Lead Deco & Pattern Engineer

JOB LOCATION: Suzhou or Shenzhen, China

ABOUT US:

SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company behind the trusted Shark and Ninja brands. With a track record of disruptive innovation and 5-star rated lifestyle solutions, we’ve expanded into multiple categories, driving strong growth and market share. Our purpose is to positively impact people’s lives in every home, every day.

We’re passionate about delivering high-quality, innovative products and exceptional user experiences. We’re seeking creative thinkers who push boundaries and want to help shape the future of product experiences.

OVERVIEW:

As a Lead Pattern & Film Engineer at SharkNinja, you will be the technical owner for turning pattern design into a manufacturable part. You will release production-ready artwork for 3D parts, define the film and print stack (film, ink layers, adhesive, top coat), set the technical specifications and tolerances, and lead problem solving for pattern and film failures, from technology kickoff through mass production.

Reporting & Collaboration: CMF Technical Director (direct or matrix reporting); partners with CMF Design, ID, Mechanical, Materials & Tooling Engineer, NPI, SQE, Quality, Manufacturing Engineer, Supply Chain and supplier process teams.

Boundary with CMF: The Engineer owns film/print stack architecture, technical specifications and tolerances, artwork release for production, and process RCA. CMF owns pattern design intent, color/effect standards, boundary samples and final appearance approval. Performance gates and problem solving (DQTP) are confirmed jointly.

Here are some of the EXCITING things you’ll get to do:

You’ll directly lead specification and problem solving on high-impact CMF innovation and R&D projects in decoration and pattern. You’ll bring new printing, transfer, and film techniques to mass production; decide how a 2D design wraps onto a 3D part, how the film and print stack is built, and how much variation is acceptable, then solve the problems that appear when new pattern technologies meet real tooling and real factories. You’ll also help build a qualified supplier base around them.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Key Responsibilities

• Turn patent design intent into manufacturing-ready artwork (3D wrap and distortion maps, pre-compensation, repeat/seam handling, registration features, primary-view/edge-zone standards), then validate and release it on tooling and trial samples.
• Define the film and print stack (film substrate, ink layers, adhesive, top coat) and select the decoration technology (e.g., IML/IMR/IMD, water or vacuum transfer, UV-cure, decorative film), co-defining mechanical, material and chemistry properties with Mechanical, Material and Chemical Engineers.
• Define technical specifications and tolerances (registration, density and coverage, color and gloss, defect acceptance, evaluation zones, performance limits for high-strain areas) and translate them into drawings, standards and boundary samples with CMF.
• Set the process window and run appearance-and-performance design of experiments to prove process capability; lead root cause analysis by failure interface for pattern and film failures (distortion, misregistration, density drift, cracking, delamination, wear, discoloration) and verify corrective actions.
• Qualify suppliers and new pattern technologies: define first-article and production controls, run Golden Sample and cross-factory replication, and build the supplier pool for new CMF technologies.
• Report out findings and recommendations (DOE, RCA/8D, tolerance proposals, go/no-go calls) in concise, data-driven technical formats for CMF, NPI, PMO, SQE, supplier and leadership audiences.

Key Deliverables

• Artwork release and distortion validation
• Film/print stack definition and material specification
• Technical specification and tolerance standard
• Appearance-and-performance design of experiments report
• Pattern/film failure analysis and Eight Disciplines report
• First-article standard, Golden Sample and production control plan

Suggested KPIs

• First-pass pattern approval rate
• First-pass reliability test rate
• On-time closure rate of major pattern/film issues
• Number of artwork-compensation iterations
• Golden Sample replication consistency
• Cross-factory transfer success rate
• Production decoration/performance escape rate

ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree or above in materials, polymers, printing or packaging, mechanical or industrial engineering, or a related field; Master’s preferred.
• 8 years of experience in pattern, printing or film decoration process development and mass production, ideally in consumer electronics, automotive or premium consumer-goods surface finishing.
• Strong knowledge of printing and transfer processes, film forming and thermoforming, color sequence, dot/coverage, registration, artwork compensation for curved and stretched surfaces, and interlayer adhesion.
• Skilled in artwork and 3D tools (e.g., Illustrator, Photoshop, 3D computer-aided design) and in tolerance and capability methods (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, tolerance stack-up, Process Capability Index).
• Able to design experiments, interpret data independently and run root cause analysis by failure interface using relevant reliability test standards.
• Proven record of taking a pattern or film technology from 2D design to mass production and closing issues at multiple supplier sites.
• Able to translate design intent into quantitative specifications, distill complex test data into concise, clear findings and recommendations, and push back with data when design and manufacturability conflict.
• Preferred: fluency in English and Mandarin (written and spoken) for effective collaboration with global teams and local suppliers.