Staff R&D Product Engineer - Mechanical Engineer

TE Connectivity; United States; On-site; USD 145,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k)

Disability insurance

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

TE Connectivity is seeking a Staff R&D Product Development Engineer to lead socket, high-speed connector, and cable assembly design for data center systems. You will drive development from concept through production release, translating VOC into manufacturable, cost-effective solutions.

Collaborate with customers and global teams, perform feasibility studies, and ensure DFMEA, qualification, and validation are completed to meet quality and performance targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in electrical connector design, mechanical structures, or manufacturing tooling.
• Experience with socket or cable assembly design is relevant.
• Hands-on with DFMEA, qualification, and validation.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of socket, high-speed connector, and cable assembly solutions from definition to production release.
• Translate VOC requirements into concepts and specifications with cross-functional teams.
• Perform mechanical/thermal simulations and create 2D/3D designs with tolerances.
• Support NPI, ramp-up, and manufacturing by resolving design/process issues.
• Manage ECN/PCN processes and ensure project quality, cost, and schedule.

Skills

Electrical connector design

Cad/drawing skills

DFMEA

3D CAD (Creo)

Tolerance analysis

Finite element analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree in Engineering

Tools

Creo

SolidWorks

SpaceClaim

Job description

At TE, you will unleash your potential working with people from diverse backgrounds and industries to create a safer, sustainable and more connected world.

Job Overview

At TE Connectivity, we help build the technologies that keep the world connected. As a global leader in connectivity and sensor solutions, we partner with customers across industries to develop innovative products that power transportation, industrial, medical, energy, aerospace, and data infrastructure applications.

The Digital Data Networks department is seeking a Staff R&D Product Development Engineer to lead the design and development of socket, high-speed connector, and cable assembly solutions used in switches, servers, and storage systems for data communication applications. This role is responsible for driving product development from concept through production release, transforming customer requirements into innovative, manufacturable, and cost-effective solutions. The position requires close collaboration with customers, cross-functional teams, manufacturing partners, and suppliers to ensure successful product delivery and ongoing product support.

Role And Responsibilities

• Lead product development activities for socket, high-speed connector, and cable assembly solutions from market definition through production release.
• Collaborate with customers, sales, product management, systems architects, and field application engineers to gather and translate Voice of Customer (VOC) requirements into product concepts and specifications.
• Develop product concepts, conduct feasibility studies, and create technical proposals for customers.
• Perform mechanical and thermal simulations to evaluate and optimize product designs.
• Create detailed product designs, including 2D and 3D models, tolerance analyses, and Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA).
• Build and validate prototypes, complete product qualification activities, and finalize product specifications.
• Support new product introduction (NPI), production ramp-up, and ongoing manufacturing operations by resolving design and process-related issues.
• Manage engineering and product change processes, including Engineering Change Notifications (ECN) and Product Change Notifications (PCN).
• Maintain a strong understanding of customer applications, market trends, and system-level requirements to develop effective technical solutions.
• Support project teams through the LEANPD development process, ensuring projects meet quality, cost, schedule, and performance objectives.
• Provide technical support for customers, sales teams, program managers, and manufacturing facilities through testing, troubleshooting, analysis, and verification activities.
• Collaborate with global manufacturing, procurement, quality, and supplier teams to achieve technical, quality, and cost targets.
• Prepare and maintain engineering documentation, product specifications, design records, drawings, and change notices.

Required

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant engineering experience in areas such as:
• Electrical connector design and development
• Electrical or electromechanical components
• Mechanical structure design
• Manufacturing tooling development (stamping, molding, assembly, or plating)
• Manufacturing process development
• Hands‑on experience with connector product development, including material selection, tolerance analysis, DFMEA, product qualification, and validation.
• Experience with socket or cable assembly design is considered relevant.

Preferred

• Master's degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
• Experience with switch, server, storage, or networking equipment.
• Experience applying quality and continuous improvement methodologies such as FMEA, Six Sigma, DOE, and 8D problem solving.

Skills

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of electrical connector design, contact physics, plating systems, pore blockers, contact lubricants, copper alloys, and high-temperature plastics.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD software, preferably Creo, including solid modeling, sheet metal design, and 2D drawing creation.
• Working knowledge of design applications such as SpaceClaim, SolidWorks, or similar concept-development tools.
• Expertise in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Strong capability in tolerance stack-up analysis, limit and fit analysis, and statistical tolerance methodologies.
• Experience using finite element analysis (FEA) tools such as ANSYS Workbench for structural and thermal simulations.
• Ability to develop and document product specifications and engineering requirements.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes including machining, molding, stamping, plating, and assembly, with a focus on Design for Manufacturing (DFM).
• Knowledge of electrical connector testing methods and qualification processes.
• Familiarity with communication theory concepts, signal integrity, and impedance matching.
• Thermal management experience related to high-speed signal transmission applications.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

Professional Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to manage moderately complex technical challenges independently.
• Effective communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain and defend technical solutions to customers and stakeholders.
• Ability to lead technical discussions and influence cross-functional project teams.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the capability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to work effectively in a global environment across multiple time zones and cultures.

Other Information

• This role supports the development of products used in data communication infrastructure, including servers, switches, and storage systems.
• Frequent collaboration with customers, suppliers, manufacturing facilities, and global engineering teams is required.
• The position combines product design, customer engagement, project execution, manufacturing support, and technical leadership responsibilities.
• Success in this role requires balancing innovation, manufacturability, quality, cost objectives, and customer requirements throughout the product lifecycle.

About Te Connectivity

TE Connectivity plc (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. As a trusted innovation partner, our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, energy networks, automated factories, data centers enabling artificial intelligence, and more.

Our more than 90,000 employees, including 10,000 engineers, work alongside customers in approximately 130 countries. In a world that is racing ahead, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

Compensation

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience: $145,300 - $217,900 (subject to change dependent on physical location)
• Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. TE Connectivity reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualification of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
• Total Compensation = Base Salary + Incentive(s) + Benefits

Benefits

• A comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), disability, life insurance, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and voluntary benefits.

EOE, Including Disability/Vets