What does a product design engineer do?
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
Product design engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real product design engineer resumes:
- Lead team members and shop floor personnel to correct all floor and inventory issues to insure BoM accuracy.
- Manage automation projects including purchasing, scheduling fabrication and assembly, debugging, and delivery to customer.
- Perform environmental testing, cost reductions, FMEA's, failure analysis, and successfully launch electronic control modules.
- Provide design concepts, design analysis and prototyping solutions for parts and product assemblies to satisfy customer project requirements.
- Create 3D and 2D models, designs, assemblies, drawing, BOM's and customer conceptual design packages.
- Interpret UL documents for compatibility of products/specs.
- Create documentation for UL Canada vehicle certification.
- Streamline and standardize effective Kaizen manufacturing practices for AMR.
- Perform finite element analysis (FEA) utilizing software to ensure design integrity
- Coordinate mechanical and plumbing systems with electrical engineers, architects, and landlords
- Develop PLC base control system for internally design accumulator face seal test system.
- Assemble programming and testing equipment using Kaizen manufacturing practices and train operators concerning proper operating procedures.
- Provide concept capturing and rapid prototyping for disruptive products to high level management group as decision-making baselines.
- Analyze several welding practices on production runs and create jigs to improve process capability ultimately manufacturing improve products.
- Provide both standard and custom design piston solid models and specifications to CNC programming and manufacturing operations for immediate manufacture
Product design engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Product Design Engineers are proficient in CAD, Mechanical Design, and GD. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Product Design Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CAD, 15%
Managed aerodynamic prototyping process including CAD modeling, tool room coordination, manufacturing resource planning, and data acquisition and analysis.
- Mechanical Design, 5%
Coordinated design research and observation, concept development, mechanical design and analysis, manufacturing planning, and project management tasks.
- GD, 5%
Trained in GD & T workbook and in various other industry standards.
- Prototyping, 4%
Provided concept capturing and rapid prototyping for disruptive products to high level management group as decision-making baselines.
- Industrial Design, 4%
Collaborated with industrial designers and manufacturers (domestic and international) on projects from inception through launch.
- Creo, 4%
Designed and detailed private office furniture products using 3d modeling software (creo 2.0).
"cad," "mechanical design," and "gd" are among the most common skills that product design engineers use at work. You can find even more product design engineer responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a product design engineer to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Product design engineers often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "manage inventory and production of current c3 product line. "
Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform product design engineer duties is listening skills. Product design engineers responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." Product design engineers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated with other departments to resolve issues, receive quotes, get schedules, and inform of product development's plans. "
Math skills. product design engineers are also known for math skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to product design engineer responsibilities, because "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." A product design engineer resume example shows how math skills is used in the workplace: "manage the creation of cad designs and the generation of math data. "
Mechanical skills. For certain product design engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "mechanical skills." The day-to-day duties of a product design engineer rely on this skill, as "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what product design engineers do: "conduct and arrange mechanical development testing and complex failure analysis to ensure the performance of parts. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for product design engineer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of product design engineers all the time, as "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." An excerpt from a real product design engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a product design engineer does: "provided technical leadership to dealers & customers to ensure field issues related to all responsible product lines were resolved immediately. "
The three companies that hire the most product design engineers are:
Choose from 10+ customizable product design engineer resume templates
Build a professional product design engineer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your product design engineer resume.
Compare different product design engineers
Product design engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a product design engineer are more likely to require skills like "mechanical design," "gd," "creo," and "design reviews." On the other hand, a job as an engineer requires skills like "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Engineers earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $97,672. On the other hand, product design engineers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $116,796.The education levels that engineers earn slightly differ from product design engineers. In particular, engineers are 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a product design engineer. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Product design engineer vs. Equipment engineer
The duties of an equipment engineer depend on one's organization or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around designing and developing mechanical and electronic equipment, analyzing and improving existing systems, performing customization according to customers' preferences, installing and removing attachments, and conducting regular maintenance procedures. An equipment engineer must also address issues and complaints, providing corrective measures promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with team members and other specialists, inspect and test new systems, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, product design engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "mechanical design," "gd," "prototyping," and "industrial design." Meanwhile, an equipment engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "equipment performance," "semiconductor," "preventive maintenance," and "provides technical support." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, equipment engineers earn a higher salary than product design engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, equipment engineers earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $108,645. Whereas product design engineers have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $116,796.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Equipment engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than product design engineers. In fact, they're 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for product design engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Richard Onyancha
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Department Head, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Product design engineer vs. Staff engineer
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, product design engineers are more likely to have skills like "mechanical design," "gd," "creo," and "design concepts." But a staff engineer is more likely to have skills like "java," "python," "architecture," and "software development."
Staff engineers earn the best pay in the telecommunication industry, where they command an average salary of $119,079. Product design engineers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $116,796.staff engineers typically earn similar educational levels compared to product design engineers. Specifically, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Product design engineer vs. Facility engineer
A facilities engineer specializes in managing and maintaining equipment and machinery in manufacturing plants or similar settings. Duties will revolve around conducting research and analysis through extensive data and blueprints, evaluating systems using various reports, handling issues, providing corrective measures, and performing regular inspections and maintenance. Furthermore, it is essential to implement all safety standards and regulations to ensure a safe and productive work environment for everyone.
Types of product design engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
