Job Description

The Fixture Design Engineer supports product development within the manufacturing team by designing, validating, and improving complex weld fixtures and tooling. This role focuses on creating robust, cost-effective fixtures and mechanisms, often with 50 or more components, and driving projects from initial concept through to validated production-ready solutions while managing multiple assignments simultaneously.

Responsibilities Include

• Design and modify weld fixtures and equipment used for production parts and assemblies.
• Design tooling and fixtures capable of producing products that meet specifications, are durable in a welding environment, and remain cost effective.
• Validate fixtures for accuracy, repeatability, and functional performance.
• Create and maintain detailed part models, assembly models, and drawings that clearly communicate the manufacture, assembly, and use of tooling and fixtures.
• Manage multiple projects concurrently through all phases, from initial design through validation and implementation.
• Collaborate closely with product engineers and operations teams to optimize designs for manufacturing quality, efficiency, and cost.
• Work directly with machinists, fixture builders, and external machine shops to ensure designs can be manufactured and assembled as intended.
• Apply appropriate engineering analysis to ensure designs possess sufficient strength, stiffness, and other performance characteristics for their intended function.
• Develop and refine standards of work for engineering to improve design efficiency and reduce validation time.
• Engage in hands-on interaction with production parts, tooling, and hand tools to understand real-world constraints and refine designs.
• Troubleshoot and resolve unknowns and potential failure modes in fixture and tooling designs.
• Incorporate error proofing and ergonomic considerations into solutions to improve safety, usability, and quality.
• Demonstrate ownership of decisions and outcomes, following through on actions needed to achieve successful project completion.

Skills & Qualifications

• 5+ years of applicable experience in fixture design, weld fixture design, weldment design, or related mechanical design work.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, or an equivalent discipline.
• Proven experience designing complex mechanical mechanisms and fixtures, including assemblies with 50 or more parts.
• Experience in weldment and weld fixture design for production environments.
• Proficiency in CAD tools for tooling and fixture design, such as SolidWorks and Creo.
• Demonstrated ability to take projects from concept through to completion while managing multiple projects at the same time.
• Ability to validate fixtures for accuracy, repeatability, and functional performance using sound engineering practices.
• Capability to apply engineering analysis to ensure adequate strength, stiffness, and durability of designs.
• Solid problem-solving skills, including the ability to resolve unknowns and address failure modes in the design process.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, including product engineering, operations, machinists, and vendor machine shops.
• Strong attention to quality and precision, with a focus on producing designs that enable manufacturing to achieve right-first-time results.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Ability to adjust quickly to changes in priorities and project requirements.
• Comfort working with a high degree of autonomy, including making sound decisions and maintaining self-motivation.
• Commitment to continual learning and a willingness to challenge existing methods and procedures.
• Demonstrated ownership mindset in decision making and accountability for outcomes.
• Experience developing solutions with the end user in mind, including error proofing and ergonomic considerations.
• Effective project management skills, including organizing tasks, managing timelines, and coordinating stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills to clearly explain design intent and collaborate with technical and non-technical partners.
• Interest in innovative and novel design solutions, with the ability to describe and reflect on past unique design work.
• Ability to articulate personal learning style and adapt to new tools, processes, and technologies.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Painesville, OH.

The pay range for this position is $48.08 - $52.88/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply