To meet the basic qualification for this role, you will have at least 3 years of experience in a similar design engineering role, including chassis experience. In addition, to be a good fit for the Product Design Engineer opportunity, you will also have:

• A bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Design) is highly preferred; we may also consider candidates with an associate's degree and extensive experience
• 3-5+ years of directly relevant experience in the truck (preferred) or automotive design and manufacturing  
• Knowledge and understanding of metal fabrication, including sheet metal, forming, tolerances and capabilities within our industry
• Knowledge of the extrusion process (aluminum extrusions)
• Understanding of vehicle design, testing and certification process

Pictured: Utilimaster's Velocity F-Series offers big-truck interior space without requiring a commercial driver's license -- thus expanding the pool of potential drivers for fleet operators. You will see these vehicles on the road and be able to tell friends and family, "I'm part of the team that builds those."

Support Customer Customization Requests, Vendor Projects and More as a Key Member of a Talented Team of Commercial Truck Product Design Engineers

If you combine a bachelor's degree in Engineering with truck or automotive industry experience and deep knowledge of chassis, the role of Project Design Engineer offers you some compelling opportunities. You will:

• Play an integral design role in a fast-growing facility and company. In Bristol, we keep almost doubling our business year-over-year, and expect our strong growth to continue.
• Work on a proven team of talented engineers -- one of several, uniquely focused engineering groups. People enjoy working here, as demonstrated by our high number of long-tenured team members. 
• Support day-to-day engineering projects, customer-driven customization and more, in a high-visibility role. If you love engineering and design, you're going to love it here!
• Utilimaster is an engineering-based company. We have over 50 engineers who truly drive the company's innovation. 
• Enjoy the stability and resources of an industry leader. As other companies are contracting, we continue to grow, even during the pandemic. 

Utilimaster moves ahead of the competition when commercial trucks and upfit services require precision, planning, peerless people, and the perfect vehicle. Our vehicles deliver for well-respected global brands in the package delivery, ecommerce, food and beverage, linen and laundry, grocery and pharmaceutical markets. Utilimaster is a top-tier go-to-market brand of The Shyft Group (NASDAQ: SHYF), North America's leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing, assembly, and upfit for the commercial, retail, and service specialty vehicle markets. The Shyft Group rebranded in 2020 to reflect a new focus on high-growth end markets to help ensure long-term profitable growth.

Reporting to the Engineering Manager, you will be responsible for providing accurate, timely and cost-effective engineering solutions that work well within the limits of our manufacturing equipment and assembly capabilities. Additionally, the solutions you design must meet customer expectations, perform for the desired warranty period and comply with all applicable regulatory requirements. Engineering solutions will also encompass commonization and simplification using Lean / Sigma techniques.

You will join a team of twelve design engineers providing day-to-day product engineering as required via customer and product requests. For example, a fleet customer requiring a modified interior package would work through this team. You will leverage your chassis experience regularly, as well as interior knowledge, such as air conditioning configurations. Additionally, you'll work directly with Sales, taking point on "walk-up" design engineering requests generated by customers and prospects as part of the sales cycle, and with vendors on some longer-term projects. You'll balance multiple and diverse projects simultaneously, working cross-functionally with Production, Sales, engineers from this and other groups, and more. While you'll collaborate with the team and keep your eye on the tasks and goals of each project, the majority of your day will be spent gathering, receiving and downloading data, creating solutions, and performing heads-down design work in SolidWorks.

Professional development
The Shyft Group and Utilimaster are committed to the professional development of our team. You will work with seasoned mentors and leaders and continue to advance your skills as you take on a wide variety of projects. You won't be siloed and can pursue advancement opportunities in Bristol or at other Utilimaster plants. You'll also have ample opportunity to demonstrate your talent and be recognized for your contributions. 

Stability and growth
The Shyft Group is financially sound and will continue to be an aggressive market disrupter through strategic acquisitions, relevant product innovations, and aggressive growth models that serve strong and growing end markets. Be assured, our accelerated growth trajectory will create opportunities for strong performers.

Focused transformation
Utilimaster, alongside The Shyft Group's family of well-respected brands, continues to lead in every segment in which they compete. The Shyft name represents speed, efficiency, agility, and a high-intensity approach, which corresponds with the company's pivot in market focus and the forward momentum garnered in the work truck, specialty service, and delivery vehicle markets.

Driven to deliver
Ever evolving and advancing, The Shyft Group is driven to make an impactful difference in how effectively goods, people, and services are delivered in today's and tomorrow's marketplace. Through our unmatched industry knowledge, engineering expertise, and manufacturing reach, we continue to deliver job-enhancing, efficiency-driving, ever-reliable products and services made for the road ahead.

Excellent compensation
In addition to a competitive salary, we offer medical, dental, vision, and prescription insurance plans; a health savings account; a flexible savings account; wellness credits; a wellness program; a 401(k) plan with a corporate match; an employee stock purchase program and more. 

More about the requirements
In addition to the qualifications listed under The Requirements tab, we're looking for a professional who has:

• Strong computer skills including:
  • Experience with SolidWorks (highly preferred), or similar  
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs including Word and strong Excel skills
• Knowledge of:
  • ANSI-Y14.5 geometric dimensioning and tolerance preferred
  • Regulatory requirements for delivery vehicles desired
  • Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) desired
• SolidWorks structural experience is a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to effectively work and communicate with different levels and titles within the organization
• Ability to work independently and collaborate as a strong team member
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills 

More about the role
In addition to the responsibilities under The Role tab, you will:

• Leverage your organizational skills to stay on top of each project. 
• Embrace and support Utilimaster Corporate policies and procedures
• Be able to solve manufacturing and assembly problems utilizing problem-solving techniques and methodologies
• Work collaboratively with other engineers, production personnel, purchasing personnel, and customers to create optimal solutions to support the business
• Demonstrate a desire to support engineering’s customers (Production, Sales, Purchasing teams, etc.)
• Create an Engineering tree (task list) to comply with customer and/or vehicle specifications
• Create solids model to correspond with engineering tree
• Pull ECN numbers and start the ECN process, corresponding with the Engineering tree
• Determine the effectiveness of the engineering solutions, understanding unintended consequences to the manufacturing processes, tooling and option capability
• Coordinate effective dates of engineering solutions
• Initiate changes to drawings, solids models and bills of material (BOM)
• Effectively utilize Aurora (corporate software) to research product/spec history and structure, where used on component parts, and product compatibility

You'll typically work standard business hours, Monday - Friday, flexing as needed to meet project demands. For the most part, however, you'll enjoy a good work/life balance. As an essential business, we have strong protocols in place protecting our employees and safeguarding their health. The team is currently working remotely and will develop a return to the office plan and procedures when safe and appropriate. 

More about your success
In this role, naturally, your engineering talent and design experience will be critical, but success will require a cultural fit as well. Ours is a collaborative team and humility is an important team trait. Those who think "I'm always right" don't fit in well in our environment. Instead, being open to the "best" idea for the project and organization, even if that idea is not yours, is important. Sometimes you'll need a thick skin, but we're all passionate about our work and strive to deliver the best quality possible. 

We understand that there will be a learning curve, and we'll provide training and support. At the same time, we'll look to you to leverage your knowledge and experience to start making an impact right away. In our fast-paced environment, you will be versatile and flexible, and able to pivot quickly to manage constantly changing priorities effectively. Against this backdrop, you will need to maintain a commitment to excellence and uphold high standards.

In addition, in order to be an outstanding Product Design Engineer  you will:

• Own your role and all related details; know what needs to be done and proactively do it
• Ensure people receive the right data; pay close attention to the details
• Earn credibility on the team by delivering quality work on time and supporting teammates
• Bring passion and determination along with adaptability and flexibility to meet demands
• Remain open to learning and advancing your skills on an ongoing basis
• Combine analytical savvy and creativity in solving problems
• Achieve individual goals autonomously and also contribute as a team player 
• Be vigilant in looking for improvements

This description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.