(Sr.) Sustaining Product Design Engineer

Position Title: (Sr.) Sustaining Product Design Engineer

Your Job

We are seeking a proactive and experienced (Senior) Sustaining Mechanical Engineer to own and resolve mechanical product issues after new-product launch and mass-production release. This role serves as the technical focal point for sustaining engineering activities, working across design, manufacturing, quality, suppliers, project management, and customer-facing teams to protect product quality, supply continuity, cost, and customer satisfaction.

About the Role

This position focuses on post-launch mechanical engineering for liquid cooling solutions and related mechanical assemblies used in AI servers, data centers, and high-power electronics applications. The engineer will lead containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action, design or process improvement, qualification, and controlled implementation for field, factory, supplier, and customer issues. The role requires strong mechanical judgment, hands-on failure analysis, disciplined change control, and the ability to drive cross-functional issue closure without compromising safety, reliability, compliance, or traceability.

Our Team

Molex creates connections for life by enabling technologies that transform the future and improve lives. Our R&D and Product Development Engineering teams work with global manufacturing sites, suppliers, quality teams, and customers to sustain released products, improve manufacturability and reliability, and ensure robust execution from launch through the product lifecycle.

What You Will Do (Job Description)

Post-Launch Product Sustaining & Issue Ownership

• Own mechanical sustaining activities for newly launched and mass-produced products, including factory, supplier, qualification, customer, and field-return issues.
• Lead rapid containment, risk assessment, technical disposition, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and effectiveness verification.
• Prioritize issues based on customer impact, safety, reliability, shipment risk, recurrence risk, and production continuity.
• Maintain clear issue ownership, action plans, due dates, evidence, and closure criteria.

Mechanical Failure Analysis & Problem Solving

• Lead systematic failure analysis using 8D, 5 Why, Ishikawa, fault-tree analysis, DOE, tolerance analysis, and data-based verification.
• Analyze fit, function, assembly, dimensional, structural, thermal-mechanical, leakage, pressure, deformation, vibration, cosmetic, and reliability issues.
• Differentiate design-related, supplier-process, manufacturing-process, material, fixture, measurement-system, and handling causes.
• Define verification plans that prove root cause and confirm corrective-action effectiveness before closure.

Design, Drawing & Configuration Change Management

• Review and implement mechanical design changes, drawing revisions, tolerance updates, material changes, alternate-source changes, and cost-reduction improvements.
• Perform GD&T review, tolerance stack-up analysis, datum-strategy review, interface assessment, and design-for-assembly evaluation.
• Drive ECN/ECR, deviation, waiver, PCN, and controlled phase-in/phase-out activities with complete traceability.
• Assess backward compatibility, interchangeability, inventory impact, rework feasibility, tooling impact, and qualification scope.

Manufacturing & Supplier Support

• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, SQE, suppliers, and factories to troubleshoot sustaining issues and improve yield, capability, and process stability.
• Lead supplier DFM reviews and corrective actions for CNC machining, stamping, plating, injection molding, LSR/rubber molding, brazing, welding, sealing, and assembly processes.
• Review PFMEA, Process Flow, Control Plan, work instructions, inspection methods, MSA, GR&R, Cpk/Ppk, and production validation evidence.
• Support alternate-source and plant-transfer qualifications to reduce supply risk and improve continuity.

Liquid Cooling Product Sustaining

• Support sustaining engineering for cold plates, manifolds, tubes/hoses, quick disconnects, seals, pedestals, frames, cages, thermal links, and related assemblies.
• Investigate leakage, micro-leakage, brazing/welding voids, pinholes, flatness, deformation, burst-pressure performance, pressure drop, thermal performance, cleanliness, corrosion, and assembly-interface issues.
• Work with thermal and reliability engineers to correlate simulation, bench testing, supplier testing, and system-level results.
• Convert recurring issues into design rules, inspection criteria, qualification requirements, and lessons learned.

Qualification, Production Readiness & Continuous Improvement

• Define risk-based validation and requalification plans for design, material, supplier, tooling, process, and manufacturing-site changes.
• Review FAI, DV/PV, reliability, thermal, pressure, leakage, dimensional, and functional test reports and determine engineering acceptance.
• Support Go / Conditional Go / No-Go decisions using objective evidence, defined risk controls, and approved authorization paths.
• Drive yield, scrap, rework, cycle-time, quality, cost, and reliability improvements throughout the product lifecycle.

Cross-Functional & Customer Communication

• Communicate technical status, risk, containment, recovery plans, and decision requirements clearly to engineering, PM, sales, quality, operations, suppliers, and customers.
• Lead technical review meetings and provide concise problem statements, data, recommendations, trade-offs, and closure evidence.
• Mentor junior engineers in sustaining methods, failure analysis, drawing interpretation, and technical decision-making.
• Capture lessons learned and ensure knowledge is reused in new-product development and future launches.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in mechanical product development, sustaining engineering, NPI, manufacturing engineering, or product-quality issue resolution.
• Proven experience resolving mechanical issues in mass production and driving actions from containment through verified closure.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and drawing review using NX, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent tools.
• Strong knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up, dimensional inspection, material selection, fastening, sealing, and mechanical interfaces.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, stamping, plating, injection molding, LSR/rubber molding, brazing, welding, and mechanical assembly.
• Practical experience with 8D, 5 Why, Ishikawa, DOE, PFMEA, Control Plan, MSA/GR&R, SPC, Cpk/Ppk, FAI, and qualification planning.
• Ability to interpret mechanical, thermal, reliability, and supplier test reports and translate results into engineering decisions.
• Ability to work effectively with global cross-functional teams and suppliers in English.
• Willingness to support production issues, supplier reviews, factory builds, and urgent customer recovery activities when required.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Hands-on sustaining experience with liquid cooling products, cold plates, manifolds, tubing, sealing systems, or data-center hardware.
• Experience investigating leak, burst pressure, pressure drop, thermal performance, flatness, brazing/welding, cleanliness, and corrosion issues.
• Experience supporting high-volume production, contract manufacturers, multiple factories, and global supplier networks.
• Experience with PPAP/APQP, supplier qualification, alternate-source qualification, PCN, ECN, deviation, waiver, and product-change implementation.
• Experience using CMM, optical measurement, CT/X-ray, C-SAM, helium leakage, pressure retention, burst, thermal, and flow-resistance test data.
• Demonstrated ability to reduce recurring defects by converting corrective actions into design standards, process controls, and lessons learned.
• Ability to lead technical decisions under schedule pressure while preserving quality, traceability, and customer requirements.

Success Measures

• Timely containment and permanent closure of post-launch mechanical issues.
• Reduction in repeat defects, customer escapes, scrap, rework, and sustaining cost.
• Improved production yield, process capability, supplier performance, and product reliability.
• Effective implementation of design/process changes with complete qualification and traceability.
• High-quality lessons learned that prevent recurrence in future NPI programs.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Who We Are

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

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