Product Development Manager - Specialty Vehicles

Lakeside HR Group•Forest Lake, MN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Lakeside HR Group has been engaged by our client to recruit for a Product Development Manager – Specialty Vehicles to join their team. Our client is a custom vehicle upfitting organization focused on designing and delivering high-quality truck, van, and fleet solutions that align with OEM standards and customer requirements. This role is responsible for leading the design, validation, and launch of upfit systems that support safe, efficient, and profitable production. The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineering leader who can translate customer and fleet needs into build-ready designs while ensuring compliance, manufacturability, and successful production launches.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Design Engineering
Minimum 5 years of manufacturing engineering experience
5+ years of experience in vehicle upfitting or specialty vehicle manufacturing
Strong knowledge of OEM chassis, electrical systems, and system integration
Experience with BOMs, labor standards, and production documentation
Understanding of RVIA certification requirements
Experience with CAD/CAM and ERP/MRP systems
SolidWorks and AutoCAD experience preferred
Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills
Ability to work on-site in Forest Lake, MN

Nice To Haves

SolidWorks and AutoCAD experience

Responsibilities

Translate customer and fleet requirements into executable upfit designs
Approve designs, bills of materials (BOMs), labor standards, and installation methods
Release complete production packages prior to product launch
Ensure compliance with OEM, NTEA, RVIA, and safety standards
Oversee CNC and additive manufacturing programming
Create and maintain documentation for proprietary components
Support first builds and resolve design or integration issues
Design for manufacturability, scalability, and margin optimization
Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Production, Purchasing, and Quality teams