Lead Design Engineer - Elkhart, IN

The Lead Design Engineer is responsible for direction and leadership to the Design department at Barger ensuring project management, design accuracy, and timeliness that meet or exceed customer expectations. In addition, the position is responsible for the process of transforming customer needs and requirements into thermoforming packaging solutions through creation of product designs and specifications, as well as, tool designs and specifications. In collaboration with the customer, account managers, new product development team, tooling vendors, and other applicable parties, the designer is to implement packaging designs into finished goods, implement tooling designs, and procure production tooling which meet or exceed overall expectations of all parties.

Essential Accountabilities

1. Provide direction and leadership to the Barger design department; scheduling and prioritization of workloads including external design resources when they are utilized.


2. Evaluate team and individual performance. Identify team and individual development goals that align to strategic initiatives and department objectives.


3. Create and manage metrics to track and measure the design department performance to meet customer expectations.


4. Lead the external tool procurement efforts and manage their performance to established criteria and specifications.


5. Assist Account Managers with technical support for specific projects, present design solutions, and build strong working relationships. Be able to represent company with customers in the absence of Account Manager.


6. Create and lead the efforts of ideation, concept, and product design resources for specific projects; coordinate the sample creation and approval process.


7. Create complex computer aided design geometry, product and tool drawings based on the project analysis, customer specifications, and the assumption spreadsheet that the quote was based on.


8. Integrate full proficiency of thermoforming and manufacturing processes with design projects and customer needs. Relate knowledge of plastic formulation and characteristics to customer requirements.


9. Ensure tooling specifications, optimization, and performance standards are in place through working with Pricing, Process Engineering, internal and external tooling vendors, and other applicable parties.


10. Provide development support to process engineering and production teams for tooling with additional input to product design, machine, process operation, and material suitability.


11. Approve parts and confirm specification database.


12. Review and initiate engineering change orders related to customer design changes, purchasing changes, and evaluations of possible specification changes.


13. Production lifecycle support by supporting corrective action efforts along with financial analysis of changes.


14. Comply with all safety, ISO procedures and work instructions related to job responsibilities.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering or other related field with 5 years design (product or tooling) experience or Associate degree with 9 years design (product or tooling) experience in the plastics industry with project management and supervisory leadership experience.

Proficient in the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems in both 2D and 3D.

Desired Skills

• Standard office professional software (i.e. word processing, spreadsheets)


• Thermoform plastics manufacturing experience


• Knowledge of quality systems and controlled documentation systems


• Ability to multi-task


• Supervisory leadership experience


• Strong organizational skills


• Self-directed with ability to work without close direction

Position Requirements

Work Environment Conditions:

Inside: Office, Manufacturing, Tool Vault.

Equipment/Tools Used:

Computer, fax, phone, copier, measurement tools, 2D and 3D Modeling CAD, MS Office, Oracle

Physical Requirements: Light work (lift 10 lbs): consistently (samples, cases of parts)

Medium Work (lift 11-30 lbs.): frequently (cases of parts, tooling) Heavy Work (lift 31-50 lbs.) occasionally (tooling) Mental Requirements Reading, writing, calculating

Interpersonal skills

Reasoning / Analysis

Works with minimal supervision

Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Travel Frequency (in addition to seminars or related training):

Minimal (less than 5%) – travel to customers/vendors/tradeshows