Sr. Product Engineer

Wendover Art Group; Largo (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Wendover Art Group in Largo, FL is seeking a Senior Product Engineer who blends design intuition with practical engineering to turn bold concepts into production‑ready products. You will own the product development lifecycle from ideation through prototyping, testing, and manufacturing execution, across signage, lighting, sculpture, mirrors, and custom installations.

This hands‑on role requires building, testing, and refining parts on the shop floor, ensuring quality, cost targets, and

Responsibilities

• Product Design Development: Create, develop, and engineer new product concepts across materials and manufacturing capabilities.
• Engineering & Production Development: Develop complete 3D models, drawings, BOMs, and manufacturing documentation.
• Material & Manufacturing Innovation: Research and specify materials, fabrication techniques, and performance.
• Hands-On Prototyping & Testing: Drive prototypes, test for structural integrity, durability, and manufacturability.
• Quality Leadership & Continuous Improvement: Maintain design integrity and drive improvements.

Job description

Job description Position Overview The Senior Product Engineer at Wendover Art Group is a hands‑on product innovator responsible for turning bold creative ideas into fully engineered production‑ready products. Working across signage, lighting, sculpture, mirrors, dimensional art, and custom installations, this role owns the product development lifecycle from ideation and material exploration through engineering, prototyping, testing, and successful manufacturing execution. This is not a role focused solely on drawings or engineering behind a desk. The Senior Product Engineer will design, build, test, troubleshoot, and refine. This individual will determine how a concept should be constructed, what materials and processes will deliver the best result, how components come together, and how the product can be repeatedly manufactured at Wendover's standards for design, quality, cost, and craftsmanship. Operating within Wendover's vertically integrated manufacturing environment, the Senior Product Engineer has the unique opportunity to move rapidly from an idea on the screen to a physical prototype on the production floor. The ideal candidate combines the creative instincts of a product designer, the technical depth of an engineer, and the hands‑on problem‑solving mindset of a maker.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Design Development:

• Create What's Next: Generate, develop, and engineer new product concepts across materials, categories, and manufacturing capabilities, translating creative opportunities into tangible products.
• Own Concept Through Execution: Take products from initial sketch and ideation through detailed design, material selection, engineering, prototype development, testing, refinement, and production launch.
• Engineer the Details: Define dimensions, construction methods, hardware, joinery, attachment systems, finishes, tolerances, assembly sequences, and other technical requirements necessary to successfully produce the product.
• Balance Design & Function: Protect the original design intent while solving for structural integrity, functionality, manufacturability, installation, durability, cost, and repeatability.
• Drive Custom Solutions: Engineer one‑of‑a‑kind and highly customized products where an existing manufacturing solution may not yet exist.

2. Engineering & Production Development:

• Develop complete 3D models, CAD files, production drawings, specifications, BOMs, assembly details, and manufacturing documentation required to take a product into production.
• Translate complex creative concepts into clear, executable manufacturing instructions with specific materials, dimensions, tolerances, hardware, finishes, and construction methods.
• Design around Wendover's internal capabilities while identifying when new tooling, fixtures, equipment, vendors, or processes are required.
• Engineer products for efficient fabrication, assembly, finishing, packaging, installation, and repeat production.
• Partner directly with manufacturing teams to identify constraints early and solve technical challenges before production launch.

3. Material & Manufacturing Innovation:

• Serve as a technical resource for material selection, construction methods, fabrication techniques, and product performance.
• Research, test, and specify materials including metals, woods, acrylics, glass, composites, substrates, lighting components, hardware, adhesives, coatings, finishes, and emerging materials.
• Understand how materials interact and perform, including considerations around weight, strength, heat, expansion, structural load, finish compatibility, durability, attachment, and long‑term product performance.
• Explore new manufacturing processes, technologies, materials, and equipment that expand Wendover's product capabilities.
• Evaluate solutions through the lens of aesthetics, performance, quality, scalability, lead time, and cost.

4. Hands-On Prototyping & Testing:

• Personally drive prototype development, moving beyond digital design to physically prove that concepts can be successfully manufactured.
• Build and/or directly oversee functional prototypes, mockups, samples, and first articles using the actual or representative materials and manufacturing processes intended for production.
• Work hands‑on with production equipment, tooling, materials, and manufacturing teams to troubleshoot designs in real time.
• Test prototypes for structural integrity, functionality, assembly, installation, durability, finish quality, and overall design intent.
• Identify failure points, diagnose root causes, and rapidly iterate designs until the product meets expectations.
• Establish the validated construction methodology and specifications necessary to transition a successful prototype into repeatable production.
• Remain engaged through first production runs, ensuring what was engineered can be consistently executed at scale.

5. Quality Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Be 100% engaged and accountable for the quali