Sr NPD Project Engineer

Title: Sr. NPD Project Engineer

Location: Chicago, IL (On-site at R&D / Manufacturing Center)

Compensation: Competitive Base Salary + Quarterly Bonus + Annual Profit Sharing + Comprehensive Benefits

Company:

While public company competitors answer to shareholders, this company answers to innovation. As a privately-owned company, they reinvest 3.5% of profits back into this R&D department. With data center development exploding, they are projecting to double their revenue in the coming years, and growing their engineering team accordingly.

You will have daily access to an industry-leading, full-scale, in-house testing facility, including:

• 500kV AC withstand & 1300kV lightning impulse labs.
• Environmental chambers (down to -70°C).
• The autonomy to concept, prototype, and "break" your designs in real-time.

Role:

• Lead portions of the new product development process, owning project schedules, budgets, resources, and Stage Gate deliverables.
• Design and analyze new products and subcomponents using 3D parametric modeling and finite element analysis across mechanical, thermal, and multi-physics environments.
• Create test plans, build and evaluate prototypes, and manage both internal and external product testing programs.
• Review test data against pre-test calculations, product specifications, and applicable engineering standards.
• Perform DFMEA, DOE, root cause analysis, tolerance stack-ups, and GD&T throughout the development process.
• Provide technical direction to Engineers, Designers, and Technicians while supporting Manufacturing, Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing.
• Work directly with suppliers on component selection and approval across casting, machining, molding, stamping, and forming processes.
• Review and provide final approval on engineering drawings prior to release into manufacturing.

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years of progressive engineering design and/or product development experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering required.
• Strong experience with 3D parametric CAD, finite element analysis, DFMEA, DOE, GD&T, and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Understanding of mechanism design including linkages, springs, statics, dynamics, and material properties.
• Experience developing and testing highly technical products from concept through production.
• Familiarity with a formal New Product Development / Stage Gate process.
• Ability to interpret engineering standards and produce technical documentation, test reports, and engineering specifications.
• Experience with Creo / ProE and medium- or high-voltage power equipment is strongly preferred.

The Perks

• Hands-On NPD: Take products from initial concept through modeling, prototyping, testing, validation, and production.
• Technical Depth: Work across FEA, mechanical design, materials, manufacturing processes, testing, and root cause analysis rather than being siloed into one piece of the development cycle.
• Family-Owned Culture: Quarterly incentive compensation, annual profit sharing, tuition reimbursement, and a long-term investment mindset.
• State-of-the-Art Facility: Work inside a modern, climate-controlled engineering and manufacturing environment with direct access to prototype builds and testing.
• Impact: Develop the next generation of power distribution equipment supporting grid modernization, renewable energy, and rapidly expanding data center infrastructure.