Job Description
This position will provide hydraulics engineering expertise during the engineering design, specification, implementation, and operations of new and existing agricultural equipment products. To successfully build, test and evaluate component and composite prototypes ensuring that all design goals and requirements are met. Will ensure safe and industry engineering codes, standards, practices and design guides for hydraulics systems are in place.
- Conceptualize, design and develop row crop production equipment.
- Development will reflect requirements as spelled out in the Management Requirements Document or as requested by Senior Management.
- Research: Review competitive product, previous/current product, service reports, and similar industries. Investigate alternatives and new technologies that may apply to the new designs as necessary.
- Determine design suitability through observation, analysis of data from testing and design assistance tools. This includes utilizing methods and tools such as hand-calculations, finite element analysis (FEA) stress, deflection and fatigue analysis, failure mode & effect analysis (FMEA), etc. applying outputs to determine acceptability of the design for known conditions, and then correlating expectations with empirical test data/results to make sound decisions on design configurations.
- Design and develop new and legacy products. Responsibilities span the product development lifecycle from the Marketing Requirement Definition (MRD) definition to product fruition; planning and executing activities to ensure that all design intent objectives are met. Includes guiding, directing and mentoring other team members and stakeholders involved in the projects. Mechanical components typically include machined parts, castings, moldings, powdered metal, forgings; and weldments. Hydraulic systems typically include custom control blocks and cylinders, and off-the shelf hose, valve and fitting evaluation and selection. Monitor and control systems include electrical/electronic hardware, firmware and software.
- Responsibility scope varies with level as follows: Ensure design compliance with regulatory standards, and that products are intrinsically safe to assemble, service, transport and operate. Compliance will be as appropriate for Agricultural businesses that we serve.
- Communicate appropriate project information to leadership (challenges, obstacles & roadblocks) in a timely manner to facilitate business management decisions. This includes weekly reporting of status as directed by the Product Engineering Manager.
- Conduct project meetings such as technical design and style reviews with stakeholders (Marketing, Service Manufacturing, etc.), auditing the progress and appraising the development of project deliverables against requirements.
- Providing an interface between the engineering development team and the larger organization outwardly reporting progress and accomplishments and providing feedback to the team relative to changing project needs and product requirements.
- Hands-on oversight of model and prototype construction, and testing and evaluation of same to verify design suitability for use. Often includes working with suppliers in initial qualification testing and with customers in field testing.
- Responsible for product technical documentation from the design of engineer-originated solid models through administration of the final drawing creation; ensuring that information critical to product configuration control and processing is accurately and adequately communicated.
- Estimates project work content and assists in creation of development schedules. Tracks and reports actual time. Communicates schedule risks.
- Analyze the effectiveness of standards and procedures; recommend improvements or creation of new infrastructure methods and tools to enable engineering and organizational effectiveness; design, facilitate and coordinate creation of same.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree with a field of study in Engineering: Mechanical, Electrical, Design or Agricultural.
- 10 years of applicable engineering experience and hydraulics expertise; ideally within a manufacturing environment
- Specific concept, development and design knowledge and experience with large agricultural or heavy equipment is strongly preferred.
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