Innovation Product Design Engineer III

Springs Window Fashions; Town of Middleton (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Springs Window Fashions is seeking a Product Design Engineer III to join our Innovation organization in Middleton, WI. You will focus on early-stage concept creation and mechanical innovation of machine elements, plastic parts, gears, and mechanisms for consumer products.

You will develop designs using SolidWorks, lead material and process selection for plastic parts and gears, and collaborate with suppliers to evaluate tooling and cost trade-offs, while ensuring safety, reliability, and

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering with a minimum of 6+ years of relevant engineering experience.
• Must be flexible with assignments, able to work independently, and collaborate effectively in a team environment.
• Must be organized, methodical, able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and capable of meeting established timelines.
• Receives direction from the Engineering Manager; expected to manage multiple large or medium-scope projects and document testing and communicate results clearly.

Responsibilities

• Identify unmet consumer needs and opportunity areas through collaboration with Innovation, Marketing, and Voice-of-Customer insights.
• Generate innovative mechanical concepts and system architectures, including machine elements such as springs, gears, linkages, clutches, dampers, drives, and injection-molded plastic parts.
• Translate early hypotheses about customer needs into functional requirements via rapid consumer testing, prototyping, and tight feedback loops, applying engineering first principles such as FBDs, kinematics, and trigonometry-based geometry.
• Build and evaluate early-stage prototypes and proof-of-concept models.
• Assess concepts early for performance, durability, cost, manufacturability, and scalability.

Skills

Creative thinking

Analytical skills

Prototyping

Team collaboration

CAD proficiency

Education

BS in Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Product Design Engineer III - Innovation (Machine Elements & Plastics Focus)

Springs Window Fashions is a leader in the custom window treatment industry since 1939, headquartered in Middleton, WI, with 6,000 associates worldwide. We are seeking a highly creative and technically strong Product Design Engineer III to join our Innovation organization. This role focuses on early‑stage concept creation and mechanical innovation of machine elements, plastic parts, gears, and mechanisms for consumer products.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify unmet consumer needs and opportunity areas through collaboration with Innovation, Marketing, and Voice‑of‑Customer insights.
• Generate innovative mechanical concepts and system architectures, including machine elements such as springs, gears, linkages, clutches, dampers, drives, and injection‑molded plastic parts.
• Translate early hypotheses about customer needs into functional requirements via rapid consumer testing, prototyping, and tight feedback loops, applying engineering first principles such as FBDs, kinematics, and trigonometry‑based geometry.
• Build and evaluate early‑stage prototypes and proof‑of‑concept models.
• Assess concepts early for performance, durability, cost, manufacturability, and scalability.

Mechanical Design & Development

• Develop mechanical designs using 3D CAD tools (SolidWorks preferred), including tolerancing and design‑for‑assembly principles.
• Lead material and process selection for plastic parts, gears, and mechanical subsystems.
• Design components with focus on safety, reliability, value, and durability.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturing partners to evaluate tooling and cost trade‑offs.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• BS in Engineering with a minimum of 6+ years of relevant engineering experience.
• Must be flexible with assignments, able to work independently, and collaborate effectively in a team environment.
• Must be organized, methodical, able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and capable of meeting established timelines.
• Receives direction from the Engineering Manager; expected to manage multiple large or medium‑scope projects and document testing and communicate results clearly.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong creative and conceptual thinking skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Ability to work effectively with ambiguity and rapidly iterate on concepts.
• Working understanding of basic business cases, including preliminary revenue projections and concept‑level value propositions.
• Experience participating in consumer testing activities such as focus groups, clinics, interviews, usability tests, competitive and product benchmarking, or observational research.
• Hands‑on, DIY/maker mindset with ability to prototype and build concepts quickly.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

How We Work to Deliver a Best Experience: Our Culture

• Our Core Value: We do the right thing, always.
• Our Seven Cultural Behaviors
  • Empowerment – We trust our people.
  • Ownership – We take 100% responsibility for our roles, actions, and results.
  • Leadership – We all lead by example and talk directly with respect (DWR).
  • One Team – We are One Springs Team.
  • Customer First – We consider our customers' needs before every decision.
  • Continuous Innovation – We are constantly learning, innovating, and improving.
  • Speed – We define priorities and operate with a sense of urgency and agility.