Gavitt Wire and Cable Co., LLC. is seeking a Product Design Engineer to move customer requirements into qualified, production-ready wire and cable designs. In this onsite role in West Brookfield, MA, you will shape cable constructions, specifications, and bills of materials while partnering with customers, manufacturing, quality, and testing to support certification and compliance.
This position focuses on end-to-end engineering work, from concept and standard-driven design through qualification testing, prototype evaluation, and the technical handoff to production teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Design new wire and cable constructions including conductor, insulation, shielding, armor, fillers, and jacket to meet electrical, mechanical, thermal, and environmental requirements.
- Select conductor materials, stranding and sizes (AWG/kcmil or mm²), and specify insulation and jacket compounds such as PVC, XLPE, PE, TPE, EPR, LSZH, and fluoropolymers.
- Calculate important cable parameters including ampacity, voltage drop, conductor resistance, capacitance, impedance, insulation resistance, outer diameter, weight, and bend radius.
- Create and maintain cable drawings, product specifications, data sheets, and bills of materials using CAD and cable design software.
- Modify existing products to achieve cost reduction, performance improvement, or material substitution.
- Review customer specifications and RFQs, proposing designs that meet requirements and identifying exceptions.
- Provide material and cost estimates to Sales for quotations.
- Serve as a technical contact for customers related to product selection, application questions, and complaints.
- Design to applicable standards including UL (1581, 758), CSA, NEC, ICEA/NEMA, ASTM, IEC, and MIL-spec where relevant.
- Plan and run qualification testing, including electrical, flame testing (for example UL 1685, FT4, VW-1), aging, cold bend, crush, and impact.
- Manage UL/CSA listings, file updates, and third-party agency inspections.
- Support material compliance declarations including RoHS and REACH and other requirements as needed.
- Hand off new designs to production with clear process parameters for drawing, stranding, extrusion, cabling, shielding, armoring, and jacketing.
- Run and evaluate prototype and first-article trials on the plant floor.
- Resolve design-related production and quality issues using root-cause tools such as 8D, 5 Why, and fishbone.
- Contribute to DFMEA, PPAP, and engineering change processes.
- Evaluate and qualify new compounds, conductors, tapes, and yarns with Purchasing and suppliers.
- Track material cost and availability, and recommend alternates to manage price changes for copper, aluminum, and compound.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Materials, Polymer, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
- 3+ years of product design or engineering experience in wire and cable, or a closely related industry (electrical components, wire harness, polymer extrusion).
- Working knowledge of cable construction plus conductor, insulation, and jacketing materials.
- Familiarity with UL, CSA, NEC, ICEA, and ASTM standards and agency certification processes.
- Ability to read and write technical specifications and engineering drawings.
- Clear written and verbal communication with customers and cross-functional teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- 5+ years of wire and cable design experience.
- Hands-on experience with extrusion, stranding, cabling, and shielding processes and equipment.
- Experience with cable design software and ERP/PLM systems.
- Knowledge of IEC and international standards, MIL-spec, or industry-specific requirements (automotive, aerospace, energy, data center, industrial automation).
- Experience with polymer compounding and material testing.
- Lean manufacturing experience.
Technologies
- CAD and cable design software
- ERP/PLM systems
- UL 1685, FT4, VW-1
- RoHS and REACH
Working Conditions
- Split between office and manufacturing floor; plant time may include noise, heat from extrusion lines, and moving equipment.
- Required PPE on the floor: safety glasses, hearing protection, and safety footwear.
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and lift up to 50 lb (reels, samples, test fixtures).
Compensation and Benefits
Pay: $85,000 - $120,000 per year.
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person, West Brookfield, MA.
