Staff Engineer, Valving & Systems
Work Mode:Hybrid
Location:Hybrid - Kohler, WI
Opportunity
The primary responsibility of the Staff Engineer - Valving & Systems role is to deliver innovative consumer products as part of a highly collaborative cross-functional team. The Staff Engineer must combine strong technical skills, collaborative leadership, creativity, and business acumen to bring complex system products from initial concept through to production.
We are looking for someone who:
- Leverages creative problem solving to design innovative, cost effective, and functional faucet products that delight customers and represent the Kohler brand.
- Brings a positive approach and collaborates with cross functional teams including marketing, program management, industrial design, and manufacturing operations to deliver products on time, within budget.
- Is passionate about innovation and consistently searches for opportunities to create transformative products.
- Has demonstrated experience in system engineering integration. Candidates with electromechanical experience integrating pumping, valving, heating, or refrigeration technologies are preferred.
- Utilizes broad range material and manufacturing process knowledge including: casting, forging, stamping, injection molding, welding, tube bending, hydroforming, etc.
- Contributes to and leverages a diverse and global engineering organization.
Specific Responsibilities
Create
- Partner with Product Marketing and Industrial Design to develop a product specification using consumer research, market data, and sales feedback.
- Establish system-level requirements of a complex product family and collaborate with internal or external engineers on subsystem component design and integration.
- Study consumer behaviors and competitive products to develop solutions that provide innovative and/or increased value to a customer
- Provide high-level feasibility analysis on initial product concepts
Refine
- Coordinate concept development across mechanical, electrical, and software teams in multiple global regions. Own technical requirements and engineering execution.
- Be the primary engineering representative with the cross-functional team and leadership.
- Ensure best practices are applied efficiently to understand and optimize system design: FEA, CFD, Design of Experiments, etc.
- Develop and refine concepts using 3D modeling software (Creo), FEA, and CFD.
- Utilize tools such as DFMEA and engineering design critiques to identify and eliminate or mitigate high risk failure modes.
- Leverage our world class on-site prototyping and test lab capabilities to create physical prototypes to validate product features.
- Work with our internal manufacturing team as well as suppliers to balance cost, performance, quality, and project timing.
- Validate product value through consumer and/or human experience research.
Implement
- Perform engineering calculations, tolerance stacks, and develop detailed technical drawings, incorporating engineering standards and GD&T.
- Optimize design using DfM (Design for Manufacturing) principles to ensure reliable, stable, and efficient mass production.
- Ensure regulatory compliance through careful product verification test planning.
Skills/Requirements
- Bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from an ABET accredited program.
- Minimum of 6 years of mechanical engineering experience including partnering with electronics engineering for electromechanical systems.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of CAD modeling.
- Hands on fabrication and prototyping skills
- International and domestic travel as needed
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Why Choose Kohler?
We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we're driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.
About Us
It is Kohler's policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com. Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
