Sr. Engineer, Research and Development

CFS Brands LLC•Wausau, WI

About The Position

Under the direction of the Engineering Manager, the Sr. Engineer, Research and Development will be responsible for generating mechanical designs and creating shop fabrication drawings for a wide variety of food service equipment. This role involves leading the entire product design lifecycle—from concept to launch—while ensuring compliance with industry standards and safety regulations. The engineer will play a pivotal role in collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative and cost-effective designs that meet the needs of our customers in the food service industry. Organizational Impact: Works to achieve day-to-day objectives with a focus on designing equipment that meets both internal quality standards and external certifications. The individual will deliver tasks that involve both routine and specialized work, following design guidelines while balancing creative problem-solving and optimization. The individual will be expected to take ownership of their projects, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure designs meet both technical and business objectives. Success will be measured by the ability to meet project timelines, deliverables, and quality standards, with the engineer demonstrating a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement. Problem Solving & Complexity: The problems and challenges encountered in this role may not always be routine and will often require innovative solutions. This position involves actively collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify and address complex issues that arise throughout the New Product Development process. The individual will be responsible for checking data and validating information to ensure the accuracy of designs and product specifications. Careful attention to detail is required to make informed decisions and ensure that solutions align with both technical requirements and customer needs. Solutions will not be pre-determined and will require input from various stakeholders. The individual will work closely with engineering, production, and other teams to brainstorm and implement solutions, ensuring that designs are optimized for manufacturability, performance, and cost-efficiency.

Requirements

6-9+ years of relevant work experience in engineering food service equipment required
CAD skills required (Solidworks preferred)
Bachelor’s in engineering related program
Proven ability to lead and contribute to cross functional teams through full NPD lifecycle
Experience with product testing and regulatory compliance in the food service or appliance industry (NSF, UL, ETL, CSA).
Hands-on experience in prototyping, testing, and optimizing food service equipment

Responsibilities

Work closely with sales, marketing, supply chain, and manufacturing teams to ensure designs align with customer requirements, are manufacturable, and within budget
Lead product design lifecycle from concept to launch, including ideation, prototyping, testing, and improvement stages
Generate designs and shop drawings
Assist with estimating by providing costing and labor estimates
Lead the creation and management of ECN/ECR to update product designs and implement improvements.
Lead product engineering design reviews for manufacturability
Recommends and implements designs or practices that will result in cost savings, optimize production standards, and improve quality.
Provide pertinent information to supply chain for outsourced materials and components.
Develop testing and execute methods to improve product reliability and performance.
Responsible for designing products that comply with the certification files and regulatory standards. Requirements including markings, wiring diagrams, and data label, are to be applied to the product prior to shipping. (UL, ETL. NSF, CSA)