Sustaining Design Engineer

Position Summary

The Sustaining Design Engineer is responsible for leading product and process changes driven by customer requests and internal improvement initiatives. This role serves as the primary technical liaison between CelLink’s engineering teams and key customers, ensuring that design modifications—such as layout revisions or material/component substitutions—are accurately translated into CAD, implemented seamlessly on the manufacturing line, and validated through internal testing. This is a high-impact, hands-on role that operates at the intersection of product engineering, manufacturing, and customer engagement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Customer Engagement & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a primary engineering point of contact for customer-requested product changes (e.g., layout, material, component updates).
• Perform and support customer and internal drawing releases.
• Work closely with customer and internal teams to ensure strong communication and seamless product launches.
• Lead design review and DFMEA meetings, participate in PFMEA meetings, to incorporate lessons learned and best practices
• Support validation testing to complete bench and vehicle-level durability evaluations.(e.g., USCAR, LV214, GMW3191)

Design & Engineering Development

• 3D CAD modeling capability (CATIA V5, SolidWorks, or UG)
• Design components for CelLink proprietary manufacturing processes, as well as injection molded and stamped components.
• Mature design projects from prototype build phases to production and launch.
• Lead post-launch design change projects and continuous improvement exercises.
• Apply knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering principles to product development and management.
• Efficiently utilize rapid prototyping methods to demonstrate proof of concepts

Pre-Production Design Release and Post-Release Management

• Troubleshoot, root cause, and document design issues; drive resolution through structured problem-solving.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering and suppliers to ensure launch readiness for critical components.
• Follow APQP processes for project documentation and launch readiness

Validation/ Engineering Development

• Create test plans, design validation testing, and conduct product validation testing.
• Support customer testing and validation activities as needed.
• Document all test results.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience/Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or related fields.
• 2+ years of product design and release experience

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Experience with 3D CAD systems, SolidWorks preferred.
• Experience with product development of High Voltage / Low Voltage automotive connection systems
• Good working knowledge of automotive and industry standards – MILSPEC, USCAR, ISO, etc.
• Experience working in one of the following industries in a product development/design release role: Automotive, Defense/Aerospace, Industrial
• Experience to support product development/manufacture during DV/PV/SOP phases.
• Excellent communication skills to collaborate with various internal and external teams.
• Proficient in GD&T and stackup analysis, capability to read and understand engineering specs sheets and drawings.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, desire to work with customers to ensure positive outcomes.
• A results-driven, enthusiastic, and eager personality is highly desired!

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

Working Conditions/Hours

• Able/willing to travel as needed.
• Available/willing to work overtime to meet project commitments, as required.

Physical Demands – Office

This position requires the ability to communicate effectively. The employee is often required to sit and move about both an office and manufacturing environment. This position requires good manual dexterity for handling documents and entering data on the keyboard. Vision abilities required by this job include close and peripheral vision. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds without assistance.

Physical Demands – Manufacturing

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to communicate information and ideas so others will understand and to exchange accurate information in these situations. The employee must have the ability to observe details at close range. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. This position requires entering text or data into a computer or other machine by means of a traditional keyboard.

The employee is frequently required to seize, hold, grasp objects, lower objects from one level to another, transport objects from one location to another, reach at or above shoulders. The position requires the ability to pull/push; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds with assistance. This position requires manual dexterity.

Work Environment – Office

Includes both a typical office environment, with minimal exposure to excessive noise or adverse environmental issues, and a shop environment, with exposure to high noise levels from operating machines, physical hazards from moving equipment and machine parts, nuisance dust, and exposure to hazardous materials used in the manufacturing process.

Work Environment – Manufacturing/Shop Environment

Includes a shop environment, with exposure to high noise levels from operating machines, physical hazards from moving equipment and machine parts, nuisance dust, and skin exposure to hazardous materials used during material prep process.

We believe diversity and inclusion among our teammates are essential to our success. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees while building teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an equal opportunity employer. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. CelLink participates in the E-Verify program in specific locations as required by law.

CelLink was founded in 2012 and entered volume production in 2018. CelLink provides electrical systems to the world's leading EV manufacturers, traditional automotive OEMs, and tiered suppliers. The company has raised approximately $315M in funding through private investment and multiple grants from the US Department of Energy. CelLink’s investors include 3M, Atreides, BMW, BorgWarner, Bosch, D1 Capital, Fidelity, Fontinalis Partners, Ford, Franklin Templeton, Lear, Park West, SK Telecom, Standard Investments, T. Rowe Price, Tinicum, and Whale Rock.

You should be proficient in:

• Customer Service
• Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)
• CAD Software
• Process Engineering
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
• Design for Assembly (DFA)