Product Design Engineer

Product Design Engineer - Cable 
Raleigh, NC 
 

Job Summary: 
This position is responsible for new and existing conventional and new cable product development on a project assignment basis and is responsible for providing process support to solve material and design related issues.  This position is also responsible for identifying and developing cable materials for new applications, for improved processibility and reliability, for cost reduction and for maintenance of secondary vendors. This requires the development of product qualification test plans and incoming material test requirements. 

General Functions & Specific Responsibilities: 

• Conduct detailed design/performance studies for materials/cables.   

• Conduct or coordinate trials/experiments to develop new material/designs/process through final qualification. 

• Generate design for development and production cable products. 

• Plan and conduct qualification tests of new cable designs. 

• Provide process/production support related to use of materials. 

• Troubleshoot internal and/or field related problems with cable performance. 

• Maintain/obtain technical data from raw material vendors. 

• Develop and issue raw material specifications. 

• Coordinate/oversee new material or secondary vendor qualification 

• Review and ensure compliance with material specifications. 

• Investigate/search for new cable materials. 

• Engineer is responsible for accurate and thorough evaluation of new products, suitable equipment, and contracting of additional outside services as needed.  

• Design project work is subject to internal and external audits and must be clear, concise and well documented including using appropriate test standards and methods to evaluate products and processes prior to commercialization.  

• Engineer will be assigned projects related to product or process improvements, cost savings targets, new product development, quality enhancements, and other support projects as needed. 

Duties Performed Occasionally or Periodically 

• Prepare and hold Design Reviews for new materials/cables. 

• Provide timely reports on design/performance issues. 

• Write technical reports and present papers at conferences. 

• Submit and apply for patents. 

• Exchange technical information with parent company in Japan. 

• Perform process trials in conjunction with Process Engineering or outside vendors 

• Prepare periodic R&D reports for Senior Management. 

• Travel to third party testing laboratories or customer sites 

Minimum Qualifications / Requirements: 

• Bachelors in Engineering, mechanical engineering, Broad knowledge of an advanced technical or professional specialized discipline or other studies not available in undergraduate school. 

• Excellent Communication skills (with vendors and customers) 

• 1 to 5 years of fiber optics, mechanical engineering, or project management experience.  

• SolidWorks or other CAD experience is a plus. 

• Following knowledge are preferable to have: 

• Cable installation experience 

• Notified Body experience – Cable burns (UL/Intertek/VDE)  

• International Standards or Requirements 

• ICEA, IEC, CPR, BASEC, Environmental, etc. 

• Compliance and auditing