas suppliers, toolmakers, and contract manufacturers on tooling, design reviews, and production readiness.
Ability to hire, develop, and retain engineers; provide candid feedback; and set clear expectations for technical quality and delivery.
Experience establishing test plans, interpreting data, and applying structured root-cause analysis to verify corrective actions.
Working knowledge of top-down CAD methods, complex assemblies, and surface modeling sufficient to guide and review team output.
Experience leading mechanical engineering execution through multiple product launches, including build support, issue closure, and production ramp.
Strong knowledge of design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA), geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), tolerance analysis, and engineering drawing practices.
High proficiency in 3D modeling and ability to review CAD, drawings, and mechanical design decisions in detail.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of proprietary information.
Ability to prioritize competing demands, make timely decisions with incomplete information, and communicate technical risks and tradeoffs clearly.
Demonstrated ownership of commitments, sound engineering judgment, and a practical approach to process and continuous improvement.
Ability to build effective working relationships and resolve disagreements constructively across functions and with suppliers.
Comfort working in an office environment with cats and dogs.

Nice To Haves

Experience integrating connected devices, sensors, cameras, seals, or thermal and acoustic requirements into consumer products.
Experience with Creo 3D modeling, Windchill product data management (PDM), and Arena product lifecycle management (PLM).
Experience with design reuse, common platforms, or cost reduction across a product family.

Responsibilities

Lead mechanical engineering from concept and architecture through prototyping, engineering validation, design validation, production validation, and launch.
Define mechanical design strategies and measurable requirements, guiding tradeoffs among performance, reliability, cost, schedule, and industrial design intent.
Set team goals and accountability, coach engineers, and escalate risks with recommended actions and recovery plans.
Partner with industrial design, electrical engineering, firmware, manufacturing, quality, and product management to resolve system interfaces and integration issues.
Ensure robust designs for molded plastics, electronics packaging, and motor-driven mechanisms; review materials, processes, tolerances, and assembly methods.
Plan mechanical engineering staffing, skills, and external support; prioritize work across programs and communicate resource gaps and schedule impacts.
Drive root-cause analysis of development, production, and field issues; verify corrective actions and apply lessons to future designs.
Lead technical reviews, first-principles analysis, tolerance analysis, and DFMEA to identify and address risks early.
Partner with test and reliability teams to define mechanical verification plans, review results, and close issues before tooling release and production.
Use benchmarking, prototypes, and experiments to evaluate concepts and improve performance, cost, and customer experience.
Partner with suppliers and manufacturing to review tooling, support development builds, and resolve assembly, yield, and production-readiness issues.
Own mechanical part and tooling cost targets within approved budgets and evaluate cost-reduction opportunities without compromising product requirements.
Ensure CAD, drawings, bills of materials, and engineering changes are complete, reviewed, and controlled through PDM and PLM workflows.
Hire, onboard, set expectations for, assign work to, coach, and conduct performance reviews for mechanical engineers and, where assigned, engineering leads or managers.
Support career development and address team issues in accordance with Whisker policies.
Build a culture of technical rigor, urgency, collaboration, and accountability while upholding safety and quality expectations.
Perform additional responsibilities as required.