Product Development Engineer

Make your mark at the world's largest HVAC company

Why You'll Love Working for Daikin:

• We're a group who operates with a people-centered mindset, believing in the unlimited potential of each employee, with a goal of driving our company to its fullest potential.
• Our goal is to "Perfect the Air". We do this through cutting edge innovation & sustainability efforts while meeting the HVAC needs of thousands of customers - expanding over 160 countries
• Our culture is unrivaled. Daikin operates under 8 Core Values which are embedded into every aspect of our business. It's through these values that we continuously strive to build a place where everyone can be authentic, feel valued and heard, and have a sense of purpose and belonging.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Staff Engineer to join our engineering team. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring product designs are optimized for manufacturability, quality, and cost-effectiveness throughout the product development lifecycle. This role enables new and existing products to be designed with manufacturing and quality in mind. You will work closely with cross functional teams comprised of product design, manufacturing engineering, and suppliers, providing technical guidance to reduce production risks and accelerate time-to-market.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with product design, mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing teams to drive design for manufacturability (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), and design for test (DFT) principles.
• Analyze CAD models, drawings, and specifications to identify potential manufacturing risks and propose cost-effective design improvements.
• Collaborate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to validate design intent, material choices, and process feasibility.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing guidelines, standards, and best practices to influence early-stage product designs.
• Perform tolerance analysis, failure mode analysis, and process capability studies to ensure robustness and reliability of designs.
• Support prototype builds, pilot runs, and ramp-up activities to ensure smooth transition from design to full-scale production.
• Act as a subject matter expert in DFM methodologies, mentoring junior engineers and influencing cross-functional decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce product cost, improve yield, and enhance overall product quality.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience in product development and/or manufacturing engineering.
• Proven track record applying DFM/DFA/DFT principles in complex product designs.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, injection molding, stamping, die casting, additive manufacturing, or PCB assembly (industry-specific).
• Proficiency with CAD tools (SolidWorks, Creo, NX, or equivalent) and GD&T standards.
• Experience with root cause analysis, statistical process control (SPC), PFMEA, and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Experience with benchmarking, teardown analysis, and market research.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and external suppliers.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to present complex technical content to non-technical audiences.
• Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments preferred.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and DFSS methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with prototype fabrication, test methods, and validation.
• Knowledge of sustainability and cost-reduction strategies in manufacturing.
• Prior leadership or mentoring experience in guiding engineering teams.
• Familiarity with a Priori software
• Ability to travel to manufacturing sites and suppliers as needed.
• Knowledge of HVAC Systems
• Advanced English
• Available to travel up to 25% of the time.

Daikin is the world's industry leader in air conditioning with sales over 27 billion dollars, comprised of over 300 companies around the globe. Its cutting edge air conditioning products and services using environment friendly technologies are widely distributed and marketed in more than 170 countries, from residential A/C to commercial A/C market. As its global headquareter, Daikin Industries, Ltd. is continually leading air conditioning history with its business strategies & technological breakthrough in the area of environment friendly air comfort solutions. In challenging the needs of the future with new innovations using AI/IoT technologies, Daikin will continue its commitment to growth of the business and contribution to the society.