Product Engineer - Sustaining

Old World Industries•Northbrook, IL

About The Position

The Product Engineer – Sustaining is responsible for sustaining and improving existing Automotive and Industrial Fluids products after transition from R&D into commercial operation. This individual contributor role serves as the technical owner for assigned products throughout their lifecycle, partnering closely with R&D, Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to resolve product issues, support business continuity, improve cost and manufacturability, and maintain product performance, quality, and compliance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
Ability to understand product specifications, formulation or materials requirements, manufacturing processes, and quality systems.
Strong problem-solving skills, including root cause analysis, data interpretation, and disciplined decision-making.
Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with R&D, Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain teams.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Experience in wet chemistry lab environment; familiar with basic laboratory practice

Nice To Haves

Experience in product engineering, sustaining engineering, lifecycle engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, quality engineering, or a related technical role.
Experience supporting automotive fluids, industrial fluids, chemicals, coatings, lubricants, additives, or related formulated products.
Knowledge of automotive, industrial, or chemical manufacturing environments.
Experience with engineering change control, product lifecycle management systems, quality management systems, and bill of material management.
Familiarity with statistical analysis, design of experiments, process capability, or continuous improvement tools.
Experience supporting customer audits, supplier qualifications, regulatory updates, or technical customer inquiries

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary engineering contact for sustaining support of assigned existing products, including technical troubleshooting, product changes, and lifecycle management activities.
Lead or support engineering change requests related to raw material changes, supplier changes, manufacturing process updates, packaging changes, cost reduction initiatives, and quality improvements.
Partner with R&D to receive and maintain product knowledge, specifications, formulations, test methods, design intent, and technical rationale for products transitioned to the business.
Collaborate with Quality to investigate product nonconformances, customer complaints, deviations, and corrective/preventive actions, ensuring sound technical root cause analysis and effective resolution.
Work with Manufacturing to improve product manufacturability, process robustness, yield, throughput, and operational consistency while maintaining product performance requirements.
Support Supply Chain by evaluating alternate materials, supplier qualifications, obsolescence risks, and continuity-of-supply issues.
Maintain and update product specifications, technical documentation, bills of materials, test requirements, and change records as needed.
Analyze product performance, manufacturing data, customer feedback, and quality trends to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Support regulatory, compliance, and customer-driven updates by assessing technical impact and coordinating implementation with cross-functional stakeholders.
Provide technical guidance to internal teams regarding product capabilities, limitations, changes, and lifecycle status.