Mechanical Design Engineer – Product & Production

Company Overview

The Precast Forte Group (Forte) develops, standardizes, and commercializes engineered precast concrete systems through a global network of licensed producers. Its three product lines, Recon Wall Systems (retaining walls), LPB (site lighting foundations), and EV Blocks (EV charging foundations), serve infrastructure, commercial, and municipal markets across North America and internationally. Forte is a lean company, by design, supporting a much larger footprint of partner companies and projects.

About This Role

This position is responsible for the design of Forte's precast products and the forms and molds used to produce them, and for the production systems supporting the company's small in-house fabrication operation. Most forms are fabricated by outside vendors. A smaller share is produced in house.

The first year centers on in-house production: the design, systems setup, and implementation needed to bring that operation to a documented, repeatable state. Existing vendor-made forms are established and require maintenance and periodic improvement. Product development responsibilities expand as in-house production matures.

The role covers a broad range of work, and no single area makes up the full position. Candidates should expect to move regularly between design, production setup, documentation, vendor coordination, and production systems work.

For items produced in house, the position's responsibility includes the routine transactions and documentation that support production, through completion of product ready to ship. The position handles this work directly and is expected to streamline it as systems mature.

Key Responsibilities

Product & Form Design
• Design forms and molds for new and existing products, including sheet metal, urethane and two-part molds, and 3D printed components
• Maintain and improve existing form designs for manufacturability, durability, cost, and ease of use
• Develop new precast products from concept through design and prototyping, in collaboration with the company's engineering staff
• Establish and maintain design standards, a reusable parts and component library, and revision control for designs, drawings, and work instructions

In-House Production
• Set up and maintain the manufacturing structure in the company's inventory management system, including part numbers, bills of material, costing, and work orders
• Produce production drawings, flat patterns, CNC plasma programs, and step-by-step work instructions sufficient for repeatable fabrication
• Build and maintain the production schedule from build requests and fabrication input, sequencing and batching work to meet committed dates
• Commit to production dates the rest of the business can plan around, and meet them
• Purchase raw materials and production supplies for in-house builds, using existing vendors or sourcing new ones as needed, including purchase orders, receiving transactions, and vendor bill entry
• Set acceptance criteria for in-house builds, make final acceptance, and close completed builds in the inventory system

Vendor-Made Forms
• Own drawings, specifications, and acceptance criteria for forms and molds fabricated by outside vendors
• Develop and implement an acceptance process for vendor-made forms
• Obtain quotes and resolve technical questions with vendors during fabrication
• Provide technical and cost input on vendor and make-versus-buy decisions

Quality & Process Improvement
• Diagnose product and quality issues, whether made in house or by vendors, and incorporate findings into design revisions
• Define requirements for, and accept, tools and automation that support production processes, working with internal software resources

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Five or more years of mechanical design experience with direct exposure to production, such as fabrication, tooling, mold making, or manufacturing environments
• Proficiency in SolidWorks or Autodesk Inventor, including production drawing output
• Sheet metal design experience, including flat pattern development and tolerancing
• Experience developing or substantially improving a production process or system, such as bills of material, routings, work instructions, or production workflow
• Demonstrated ability to work without task-level supervision, including identifying needed work and setting priorities independently
• Demonstrated record of carrying projects through to completed, adopted use
• Ability to judge when a design is complete and ready for release
• Willingness to perform hands-on work in shop and warehouse settings

Preferred Qualifications

• Product development experience from concept through production
• Experience with urethane, resin, or other two-part molding materials
• Experience with 3D printing and slicer software
• CNC plasma programming experience
• Experience configuring or administering inventory or manufacturing management systems
• Experience establishing inspection or acceptance processes
• Experience working with outside fabricators or vendors
• Precast concrete or concrete manufacturing experience
• Forklift operation
• Self-initiated work product, such as tools, fixtures, automation, or documentation developed without assignment

Work Arrangement & Environment

• Reports to the President. Individual contributor position with no direct reports. Makes routine purchases needed for the work independently, including production materials and everyday tools and equipment. Larger purchases and capital equipment are discussed with the President.
• Hybrid position. Onsite four to five days per week during the initial period while production systems are established, moving to three to four days per week onsite thereafter.
• Minimal travel.
• Work is performed in office, shop, and warehouse settings. Requires occasional lifting of up to approximately 50 pounds.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first twelve months, the person in this role will have brought in-house production to a documented, repeatable state: the shop builds from documentation without needing to ask, production dates are committed and met, and the manufacturing setup in the inventory system is complete and in daily use. They will also have taken full ownership of form and mold design.

Compensation & Benefits

• $90,000+ per year based on experience, plus incentive compensation tied to individual and company performance
• Retirement plan with employer match up to 5%
• Health (medical, dental, vision) and a wellness stipend
• Unlimited PTO and paid holidays

The Precast Forte Group is an equal opportunity employer.