The Product Design Engineering Manager plays a crucial role in leading the design, development, and continuous enhancement of product designs, engineering specifications, and technical documentation for truck bodies, trailers, ambulance bodies, and related products at our High Point, NC campus. This position involves hands-on collaboration with engineering and operations leadership to bolster design capabilities and support the growth of a campus that produces over 5,000 high-mix truck bodies and trailers annually.Responsibilities
- Lead the Product Design Engineering team, setting priorities aligned with department goals and product strategy.
- Design and optimize product designs and technical documentation to maximize quality, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness.
- Maintain standardized design procedures, documentation, drawings, and design standards.
- Serve as a key technical resource for product development and day-to-day engineering.
- Lead DFM and DFA initiatives across the product portfolio in collaboration with Manufacturing Engineering.
- Create product drawings, BOMs, and design specifications.
- Reduce material waste, fabrication complexity, and non-value-added manufacturing steps.
- Develop scalable design solutions that support future growth.
- Lead design-focused continuous improvement initiatives targeting quality, cost, weight, and performance.
- Facilitate design reviews, value engineering, and structured problem-solving.
- Champion the Continuous Improvement Council within the department.
- Track performance metrics to sustain design improvements.
- Evaluate and implement design tools, CAD/CAE software, and engineering technologies.
- Manage product development projects from concept through launch, ensuring budget and schedule adherence.
- Identify opportunities to enhance product capability through advanced materials and design.
- Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to transition new product designs into production.
- Lead DFM initiatives to improve product quality, manufacturability, and cost.
- Lead prototype builds, validation testing, and production launch.
- Use CAD software to develop designs, drawings, and improvements.
- Develop ROI-based business cases to support design decisions and materials selection.
- Collaborate with Manufacturing, Purchasing, Supply Chain, and Quality to meet design objectives.
- Provide design expertise for steel and aluminum fabrication, including cutting, forming, machining, welding, and paint systems.
- Identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality, and manufacturability in fabrication.
- Ensure product designs meet all safety, regulatory, customer, and company requirements.
- Integrate safety, quality, and continuous improvement into product design.
- Support field issue resolution and lead related design improvements.
Essential Skills
- Strong experience in mechanical design, materials selection, and weight optimization for large-scale fabricated products.
- Proven success bringing new products from concept to launch while improving quality and reducing time-to-market.
- Skilled in leading team-level change, coaching, and building accountability with strong communication across the department.
- Experience managing new product development from concept through prototyping, testing, and production release.
- Working knowledge of CAD/CAE tools, PLM systems, and digital design solutions.
- Strong understanding of quality systems, root cause analysis, FMEA, and ISO 9001:2015 principles applied to product design.
- Experience in building product design KPI dashboards and using OKRs to track improvement and drive accountability.
- Proficient with engineering analytics tools, PLM/PDM systems, Power BI, and statistical analysis.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Product Design, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
- 5-7+ years of product design engineering experience in high-mix manufacturing, applying Lean Six Sigma principles and mentoring other engineers.
- Experience in truck body, trailer, or related heavy manufacturing industries.
- Experience leading new product development or design improvement projects.
- Strong knowledge of fabrication, welding, assembly, paint systems, and materials selection.
Work EnvironmentThe role requires the ability to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear, with specific vision abilities necessary for the job. Occasionally, the employee may need to lift or move up to 30 lbs. The position involves working in both office and manufacturing settings, with collaboration across various departments such as Manufacturing, Purchasing, Supply Chain, and Quality. The work environment emphasizes safety, quality, and continuous improvement, with a focus on meeting design objectives and supporting growth. Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of High Point, NC. Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $75.00 - $84.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of High Point, NC. Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Nov 20, 2026. Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in High Point,NC.About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
