Engineering Technician - Goodridge USA

The Company

Goodridge is the world’s leading manufacturer of performance fluid transfer systems. We operate in the OEM, automotive, motorcycle, motorsport, defence and specialist industrial sectors. This dynamic private company provides customers around the world with a unique combination of design, innovation, reliability and outstanding service. Goodridge has a turnover of over £60m and operates globally with manufacturing and distribution operations in the UK, USA, Mexico and Europe, employing more than 420 people worldwide.

Reporting to:  Group Head of Engineering / Engineering Lead

Key Responsibilities

• Ownership for on-time, on-quality and on-budget engineering activities from initial feasibility to production sign-off, ensuring products and processes remain safe at all times.
• Be a key point of contact / engineering focal point for customer and other external/internal stakeholders, responding to technical queries and participating in multi-disciplinary meetings, as well as representing the business on customer and supplier visits.
• Support with identifying, validating and documenting internal and external customer requirements, where appropriate as an engineering project scope of work.
• Create and manage CAD models and manufacturing drawings for products and tooling, ensuring that all technical and commercial requirements are met.
• Demonstrate engineering excellence and best practice by applying sound design and engineering principles and standards and embracing new engineering tools and technologies.
• Ensure the correct engineering processes are defined and followed, including design/product verification in line with customer requirements and/or relevant engineering standards.
• Ensure the design of products optimizes manufacturing/quality costs and reliability, through seeking to standardize use of common materials and components, reducing the number of parts, and minimizing the number and duration of manufacturing operations.
• Support technical reviews, updating and checking/approving manufacturing drawings and other technical documentation.
• Responsible for generating production and sales support documentation (i.e. design specifications, engineering changes, project requests, Bills of Material, Engineering Cost Analysis, etc.).
•  Prepare design briefs and specifications for the CAD drafters to formally draw and upload, the engineer is responsible to check and mark up the drawings and walk them through to approval.
•  Works with suppliers to incorporate the best manufacturing methods into the design.
•  With knowledge and support of Account Manager, the Design Engineer can liaise directly with the customer engineering contacts
• Monitor, improve and maintain engineering processes, workflows and standards to enhance engineering productivity and performance, and reduce risk.
• Ensure issues are resolved positively and a robust continuous improvement culture is championed to avoid reoccurrences.
• Proactively support related commercial and project activities including contribution to product lifecycle management.
• Support with effective and efficient resource utilization and forecasting.
• Direct, guide and support as well as contribute to training, development and mentoring, including building the subject matter knowledge of engineering colleagues. 

• Support development of Goodridge’s technology strategy and product development roadmap through:
  • working with our sales teams to identify new opportunities to secure the competitiveness of our product offering.
  • partnering with suppliers (hoses, materials, components, etc.) on opportunities for product improvement and innovation.
  • attending industry events to understand market, customer and competitor challenges and innovations.
• Demonstrate credibility of Goodridge engineering capability with customers as an innovative solutions partner and help deepen our conversations to identify and solve customer technical challenges through product innovation.
• Based on-site in Mooresville NC

Qualifications / Experience

Essential

• Positive attitude with the desire to help Goodridge be a leader in the Performance and Racing Industry
• Educated to Degree level or above in a relevant engineering discipline with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in an engineering role, ideally within a manufacturing and/or automotive/motorsport company. Applications will be considered from non-Degree qualified candidates with a suitably demonstrable level of knowledge and experience.
• Minimum of 3 years working within an automotive aftermarket and racing environment, with experience of technical and/or people supervision and working with multiple stakeholders.
• Mechanical engineering design, analysis and physical testing relating to fluid transfer principles and vehicle systems.
• Design and product configuration management within ISO9001, or similar QMS frameworks, including PDM/PLM systems.
• Advanced user of SolidWorks, or equivalent, to create and manage 3D parts/assembles and 2D drawings, with significant experience of checking and approval as part of a document control and release process.
• Tooling/fixture design for safe and efficient operation, work instruction preparation and approval.
• Project management experience, workload planning and overseeing/working on multiple projects/tasks concurrently.
• Hosting design reviews and technical meetings, with ability to drive appropriate and timely outcomes including with customers.

Preferred

• Knowledge of materials, components, manufacturing processes and applicable regulations for fluid transfer applications.
• Experience of DFMEA, GD&T, CFD, FEA and other engineering tools and processes development.
• Destructive and non-destructive testing techniques.
• Special-purpose machinery design.
• Experience in related industry sectors such as aerospace, marine and defense.

Skills

• Able to work effectively as a part of a team and individually, appropriately challenging the status quo, ensuring that the best outcome for the company is achieved.
• Demonstrate a clear, analytical and methodical work process, including issue resolution.
• Proactive approach in managing priorities to meet deadlines, leading by example.
• Excellent communication, including maintaining positive stakeholder interaction.
• Be diligent, with a keen attention to detail and high levels of accuracy.
• Desire to make your work and that of others count, adding to the continued success of Goodridge.