Senior Product Design Engineer (Contract)

About Quad Lock 🚀 Quad Lock is one of Australia’s fastest-growing companies and a certified Great Place to Work. Based in Melbourne, Quad Lock revolutionised the smartphone mounting game with our patented case-based mounting system. Originally launched in 2011, the Quad Lock range now includes mounts for Cycling, Motorcycling, Driving, Running, Marine and a range of Lifestyle options. To date, millions of Quad Lock products have been shipped to over 100 countries and sales continue to grow worldwide at a rapid pace. About our People 👥 At Quad Lock not only do we work hard and love what we do, we are also a great bunch of people with a diverse range of interests. We have keen cyclists and motorbike riders, runners and car enthusiasts (of course). But did you know we also have movie buffs, musicians, and entrepreneurs, but most importantly we’re all super proud to be part of the Quad Lock team. About the Role 💭  We're looking for a Senior Product Design Engineer to lead the end-to-end development of innovative consumer products, taking concepts from early design through to mass production. You'll own multiple development programs, delivering high-quality, market-ready products that balance user needs, technical excellence and commercial outcomes. This is a hands-on role for an experienced engineer who enjoys solving complex design challenges and working closely with both internal and external stakeholders to bring products to life. You'll collaborate across Product, Operations, Marketing and Commercial teams to keep programs on track and deliver exceptional products. If you enjoy taking ownership, working in a fast-paced product development environment, and would love to work within a high-performing, outcome-focused team, we'd love to hear from you.  Please note; this role is offered as an 18 month fixed term contract.   What You'll Do 🤝

Take full end-to-end ownership of assigned New Product Development (NPD) programs, steering projects from roadmap brief through stage gate milestones to market-ready solution

Lead the development of both ground-up and supplier co-development programs, applying
sound commercial and engineering judgement to determine the most appropriate development path

Drive design ideation, concept development, engineering validation and DFM optimisation across assigned programs

Execute and guide robust designs that meet all given requirements, or can prioritise conflicting requirements and determine best-fit design directions based on sound engineering principles

Actively manage and steer overseas supplier and manufacturer relationships, providing clear technical direction, reviewing feedback, resolving design and tooling issues, and keeping programs on track

Confident in engaging with local and overseas manufacturers and suppliers, obtaining quotations and incorporating manufacturing feedback into the design process

Lead design reviews and provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior designers

Prepare and present clearly structured gate review presentations, providing stakeholders with confident, evidence-based recommendations at each program milestone

Conduct comprehensive test procedures to ensure product design solutions meet both statutory and reliability performance requirements

Carry out engineering calculations aligned with specific performance targets to ensure compliant design solutions where material selections and manufacturing techniques align

Review and conduct OTS test reports on pre-production product samples

Develop and maintain detailed design documentation including drawings, specifications and Bill of Materials

Assist with conducting IP and patent searches where applicable

Work as part of the team to create a positive, collaborative work environment

What You'll Bring 🎯

Proven experience in a similar product design engineering role 

Demonstrated experience delivering consumer products to market in a stage-gate environment

Bachelor's degree is required in: Product Design Engineering, Product Design, Industrial Design or equivalent Engineering discipline

Demonstrated experience independently taking products from concept through to market, on both ground-up and supplier co-development programs

Deep familiarity with stage gate product development processes

Proven ability to manage and steer overseas suppliers and manufacturers

Strong experience engaging cross-functional stakeholders throughout the process

Efficient and effective planning and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple
concurrent programs to defined timeframes and commercial constraints

Ability to interpret and convert high-level product requirements and roadmap briefs into
executable design programs with clear milestones and deliverables

Able to clearly communicate design ideas and concepts via sketching, CAD modelling and
various methods of prototyping

Comprehensive understanding of design and engineering principles

Extensive experience and understanding of Design for Manufacture principles with the ability to apply these in practice when developing product design solutions

Excellent knowledge and understanding of various manufacturing processes and production methods, particularly injection moulding, die casting and surface finishing processes relevant to consumer hardware

Familiarity with regulatory requirements and standards for product design such as UL, FCC, CE
and RoHS

Able to generate fully defined parametric 3D CAD models for manufacturing and illustrative
purposes, utilising SolidWorks

Knowledge of and experience with prototype fabrication for testing form, fit and function

Excellent understanding of risk analysis methodologies

Strong problem-solving and negotiating skills

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with excellent attention to detail

The ability to work as a collaborative team member and leader