Product Design Engineer – Safety​/Rescue

STATUS:
Exempt, Full-time Join the Harken Team:
Innovating for Over 50 Years

Harken, Inc. is a global leader in innovative solutions for the marine and safety industries. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, with manufacturing facilities in the USA and Italy, we take pride in our world-class engineering, craftsmanship, and dedication to excellence.

Our global footprint spans 48 countries, supported by group offices in exciting locations like Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the UK, and across the United States—from Rhode Island to Washington.

For over half a century, Harken's Marine Division has set the industry standard for pulley blocks, deck hardware, winches, and hydraulics, serving sailboats ranging from 8 to over 300 feet. Building on this strong foundation, Harken is charting new courses with our Safety and Rescue Division, unlocking opportunities for innovation and growth.

What truly sets Harken apart is our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and the unique culture of ownership it fosters. Every team member is empowered to think and act like an owner, driving a workplace culture built on drive, humility, ingenuity, integrity, and ownership. At Harken, you’re not just an employee—you’re a valued stakeholder in our future.

At Harken, our work is guided by five core values:

• Drive – Taking initiative, setting ambitious goals, and pursuing excellence
• Humility – Welcoming feedback, learning from others, and prioritizing team success
• Ingenuity – Solving complex problems with practical, elegant solutions
• Integrity – Delivering honest work and upholding the highest standards
• Ownership – Taking pride in our products, our people, and our future

You want more than just a career. A place to learn, grow, and thrive in a team environment. A place to collaborate and innovate. What is it like to work here? It's assumed we're more than competent. We're paid to be curious, inventive, and are responsible for outstanding execution. We are not afraid to push our boundaries and accept new challenges.

If you are interested in working hard, delivering excellence, and having fun every day, we want you!

You’ll be a key member of our Safety & Rescue product design team, engineering hardware and systems where performance, durability, and reliability are mission-critical. In this role, you will design life-safety equipment used in fall protection, rope access, confined space, and technical rescue applications—products trusted by industrial professionals, first responders, and rescue teams operating in high-risk environments. You will help bring life-safety systems from early concept development and detailed modeling to hands‑on prototyping, testing, and refinement.

You will help shape products that deliver uncompromising safety, durability, and performance. More specifically, you will:

• Turn concepts into real‑world solutions, creating 3D models, detailed drawings, and BOMs that set the foundation for world‑class products
• Design for real‑world impact, engineering components and systems trusted in critical safety and rescue operations where reliability is essential.
• Take full ownership of the development cycle, building, testing, and refining your designs to push performance, safety, and durability to the next level
• Solve complex engineering challenges through structural analysis, tolerance studies, material selection, and creative problem‑solving
• Collaborate across disciplines
  , working closely with machinists, manufacturing, purchasing, and sales to deliver innovative, manufacturable, and cost‑effective solutions

• 3–5 years of experience in product design, mechanical design, or a related engineering role
• Bachelor level degree in Mechanical Engineering or related degree
• Proficiency in solid modelling and 2D drawing creation (Solid Works preferred)
• Good grasp of manufacturing processes and DFM
• Excellent problem‑solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize multiple assignments to meet deadline and goals
• Team player able to interact in a positive, constructive manner with staff members on all levels within the company

• Experience designing safety‑critical or load‑bearing hardware for fall protection, rope access, rescue, or industrial applications.
• Background in rope access, climbing, rescue, rigging, or other technical disciplines that provide user perspective and application insight.
• Confidence working directly with tools and hardware
• Experience performing FEA or other engineering analyses

If Harken and this role sound like a fit for you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every “even better” qualification listed above.

Candidates will need to provide a cover letter and resume with salary requirements.

Harken is an equal opportunity employer.