About this Senior Mechanical Engineer- New Product Development role at Badger Meter
Badger Meter - Where Every Drop Counts and So Do You
At Badger Meter, we're more than a leading global water technology company - we're innovators with a mission: to preserve and protect the world's most precious resource. For over 120 years, our trusted solutions have enabled our customers to optimize the delivery and use of water, maximize revenue and reduce waste.
Every employee at Badger Meter is an important part of our success. Here, your work doesn't just move a business forward - it shapes a more sustainable future. We are committed to building a workplace where we celebrate differences, empower voices, and encourage fresh ideas that drive innovation.
When you join us, you'll find:
Purpose-driven work that makes a real difference in communities around the globe.
Career growth and development opportunities designed to help you achieve your potential.
A supportive, inclusive culture where collaboration and creativity thrive.
Be part of something bigger. At Badger Meter, your contributions will ripple far beyond the workplace - creating lasting change for people and the planet.
What You Will Contribute:
Senior Mechanical Engineer – New Product Development
We are seeking an experienced Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and development of innovative products from concept through commercialization. This role is ideal for a highly technical, hands-on product development leader who thrives in creating new solutions, driving cross-functional teams, and translating customer needs into manufacturable products.
The successful candidate will have a proven track record of owning product development throughout the entire lifecycle, from early concept generation and design architecture through verification, production launch, and continuous improvement. This individual will serve as a technical leader, influencing project direction, mentoring team members, and driving engineering excellence across product development initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Product Design Leadership & Innovation
- Lead the end-to-end design and development of new products, from concept generation and feasibility assessment through production launch and market introduction.
- Own key technical decisions, product architecture, and design tradeoffs to ensure performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost objectives are achieved.
- Drive product innovation by identifying unmet customer needs, evaluating emerging technologies, and developing creative engineering solutions.
- Serve as the technical leader for product development projects, aligning engineering efforts with customer, business, and market requirements.
- Maintain hands-on involvement in product design activities, including CAD modeling, engineering analysis, prototyping, and design reviews.
Engineering Excellence & Product Development
- Apply strong mechanical engineering principles to solve complex design challenges and improve product performance.
- Utilize advanced 3D modeling, simulation, and FEA tools to evaluate and optimize designs.
- Lead design reviews and risk assessments to identify technical issues early and ensure robust product development.
- Champion Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and lifecycle cost considerations throughout the development process.
- Select appropriate materials, manufacturing processes, and component technologies to meet demanding application requirements.
Technical Project & Team Leadership
- Lead cross-functional product development teams consisting of Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Product Management, and Marketing stakeholders.
- Drive project execution from concept through production release, ensuring technical milestones, schedules, and deliverables are met.
- Mentor and coach engineers while fostering a collaborative, innovative engineering culture.
- Influence technical strategy and help establish engineering best practices across the organization.
- Provide technical leadership during prototype builds, pilot production, and product launch activities.
Verification, Validation & Commercialization
- Develop and execute comprehensive verification and validation plans to ensure products meet customer, regulatory, and performance requirements.
- Coordinate testing activities with internal teams and external certification agencies, including UL, CE, NSF, FM, and Intrinsic Safety organizations.
- Support manufacturing scale-up and product launch activities, ensuring smooth transition from development to production.
- Evaluate field performance and customer feedback to drive continuous product improvement.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- 8+ years of progressive product development experience with demonstrated success bringing products from concept through production launch.
- Proven experience leading mechanical product design efforts and serving as a technical lead on cross-functional development teams.
- Strong hands-on experience with 3D CAD design, product development processes, prototyping, design verification, and engineering analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to drive projects through ambiguity and influence stakeholders across multiple functions.
- Strong problem-solving, project leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
- Experience working closely with manufacturing teams to successfully transition designs into production.
Preferred
- Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
- Experience designing industrial, electromechanical, or highly engineered products.
- Advanced FEA, CFD, MATLAB, or LabVIEW experience.
- Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) certification (Green Belt or higher).
- Experience integrating electronics, sensors, controls, or embedded systems into mechanical product designs.
- Experience leading new product introductions (NPI) in a regulated or manufacturing environment.
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Competitive Total Rewards at Badger Meter:
Competitive Pay
Annual Bonus
Eligible for Annual Pay Increases
Comprehensive Health, Vision, and Dental Coverage
15 days Paid Time Off + 11 Paid Holidays
Two Ways to Save for Retirement: Badger Meter contributes 25 cents for every dollar you contribute to the plan, up to 7% of your eligible compensation. In addition to the match, the company will also contribute 5% of your eligible compensation to your Defined Contribution account on an annual basis. Additional access to a certified financial planner to help ensure your money is working for you, at no cost!
Employer Paid benefits including: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Basic Group Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, and more
Educational Assistance – Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,250
Voluntary benefits including: Additional Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, Accident and Critical Illness coverage
Health Savings Account (HSA) & Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Applicants can learn more about their rights regarding equal opportunity in employment by viewing the federal "EEO is the Law" poster and the “EEO is the Law” poster supplement at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm
Badger Meter complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local disability laws. This means that we will reasonably accommodate qualified employees with a disability if accommodation would allow them to perform the essential functions of their job, unless doing so would create an undue hardship.
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