WHAT DOES A DESIGN ENGINEER DO?
Published: May 30, 2025 - The Design Engineer designs and updates SDM solutions including HLD and LLD documentation for fully virtualized Cloud-native VoLTE/5G networks. The position creates and maintains MOPs for SDM Network Elements integration and upgrades, coordinating with other network elements such as STP, DRA, and IMS. This role leads end-to-end test plan design, call trace analysis, and equipment development to support film manufacturing, while managing project schedules, budgets, and troubleshooting existing infrastructure.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Design Engineer
1. Design Engineer Duties
- Test Planning: Develop concept validation, design qualification, and manufacturing validation test plans in conjunction with new product development teams.
- Requirement Analysis: Support Reliability and Regulatory engineers in developing test requirements in those specialty areas.
- Equipment Support: Support test lab staff in the identification of test equipment.
- Resource Planning: Identify resources required to conduct tests.
- Test Execution: Conduct component and product tests in specialty areas.
- Timeline Management: Develop test timelines and get agreement on deadlines.
- Vendor Sourcing: Identify external resources that can support product development tests needed when internal capabilities or capacity are exceeded.
- Report Writing: Prepare test summary reports for review with the product development team.
- Staff Training: Train lab staff to conduct special tests.
- Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve test procedures, increase capacity, or reduce overall test time.
- Plan Execution: Work with test lab staff to execute test plans according to schedule.
2. Design Engineer Details
- Requirement Definition: Work with platform architects, system and digital design groups to define the requirements for RF and baseband blocks based on the system requirement.
- Process Selection: Work with the technology team on process selection for the target device.
- Feasibility Study: Drive the transistor-level feasibility studies of RF/mixed-signal circuit blocks and architectures.
- Circuit Design: Design various component blocks inside the RF transceiver including LNA, upconverters/downconverters, baseband filters, VGAs, LO/PLL circuits, Driver amplifiers/power amplifiers, linear RF switches, attenuators, low noise regulators, amplifiers, and biasing circuits.
- Technical Guidance: Provide guidance on RF analog issues across Apple.
- Design Support: Work with customers on new designs including generating engineering drawings of the final product with all needed information to manufacture a quality product.
- Client Collaboration: Work with the salesman on industry needs while creating quality designs, along with choosing the most economical material that meets the customer's requirements.
- Production Support: Assist production with any questions or problems that may occur.
- Drawing Update: Update drawings and ERP program with any changes or revisions made.
- Issue Resolution: Research any customer complaints regarding the products in the field and correct the design and/or process to remedy the issue.
- Process Improvement: Propose any new ideas concerning production and/or the product to increase quality or production.
- Model Update: Update all models and drawings to the current dimensions.
3. Design Engineer Responsibilities
- Material Handling: Work with plastics and metal materials in interior layout and assembly (door trims, body side trim, roof trim, cargo trim, shelf trim, pillar garnish, instrument panel, console, cockpit area)
- Issue Resolution: Bring to closure open items between departments and/or functional groups, keeping cost, weight, performance and the customer’s needs in balance, while ensuring all components meet program timing requirements by use of e-mail and face-to-face discussions
- Task Management: Multi-task components or systems between vehicle lines from current production maintenance, pre-launch and advanced engineering to achieve timely and appropriate closure
- CAD Operation: Daily use of NX CAD system to check the design and engineer component parts to achieve system and vehicle performance targets
- Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate design studio, vehicle development, body metal (BIW), suppliers, tool shops, restraints, wiring, and other design departments to ensure high quality design execution that meets the required functional, packaging and appearance requirements
- Build Support: Support builds in the pilot plant and in the vehicle assembly plant
- Component Design: Design and validation of components and systems for New Product Introduction (NPI) programs
- Product Improvement: Lead and support Continuous Product Improvement (CPI) projects
- Customer Communication: Collaborate and communicate with internal and external customers, suppliers, team members, manufacturing facilities, and other business units
- Review Facilitation: Take part in or lead design reviews with the wider design team
- Product Support: Product maintenance and support
4. Design Engineer Job Summary
- 3D Modeling: Develop detailed 3D CAD models, schematics, and system layouts for both new and existing products to support the development efforts.
- Design Planning: Prepare design specifications and construction schedules for projects.
- Performance Testing: Develop and perform operational or performance tests on the new or existing product.
- Report Writing: Prepare technical reports for use by engineers, the management team or sales personnel.
- Tooling Design: Develop 3D FRP parts and tooling along with detailed lamination schedules in accordance with ISO standards.
- Project Oversight: Work with teams from a variety of specialties to oversee the construction and testing of prototypes while keeping projects on time and budget.
- Design Evaluation: Evaluate how products perform during testing and change designs to meet the goals and standards required for the project.
- Team Coordination: Work daily with multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate the development and implementation of new products and processes.
- Issue Investigation: Regularly investigates system/product weaknesses to continuously improve and prevent further issues.
- Vendor Communication: Work with outside vendors/suppliers to provide feedback for product design, areas of improvement, and testing results.
- Problem Solving: Work daily to solve complex problems and determine the best path, with a strong grasp of root cause analysis.
5. Design Engineer Functions
- Device Development: Design and development of innovative medical devices from sketch to mass production.
- Specification Definition: Development of requirements, specifications and components before verification and validation.
- Product Testing: Prototyping, testing and reporting throughout the product development life cycle to translate the requirements into tested and released products.
- Process Improvement: Overseeing the implementation of product and assembly improvements both in-house and at external partners.
- GMP Compliance: Executing necessary GMP process validations as well as other quality system documentation requirements.
- Stakeholder Communication: Communicating clearly and efficiently with management, peers and external stakeholders.
- Technical Awareness: Keeping current with relevant scientific and technical developments within the field of diabetes care.
- Quality Assurance: Ensuring all work is undertaken in accordance with the approved Quality Processes.
- Packaging Development: Partner with internal teams to develop packaging ideas and future technologies to deliver to F&R brand / R+D future ambitions.
- Engineering Tools: Use engineering tools CAE/CAD, digital simulation/prototyping tools to develop and validate ideas, taking them from design concept to production-ready with rigour.
- Design Analysis: Design of experiments and CAE technical analysis to create design rules for product formats such as pouches and future packaging materials, whilst using engineering processes and skillsets to fault find and problem solve.
- Format Engineering: Lead the engineering of consumer-facing packaging & product format,s considering aesthetics, functionality, and mass manufacturing constraints.
- Innovation Support: Work closely with creative and technical partners to help push boundaries and land new innovations.
6. Design Engineer Job Description
- Drawing Interpretation: In-depth understanding, reading standard Piping Isometric, piping layout and piping GA
- CAD Execution: Carry out CAD-related activities per design/project requirements
- Document Completion: Finish the Engineering document per project request.
- Quality Assurance: Accountable for quality & accuracy within budgeted time & schedule.
- Design Feasibility: Design feasibility based on project requirements.
- Team Support: Support team leader for assigned activities to meet project requirements.
- Tool Application: Learn and implement internal tools i.e. Proman, Bluebeam, TcPro, TracerLynx.
- Procedure Compliance: Follow all procedures & formats
- Standard Adherence: Follow Electrical Heat Tracing Standard work.
- System Development: Design, develop, deploy, and maintain a distributed software and hardware system for online serving of hardware-accelerated deep learning models.
- Component Development: Develop custom implementations of deep learning system components including hardware, compiler, firmware, quantization, and fine-tuning.
7. Design Engineer Overview
- Client Liaison: Liaising with clients to understand product requirements and advising accordingly
- Prototype Testing: Test the feasibility of prototypes and design and manufacture for the client to test, working closely with the manufacturing department
- Tooling Construction: Build tooling for test and production
- Documentation Creation: Creating documentation such as Specifications, Technical Reports, Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) and SOP's
- Material Sourcing: Ensuring materials can be sourced and are to the correct quality and specification by liaising with procurement/suppliers
- BoM Preparation: Preparing BoM's and instructions for production
- Drawing Creation: Create engineering drawings to BS 8888 standard
- Production Support: Support production on the build for customer orders
- System Reliability: Deploy and maintain systems to meet significant reliability and service level requirements.
- Team Collaboration: Work in a team of hardware and software engineers to deploy working systems to a very large user base.
- Cross-Group Coordination: Collaborate closely with other product groups, including Office and Az
8. Design Engineer Tasks
- Solution Design: Responsible for SDM solution designing, HLD and LLD writing and updates in a fully virtualized Cloud native Volte/5G network
- MOP Management: MOP creation and updating the MOPs for SDM Network Elements Integration and upgrade
- Network Integration: Responsible for the Integration and upgrade of SDM NE’s in Cloud environment and with other NE’s like STP, DRA, IMS NE’s
- Requirement Handling: Responsible for handling customer’s requirement and align the requirements in the design
- Test Planning: Design E2E test plans for complex solutions based on an understanding of the requirements of SIP/IMS/DIAMETER/LDAP/MAP/SOAP
- Trace Analysis: Call trace analysis for SIP, IMS, DIAMETER, LDAP and MAP
- Team Collaboration: Collaborate closely with other cross-domain team members
- Equipment Design: Design of feedblocks, dies and other misc melt processing equipment from initial concept through plant commissioning, working closely with product teams, fabrication, process engineers and plant personnel
- Equipment Support: Provide specialized equipment to support the development of new film products
- Technology Deployment: Develop and deploy new technologies to advance film manufacturing capabilities
- Project Management: Manage project schedules and budgets
- Infrastructure Support: Assist in troubleshooting and support of the existing manufacturing infrastructure
9. Design Engineer Roles
- Technical Documentation: Generation and compilation of technical information, documentation and production manufacturing aids in accordance with current working practices to support manufacture in the production environment
- Pattern Design: Product pattern design using CAM Software
- Design Documentation: Preparation and updating of design documentation
- Drawing Review: Check detailed sectional drawing and general assembly drawings
- Process Adherence: Work to the design process flow and adhere to related company procedures
- Change Control: Ability to facilitate and carry out change control on existing products
- Manufacturing Support: Provide technical manufacturing support to all departments within the company
- Task Execution: Organize, plan, carry out and document allocated production support tasks in order to achieve targets within agreed production timescales
- Drawing Creation: Work closely with the engineers to create drawings for product designs, producing accurate working 2D drawings and 3D models
- Document Control: Responsible for document control and the SAP basic data application
- Certification Management: Responsible for the high-tech and new technology enterprises's certificates as well as patent applications and government project applications
- Audit Coordination: Coordinate the engineering department quality audit
- CAMDS Management: Responsible for CAMDS in the engineering department
10. Design Engineer Additional Details
- Team Leadership: Lead and work alongside the other engineers and the manufacturing team to design new products or upgrades to existing equipment
- Customer Focus: Listen to the voice of the customer and design commercially viable solutions or equipment
- Cross-Functional Communication: Confer with management, production, and other departments to discuss project specifications and procedures
- Project Coordination: Coordinate and direct projects, making detailed plans to accomplish goals while owning the process, including Timeline, Resource Requirements, Cost estimates to bring to market and Stage Gate mindset
- Component Design: Design new components and see them through from fabrication tothe assembly process
- Product Development: Continued development on new products
- Drawing Management: Maintain 3-D assemblies and communicate the design/assembly through 2-D drawings
- Equipment Testing: Test equipment before delivery to the Customer
- Launch Preparation: Work with marketing to ensure materials are ready for launch
- Market Strategy: Work with Sales leadership to develop “go to market” strategy