Find & Apply For Product Development Engineer Jobs in Anacortes, Washington

Position Summary The Product Engineer owns the technical performance and manufacturability of synthetic-rope products across the product life cycle. The role combines rope/product design with manufacturing and process engineering to develop rope and specialty cable solutions that can be produced consistently at scale. The ideal candidate brings textile and/or composites experience, strong mechanical/process fundamentals, hands-on manufacturing curiosity, and the ability to use test data to connect material and process choices to finished-product performance. Essential Functions & Responsibilities Rope & Product Engineering (~30%) Develop and improve synthetic-rope constructions and related products using appropriate fibers, yarn architectures, braid/twist constructions, coatings, and terminations. Translate performance targets such as strength, elongation, stiffness, diameter, abrasion resistance, cyclic/fatigue behavior, handling, creep, environmental resistance, and weight into product and process requirements. Create and maintain product specifications, technical data, engineering limits, bills of material, routings, drawings, and controlled manufacturing requirements. Support new product introduction from concept and prototype through qualification, release, and sustained production. Manufacturing & Process Engineering (~30%) Develop, document, and optimize manufacturing processes for braiding, twisting, coating, heat-setting, splicing, finishing, and related rope/fiber operations as applicable. Define critical process parameters, tooling, setup standards, in-process controls, acceptance criteria, and process capability requirements. Support continuous improvement projects as well as prototyping and R&D trials. Use lean, statistical, and structured problem-solving methods to improve safety, yield, throughput, repeatability, quality, and cost. Testing, Analysis & Product Validation (~20%) Plan and execute laboratory and production testing to characterize raw materials, and finished products. Analyze tensile, elongation, fatigue/cyclic, abrasion, creep, or other performance data. Apply DOE, SPC, capability analysis, trend analysis, or other data methods as appropriate to validate changes. Document results, conclusions, risks, and recommendations in clear technical reports and controlled records. Product Lifecycle, Quality & Change Control (~10%) Support nonconformance investigations, root cause/corrective action, supplier/material changes, product obsolescence, and customer quality concerns. Own or support engineering change requests and ensure impacts to specifications, process instructions, testing, inventory, and customer requirements are evaluated before implementation. Maintain traceable technical knowledge and support qualification of materials, suppliers, equipment, and processes relevant to assigned products. Cross-Functional & Customer Support (~10%) Partner with Design Engineering and Application Engineering on new applications requiring product, process, material, or test development. Provide technical support to Operations, Quality, Sales, and customers on product capability, manufacturing feasibility, and performance questions. Participate in customer or supplier technical discussions and site visits when product/process expertise is needed. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Textile, Materials, Industrial, Process, Composites/Plastics Engineering, or a closely related discipline. Minimum 3 years of manufacturing engineering experience. Experience may include product, process, textile, composites, or materials manufacturing. Demonstrated experience improving products or manufacturing processes through testing, data analysis, and structured problem-solving. Working knowledge of manufacturing process development, process controls, technical specifications, engineering change control, and production support, including application of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies. Hands-on experience working with production equipment, operators, materials, and testing methods, with strong technical documentation practices. Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills. Willingness to travel up to 20% and ability to support operations across time zones. Preferred Qualifications Experience with software development and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and/or 5S certification or comparable work experience preferred. 3D CAD Design engineering experience with SolidWorks. Experience with textiles, braiding, weaving, knitting, cordage, synthetic rope, composites, thermoplastics, polymer processing, or high-performance fibers. Experience with materials characterization, tensile and fatigue/cyclic testing, design of experiments (DOE), statistical process control (SPC), and data analysis tools such as Minitab. Experience with process capability studies, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and new product or process qualification. Quality, Safety & Document Control Perform work in accordance with applicable QMS procedures, engineering standards, approved work instructions, safety requirements, and document-control practices. Maintain accurate and traceable engineering records, calculations, test data, design decisions, and revisions appropriate to the role; support design reviews, change control, nonconformance resolution, and corrective action as assigned. Identify and communicate product, process, safety, quality, or compliance risks and participate in continual improvement. Work Environment and Physical Requirements Work is primarily office-based, with regular activities in manufacturing, laboratory, and testing environments. Manufacturing and testing areas may involve exposure to industrial noise, moving machinery, fibers, chemicals, raw materials, and production or testing equipment. Duties may involve standing, walking, bending, reaching, and handling rope samples, fibers, composite materials, tools, or equipment during product development, process evaluations, testing, and production support. Employees are expected to follow established safety procedures and use required personal protective equipment (PPE) in designated areas. Occasional domestic or international travel to suppliers, customer sites, field locations, or other Cortland facilities may be required. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, in accordance with applicable law. Job Description Notice This job description summarizes the primary duties and requirements of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Duties may change as business needs evolve. Nothing in this document creates a contract of employment. FLSA classification is determined by Human Resources based on the actual duties, compensation, and applicable law.

Pay:

$82,000.00 - $88,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Employee discount Flexible spending account Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Retirement plan Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person