• You are deeply mission-driven and you believe there’s more to life than software that enables puppy ears to be superimposed on photos, although we concede those are cute.
• You are a self-starter who loves to own things end-to-end. You don’t ask for permission: you’re too busy making things happen
• You thrive in ambiguity and you see the win-win in situations. Challenges energize you
• You care for the people, the team, and the business. People want to work with you because you bring out the best in them and you help the team succeed.
• You make informed decisions by framing and defining the problem, exploring options, and recommending a solution based on trade offs. This is important because the types of problems Forward is solving are often yet-to-be-known challenges that might be buried deep under current societal norms or industry assumptions
• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Design Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• >5 years of detailed and hands-on experience designing structures, enclosures, mechanisms and assemblies. Practical experience working through DFM
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) including emails, preparing slide presentations, and presenting technical concepts to multi-disciplinary teams and external vendors
• Familiarity with (and appreciation for) the product development process (early concept definition through mass production)
• Knowledge of diverse materials (metal, plastic, composites, soft goods) and manufacturing techniques (machining, molding, thermoforming, bending, secondary finishes)
• Strong analytical skills/engineering fundamentals including statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, FEA and statistical tolerances
• Fluency in 3D CAD (any modeling package), including resolving tolerance stack-ups and interference issues in 3D models
• Fluency in 2D drawings, including basic GD&T knowledge
• Proficiency in a variety of processes and hands-on skills to fabricate prototypes
• Strong problem solving skills, with experience in failure analysis, root cause investigation, and DOE creation.

Desirable

• Work closely with Product and Design to assess feasibility of a new design and define product requirements
• Generate robust 3D models and renderings and fully toleranced 2D drawings based on design intent and design collateral
• Perform detailed mechanical analyses of structures, enclosures, mechanisms and assemblies
• Finalize designs using your board knowledge of engineering materials and manufacturing processes
• Fabricate and debug functional prototypes to test and demonstrate your designs
• Lead user experience reviews and technical feasibility reviews
• Document and communicate your designs to ensure accurate implementation
• Manage expectations on deliverables and schedules, identifying risks and communicating these to the team
• Collaborate with external vendors throughout the development cycle as a technical owner of the vendor’s output
• Challenge assumptions, identify the critical problems, prioritize those problems, recommend solutions, and implement those solutions. All of these pieces are needed to develop an innovative product
• Drive collaborate with diverse expertise (product, design, software, hardware, ops, clinical) to solve full-stack problems with real-world constraints
• Work with amazing people from IDEO, Amazon, Nvidia, Google X, Airbnb, Uber, and NASA JPL. Everyone is passionate, smart, and hard working, and we bring our whole selves to work
• As needed, travel to remote offices, test facilities, engineering partners, or manufacturing partners