Whisker, formerly known as AutoPets, is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and Litterbox.com. At Whisker, we believe pet parenthood can always get better.

As leading innovators in pet tech and refined pet accessories, we work tirelessly to solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents while enriching the lives of pets. Whether it’s a self-cleaning litter box that automates scooping, an automatic feeder that helps pets develop healthier eating habits, or a modern cat tree that delights both humans and felines, we strive to deliver better solutions for consumers while transforming pet care along the way. To us, having a pet is the best thing ever. At Whisker, life together just keeps getting better.

Whisker is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Juneau, Wisconsin with 450+ passionate team members.

What You’ll Do:

The Lead Mechanical Sustaining Engineer is responsible for leading the team and maintaining current Whisker products as well as supporting the launch of new products in production. This includes and is not limited to, supplier management of design, cost reduction efforts, production line optimization and new vendor qualification.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.

• Troubleshoots and resolves engineering gaps on existing Whisker products
• Works with suppliers to maintain production levels, including evaluating new materials and processes as needed
• Works with production engineering to provide product design solutions to continually improve factory throughput
• Works with product development engineers and quality engineering to qualify new suppliers for existing products
• Leads the sustaining team, setting priorities, working in a Kanban environment toward continuous improvement
• Leads cost reduction efforts on a continuous basis from a design perspective
• Supports production engineering in cost reduction efforts
• Will perform additional responsibilities when required

Leadership Responsibilities:

Directly supervises department Teams. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with Whisker policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, training and hiring Teams, planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, addressing Team issues, and upholding safety and quality guidelines.

What You’ll Bring:

• BS in Mechanical Engineering
• 8+ years of experience in mechanical engineering
• 3+ years experience with injection molded plastics
• 3+ years experience with electronics packaging
• 3+ years experience with motor-driven mechanisms
• Background in consumer product manufacturing
• CAD experience with PTC Creo or similar systems
• Proven ability to be creative, agile, and detail oriented
• Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
• Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
• High degree of initiative, self-motivation and ability to motivate others
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues

Not Required but Nice to Have!

• Not required to have pets, but highly recommended!
• PTC Windchill or other PLM
• Google software suite
• A solid model / design skill set test may be asked to complete as part of the interview process.

Benefits & Purrks:

Join a tenacious, inventive company that empowers team members to chart their own path, lead by grounding decisions in the “why”, and has a strong sense of empathy and openness to new perspectives. Be a part of exciting growth, work with incredible people, and create tomorrow’s pet products—plus a whole lot of extras. You will also be provided with:

• Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• Life Insurance
• PTO
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401K with 4% Match
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Top of the line equipment

Statement of Inclusivity:

We believe different perspectives make Whisker better and strive to create a place where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

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