Product Engineer - Custom

Liberty Diversified International; New Hope (MN); On-site; USD 76,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off (PTO)

10 paid holidays

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Liberty Diversified International (LDI) is seeking a Product Engineer, Custom for Safco Products in New Hope, MN. The role focuses on conceiving and refining custom product solutions, partnering with Sales, Product Management, Manufacturing, and Quality to deliver manufacturable, cost-efficient designs.

The engineer will use SolidWorks to develop prototypes, assess manufacturability, and manage changes while supporting new product development and continuation engineering.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in industrial, mechanical or manufacturing engineering or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of engineering design experience for manufacturing products or components.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks and CAD tools.
• Clear communication with customers, Sales and cross-functional partners.
• Experience with design for manufacturability and cost-conscious design.

Responsibilities

• Develop innovative product designs with cross-functional teams, prototypes, and CAD drawings.
• Ensure designs meet cost, schedule, function, aesthetics, and manufacturing constraints.
• Collaborate to troubleshoot design issues and propose alternatives across design, manufacturing, and packaging.
• Analyze supplier documentation, process requirements, and technical data for product design.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities through changes in components, materials, or design.
• Maintain BOMs, drawings, and specifications in SolidWorks and ERP.
• Support product launches and ongoing production with manufacturability validation.

Skills

SolidWorks

CAD

Cross-functional teamwork

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in industrial, mechanical or manufacturing engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Description

The Product Engineer, Custom is responsible for conceptualizing, designing, developing, and refining product solutions through the application of engineering principles. This role supports new product development, continuation engineering, and custom product solutions by partnering with cross-functional teams-including Sales, Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing, and customers-to develop innovative, manufacturable, and cost-effective products that meet business and customer requirements.

This full-time position will report to the Engineering Manager at our Safco Products office location in New Hope, MN.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop innovative product designs with a cross-functional team by creating prototypes and detailed CAD models and drawings.
• Ensure the feasibility of new product designs and redesigns of existing products relative to constraints of cost, schedule, function, aesthetics, manufacturing capability and industry standards.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot product design issues or defects by providing recommendations and alternative approaches to the overall design, engineering, manufacturing, and packaging of the product.
• Analyze supplier-provided engineering documentation, process requirements, and related technical data pertaining to the product design.
• Analyze cost saving opportunities and provide solutions for component, material, and design changes.
• Utilize 3D CAD software to create and update models, drawings, and layouts.
• Develop product packaging solutions that recognize the demands and requirements imposed by all forms of shipping employed by Safco, and ensure products arrive to the customer undamaged.
• Travel up to 10%.

• Other duties, as assigned.

Custom Product & Continuation Engineering

• Partner with Sales and customers to define requirements for custom-manufactured product requests.
• Translate customer requirements into feasible designs using SolidWorks while considering Safco's manufacturing capabilities.
• Develop engineering designs, cost estimates, and quotes for custom product configurations in collaboration with Manufacturing and Operations.
• Manage engineering change requests (ECRs/ECOs) and implement design improvements for existing product lines.
• Resolve product quality issues, field concerns, and manufacturing feedback through engineering design updates.
• Support value engineering and cost reduction initiatives while maintaining product performance and quality.
• Maintain BOMs, engineering drawings, and product specifications within SolidWorks and the ERP system.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering to validate manufacturability and support successful product launches and ongoing production.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Bachelor's degree in industrial, mechanical or manufacturing engineering or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of experience working with engineering design fundamentals, tools, approaches, and methods for manufacturing products or product components. Experience supporting custom manufacturing, continuation engineering, or product development is preferred.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers, sales teams, and cross-functional business partners. Able to translate technical detail into clear, confident communication.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple quotes and continuation projects with competing deadlines.
• Strong understanding of design for manufacturability principles.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.).
• Experience with JD Edwards (JDE)
• Familiarity with BIFMA standards

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The starting base salary range for this position is $76,0722 - $95,902 per year. The compensation posted is the anticipated pay for the position at the time of the posting. We may pay above or below posted amount based on several factors, including, but not limited to education and/or certifications, skills, experience, or work location. Some positions may qualify for additional compensation in the form of bonuses.

At LDI, we are pleased to provide employees with a comprehensive benefits package including:

• health/dental/vision insurance options
• paid time off
• 10 paid holidays
• 401(k) plus company matching and annual discretionary profit sharing
• flexible spending and health savings account options
• life and disability insurance
• tuition assistance
• wellness and mental health resources
• financial advising services

Eligibility in benefit programs is based on hours worked per week.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regular sitting, standing, and walking throughout the day to accomplish tasks
• Manual and finger dexterity used regularly with some repetitive finger motions
• Ability to work in front of a computer screen for long periods of time
• Specific vision abilities include close and distance vision; able to identify colors, small letters, and numbers; hand/eye coordination, depth perception and able to adjust focus
• Hearing and speaking
• Other conditions may include frequent reaching, stretching, pushing, pulling, pinching, grasping, and gripping.

ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Comprised of multiple companies with headquarters in New Hope, Minnesota,Liberty Diversified International (LDI)is a privately held company employing more than 1,900 individuals across our manufacturing facilities, production facilities and core business operations in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, California, and Mexico. With deep roots in the corrugated box manufacturing industry, we operate in the core markets of paper, packaging, workplace products, corrugated plastics and building products.

Since 1918, our values - Caring, Innovation, Trust and Excellence - have guided our day-to-day activities. We believe that when our employees are aligned with these values, we create superior service and solutions for our customers. The LDI family of companies includesLiberty Packaging, Liberty Paper, Liberty Plastics (Custom SolutionsandQuarrix Building Products) and Safco.

Liberty Diversified International is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, disability, or any other protected class.