Senior Mechanical Designer - New Product Development

Sub-Zero Group•Madison, WI

About The Position

The Senior Mechanical Designer develops and modifies complex parts, drawings, and assembly layouts in accordance with corporate standards and procedures, identifying and resolving errors before release. The role independently owns complex or ambiguous design scope from concept through production release, including change notices, BOM creation, verification and release documentation, technical tradeoff evaluation, and identification of product and manufacturing risks. The position supports prototype builds and troubleshooting, translates requirements into accurate and manufacturable 3D CAD models and drawings, and resolves design-related issues across PLM/PDM, ERP, demand planning, costing, and manufacturing systems. It performs and reviews tolerance stack-ups, interference checks, and root cause analysis using test data and prototype feedback. The designer communicates technical risks, recommends solutions and tradeoffs, leads or contributes technical guidance in design reviews, and applies design-for-manufacturing and assembly principles to optimize production designs. The role also provides technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced designers and helps improve design practices, standards, tools, documentation, and release processes. Employment is contingent on passing a pre-employment drug/alcohol test and background check after a conditional offer.

Requirements

5–7+ years of mechanical design experience in a production environment.
Proficiency in 3D CAD; SOLIDWORKS is preferred.
Strong working knowledge of GD&T, modeling practices, and drafting standards, with the ability to review work for compliance and guide others.
Ability to independently prioritize and manage multiple complex assignments, coordinate dependencies across functions, and communicate risks, tradeoffs, and schedule impacts.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Mechanical Design or equivalent experience.
Experience with sheet metal, plastics, automation equipment, wiring layouts or schematics, and hands-on shop exposure.
Familiarity with formal change processes, documentation discipline, and product support expectations.
Experience with PDM or PLM systems for data and change management.
Experience bringing consumer products from concept to production.

Responsibilities

Create and modify complex parts, drawings, and assembly layouts according to corporate standards and procedures, identifying and resolving errors before release.
Own complex or ambiguous design scope from concept through production release, including change notices, BOM creation, verification and release documentation, technical tradeoff evaluation, and product and manufacturing risk identification.
Support prototype builds and troubleshooting by identifying and resolving design issues.
Translate requirements into accurate, manufacturable 3D CAD models and drawings.
Understand how engineering designs and BOM structures flow through PLM/PDM, ERP, demand planning, costing, and manufacturing systems; troubleshoot downstream design-related issues and identify root causes.
Perform and review tolerance stack-ups, interference checks, and root cause analysis using test data and prototype build feedback.
Identify and communicate technical risks, recommend solutions and tradeoffs, and lead or provide technical guidance during design reviews.
Apply design-for-manufacturing and assembly principles independently and collaborate with team resources to optimize designs for production.
Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced designers on modeling, drafting, release processes, and design-for-manufacturing.
Identify and help implement improvements to design practices, standards, tools, documentation, and release processes.
Prioritize and manage multiple complex assignments, coordinate cross-functional dependencies, and communicate risks, tradeoffs, and schedule impacts.