Under the motto “Taking action for future generations”, we at Big Dutchman have been conveying our ideas to more than 100 countries for over 85 years – because feeding the world is our profession. Our high-tech farming solutions for proteins and plants make our customers successful and empower farmers around the world to act more sustainably. And no wonder, because whether at our headquarters in Vechta (Germany) or at our locations on five continents: in our family-owned company, more than 3,500 motivated employees provide animal-friendly and sustainable solutions. As a driver of innovation, we never lose sight of the appreciation we have for our team. We enjoy our daily business and take action for future generations together.
Does this sound like the working environment you are looking for? Then join our team as:
Product Engineer
Position Summary
The Product Engineer leads complex product development and improvement initiates for Big Dutchman’s North American market. This role provides technical ownership throughout the product lifecycle, from concept development and design through testing, launch, field support, and continuous improvement.
The Product Engineer is responsible for balancing product performance, quality, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and timing. The role provides technical leadership to cross-functional and global engineering teams, mentors less experienced engineers, supports product strategy, and serves as a key technical resource for suppliers, customers, and internal teams.
Responsibilities and Duties
• Demonstrate self-motivation, accountability, and ownership of assigned projects and deliverables.
• Lead complex product development and improvement projects from concept through the launch and post-launch support.
• Make recommendations and technical decisions involving design trade-offs, risk, cost, manufacturability, quality, and product performance.
• Lead cross-functional and global project teams to resolve technical issues and deliver product launches.
• Lead design reviews, risk analysis, test plans, technical reviews, and root-cause investigations
• Lead complex problem-solving activities using methods such as DMAIC, A3, 5-Why, Kepner-Tregoe, and decision matrices
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Product Engineers
• Establish, improve, and promote engineering standards, design practices, documentation requirements, and lessons learned
• Act as a technical point of contact for quality, purchasing, field services, sales, suppliers, and customers
• Develop and maintain project plans, technical milestones, resource requirements, risk assessments, and launch readiness activities.
• Present technical recommendations, project status, risks, and launch readiness to leadership and other stakeholders.
Qualifications and Skills
• Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering (BSAgE), Mechanical Engineering (BSME), or related field
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant product or engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience leading complex product development, improvement, or launch projects.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and make sound technical decisions.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams preferred.
• Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to other engineers.
• Strong experience with CAD, PLM systems, product testing, engineering drawings, and design changes.
• Advanced experience with DFMEA, DVP&R, FEA, tolerance analysis, root-cause analysis, and cost-reduction methods.
• Experience with sheet metal, injection molding, and extrusion design and manufacturing.
• Experience with motors, gearboxes, and mechanical drive systems preferred.
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple, competing priorities
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint