Product Development Engineering Co-Op

Education & Experience

• Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree from an accredited program in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a closely related field.
• Enrolled in, or eligible to participate in, an academic co-op program and able to complete three semester-long work rotations at Shape Corp.
• 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Coursework or project experience involving engineering design, mechanics, materials, manufacturing processes, CAD, testing, or data analysis.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Able to work independently while also contributing effectively within a cross-functional team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, technical, and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to 3D CAD software such as CATIA, NX, Creo, or SolidWorks through coursework, student projects, or prior work experience.
• Familiarity with engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, design for manufacturability, or product lifecycle management systems.
• Experience with prototyping, testing, data analysis, technical documentation, or structured engineering problem-solving.
• Participation in engineering design teams such as Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, capstone design, or similar technical projects.
• Interest in automotive structures, lightweighting, product development, and advanced manufacturing.

Position Summary

The Shape Corp student engineering program provides students with hands-on experience in a dynamic automotive product development environment. The Product Development Engineering Co-Op will support the design, development, analysis, testing, and launch of products while working alongside engineering and cross-functional teams. Through three semester-long rotations at Shape, the student will build progressively deeper technical knowledge, take on increasing project responsibility, and apply classroom learning throughout multiple stages of the product development process.

Co-Op Program Requirement

• This position is available to co-op students only and is not structured as a single-semester internship.
• Candidates must be available and willing to complete three semester-long work rotations at Shape Corp, alternating with academic terms based on their school’s co-op schedule.
• Continued participation in later rotations is dependent upon successful performance, continued enrollment, and ongoing alignment with business needs.

Essential Job Functions

• Assist with product design and development activities from concept through validation and production launch.
• Create, review, and revise engineering drawings, models, specifications, and other technical documentation using CAD and product lifecycle management tools.
• Support engineering calculations, tolerance analysis, design reviews, and evaluation of product performance against customer and internal requirements.
• Assist with prototype builds, test planning, validation activities, data collection, and analysis of test results.
• Participate in design failure mode and effects analysis, problem-solving, root-cause investigation, and corrective-action activities.
• Support material, manufacturing process, and component selection while considering performance, quality, cost, timing, and manufacturability.
• Coordinate assigned project activities with Engineering, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Test, Purchasing, and other teams.
• Track assigned deliverables, document project status, and communicate technical findings, risks, and recommendations.
• Participate in benchmarking, continuous improvement, and value engineering activities.
• Develop working knowledge across rotations and apply lessons from prior assignments to increasingly complex projects.
• Follow applicable safety, quality, customer, and engineering standards while performing assigned work.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the supervisor, not otherwise specified in this position description.