Product Application Engineer

Amphenol Tcs - Etters, PA

Full-time - Mid Level

Etters, PA

Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing

About the position

Amphenol High Speed Products Group is seeking a Product Application Engineer to join our High Speed IO Connector team in Valley Green, PA. This position plays a crucial role in the coordination and development of solutions for cabled products, ensuring ease of assembly and proper functionality in end applications. The engineer will be responsible for ensuring that product designs are manufacturable and meet defined customer requirements, including electrical, mechanical, environmental, and application-specific criteria. Close interaction with customers and their contract manufacturers (CMs) is essential, as the engineer will work on developing application-specific solutions to integrate Amphenol's HSIO products into customer systems. This role requires collaboration with a global cross-functional team, including internal and external suppliers and manufacturing personnel, to support the development and validation of product prototypes through pilot production. The responsibilities include driving discussions to define the needs and functional requirements of the customer/CM assembly process and end application. The engineer will conceptualize, design, and develop application-specific structures to integrate cable assemblies and/or IO connectors into customer systems, from initial proposal to successful tooling and product qualifications. They will perform Design FMEA, Tolerance Analysis, Design for Manufacturability, FEA Analysis, and Risk Analysis on the application-specific structures. Validating developed solutions through analysis, prototyping, testing, and integration is a key part of the role, as is coordinating the build of mock-up systems to validate solutions and identify potential issues in the system assembly process or end application. The engineer will also assess technical risks, work with internal and external manufacturing disciplines to optimize design for production processes, and lead product design and manufacturing reviews with both internal and external teams. They will verify the accuracy of product drawings and ensure proper usage of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing. Collaboration with Materials Engineering to define material choices based on performance, pricing, and global sourcing is also required. Presenting product concepts to customers early in the development cycle, interpreting feedback, and incorporating revised requirements into the design are critical tasks. The engineer will define product, application, and packaging specifications, as well as verification and product qualification test plans, and manage the resolution of first article inspections. Close interaction with NPI and manufacturing engineering is necessary to ensure products transition smoothly to manufacturing, and the engineer will provide mentorship as needed during product development.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and develop solutions for cabled products ensuring ease of assembly and proper functionality.
• Work closely with customers and their contract manufacturers to address application-specific challenges.
• Drive discussions to define needs and functional requirements of the customer/CM assembly process.
• Conceptualize, design, and develop application-specific structures to integrate cable assemblies and/or IO connectors.
• Perform Design FMEA, Tolerance Analysis, Design for Manufacturability, FEA Analysis, and Risk Analysis.
• Validate developed solutions through analysis, prototyping, testing, and integration.
• Coordinate the build of mock-up systems to validate solutions and identify potential issues.
• Assess technical risk associated with product designs.
• Work with internal and external manufacturing disciplines to optimize design for production processes.
• Lead product design and manufacturing reviews with internal and external teams.
• Verify accuracy of product drawings and ensure proper usage of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing.
• Collaborate with Materials Engineering to define material choices based on performance and pricing.
• Present product concepts to customers and incorporate feedback into designs.
• Define Product, Application, and Packaging specifications and verification test plans.
• Manage the resolution of first article inspections and ensure smooth transition to manufacturing.
• Interact with global associates and provide mentorship during product development.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical or Electrical discipline, or equivalent engineering coursework and related experience.
• 5+ years of experience in a design engineering role, with familiarity in high-speed cable assembly and/or connector design preferred.
• Experience with integrating/applying cable assemblies and/or connectors into larger computer systems.
• Knowledge and experience with computer system design and assembly processes.
• Experience with industry standards is a plus.
• Skilled use of Solid Works, FEA simulation software (ANSYS preferred), and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing principles.
• Ability to work effectively within a project team and direct the activity of others as needed.
• Strong communication skills to interact with Global Customers and all levels of the organization.
• Ability to prioritize work to meet objectives and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Nice-to-haves

• Familiarity with high-speed cable assembly and connector design.
• Experience with industry standards related to electrical connectors and cable assemblies.

Benefits

• Career growth opportunities within a global organization.
• Support and responsiveness to employees and customers.
• Equal Opportunity Employer policies.