Freelance/ Mid-Level Mechanical/Product Development Engineer

RKS Design – Thousand Oaks, CA

RKS Design is seeking a talented Mid-Level Mechanical/Product Development Engineer to join our multidisciplinary product development team.

In this role, you will work alongside Industrial Design, Research, Strategy, and Engineering teams to transform innovative concepts into thoughtfully engineered, manufacturable products. Your contributions will span the product development process—from early concept exploration and prototyping through detailed engineering, testing, manufacturing, and production.

We are looking for a hands-on problem solver who enjoys working on a wide variety of products and technical challenges and who understands how great engineering supports both the design vision and the end-user experience.

You will apply Psycho-Aesthetics® (P/A), RKS’s proprietary human-centered design strategy methodology, alongside Eydora, our AI-powered strategy and decision-support platform, to turn research into clear design direction. This requires looking beyond usability to understand how an experience builds confidence, expresses identity, earns trust, and helps people achieve their goals.(eydora.ai)

Your Role

You will contribute to the development of complex mechanical and electro-mechanical products while collaborating closely with designers, engineers, clients, suppliers, and manufacturing partners.

You should have solid experience developing products using 3D CAD and a practical understanding of manufacturing processes including plastic injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, machining, prototyping, and assembly.

You will be expected to take ownership of assigned engineering tasks and project work streams, identify potential technical risks, develop practical solutions, and help move products efficiently from concept through production.

As part of a consulting environment, you will have the opportunity to work across different industries, technologies, and product categories rather than focusing on a single product line.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality mechanical, electro-mechanical, and assembly designs using parametric 3D CAD.
  
• Develop components and assemblies that balance engineering requirements, manufacturability, cost, aesthetics, and user experience.
  
• Participate in brainstorming sessions, design reviews, engineering reviews, and other cross-functional project meetings.
  
• Translate industrial design concepts into practical, manufacturable engineering solutions while maintaining the original design intent.
  
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, bills of materials (BOMs), tolerance requirements, and supporting technical documentation.
  
• Build and evaluate prototypes and assist with testing and design verification.
  
• Perform tolerance analysis and identify potential mechanical, manufacturing, assembly, and reliability issues.
  
• Work with suppliers, prototype vendors, and contract manufacturers to obtain components, prototypes, tooling, and production parts.
  
• Review tooling and manufacturing designs to help ensure proper fit, finish, function, and production quality.
  
• Evaluate initial production samples for engineering and design intent and adherence to specifications and tolerances.
  
• Troubleshoot product and manufacturing issues, perform root-cause analysis, and recommend corrective actions.
  
• Assist with the design and review of manufacturing test fixtures and procedures.
  
• Support engineering efforts during design transfer and transition into manufacturing.
  
• Research and evaluate new materials, components, manufacturing technologies, and prototyping processes.
  
• Participate in client meetings and clearly communicate engineering recommendations, technical challenges, project progress, and potential solutions.
  
• Work with senior engineers and project leadership to maintain project schedules, identify risks, and meet project milestones.
  
• Contribute ideas for improving RKS engineering processes, tools, and best practices.
  

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering discipline.
  
• Approximately 6-8 years  of professional product development/mechanical engineering experience.
  
• Strong proficiency with parametric 3D CAD and experience creating production-ready mechanical designs.
  
• Experience designing parts for plastic injection molding.
  
• Working knowledge of sheet metal, machining, castings, additive manufacturing, and other common manufacturing processes.
  
• Experience developing mechanical assemblies and integrating off-the-shelf components into product designs.
  
• Understanding of GD&T, tolerance analysis, engineering drawings, and design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA).
  
• Experience working with prototypes and taking products through multiple design iterations.
  
• Ability to identify engineering problems, investigate root causes, and develop practical solutions.
  
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple assignments and priorities in a fast-paced consulting environment.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Comfortable collaborating directly with industrial designers, engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and clients.
  

How We Work

At RKS, engineering does not happen in isolation. Our engineers collaborate closely with Industrial Design, Research, Strategy, User Experience, Technology, Business Development, and Program Management to create products that are meaningful to users and successful in the marketplace..

You should be comfortable working in a highly creative environment where projects and challenges can change quickly and where engineers are encouraged to find innovative but practical solutions.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who enjoys building things, solving problems, and turning ambitious product ideas into products that can actually be manufactured.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering discipline.
  
• Approximately 6-8 years of professional product development/mechanical engineering experience.
  
• Strong proficiency with parametric 3D CAD and experience creating production-ready mechanical designs.
  
• Experience designing parts for plastic injection molding.
  
• Working knowledge of sheet metal, machining, castings, additive manufacturing, and other common manufacturing processes.
  
• Experience developing mechanical assemblies and integrating off-the-shelf components into product designs.
  
• Understanding of GD&T, tolerance analysis, engineering drawings, and design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA).
  
• Experience working with prototypes and taking products through multiple design iterations.
  
• Ability to identify engineering problems, investigate root causes, and develop practical solutions.
  
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple assignments and priorities in a fast-paced consulting environment.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Comfortable collaborating directly with industrial designers, engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and clients.