VAVE Engineer II

Hayward Holdings Inc. (NYSE "HAYW") is the largest manufacturer of residential swimming pool equipment in the world, with a significant presence in the commercial pool market that is continuously growing. Hayward designs, manufactures, and markets a full line of residential and commercial pool and spa equipment including pumps, filters, heating, cleaners, salt chlorinators, automation, lighting, safety, flow control and energy solutions at our company owned facilities. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hayward also has facilities in Tennessee, Arizona, and Rhode Island as well as Canada, Spain, France, Australia, and China.  This role is based in Clemmons, NC.  

The Product VA/VE Engineer is responsible for driving cost-reduction initiatives, improving product reliability, and enhancing manufacturing efficiency across Hayward’s existing product lines. This role serves as the primary point of contact for Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) projects, working closely with Warranty, Reliability, Product Engineering, and Manufacturing Engineering teams to optimize designs and improve overall product performance.

Product Optimization & Cost Reduction

• Lead design revisions, modifications, and optimizations to enhance product performance, cost efficiency, and manufacturability.
• Troubleshoot vendor and production challenges to ensure conformance to product designs and specifications.
• Identify and implement cost-reduction initiatives while maintaining quality and reliability.
• Work with Quality and Manufacturing teams to improve manufacturability and resolve production challenges.

Engineering & Design Support

• Collaborate with CAD Designers, Lab Technicians, and engineers to support product maintenance activities.
• Participate in CAD modeling, detailed design drawings, test requests, and hands-on product testing.
• Review and evaluate vendor drawings, specification control drawings, and industry standards.
• Prepare technical documentation, including qualification test procedures, DFMEAs, and installation manuals.
• Ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards (UL, ETL, IAPMO, NSF, etc.).

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Process Improvement

• Work closely with Product Management, Supply Chain, Quality, and Manufacturing to implement VA/VE strategies.
• Provide project status updates and presentations to management, highlighting key milestones and challenges.
• Participate in engineering design review meetings and contribute to problem-solving discussions.
• Identify opportunities to enhance product assembly, quality, costing, and BOM structures.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 2-4 years of experience in product design, sustaining engineering, or value engineering.

Technical Skills

• Experience with 3D solid modeling CAD software (SolidWorks preferred).
• Strong knowledge of geometric tolerances, design for assembly, and failure mode analysis (FMEA).
• Experience in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a plus.
• Knowledge of Design for Reliability (DfR) methodologies.
• Understanding of injection-molded and blow-molded plastics is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project.
• Experience with project management is a plus.

Soft Skills & Additional Requirements

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with safety and regulatory standards (UL, ETL, IAPMO, NSF, etc.).
• Ability to travel up to 10% as needed.

Why Join Hayward?

At Hayward, we Care, Respect, Lead, and Grow—values that drive our commitment to excellence and innovation. If you are a passionate mechanical engineer looking to make an impact in value engineering and product optimization, we encourage you to apply!

#LI-EP1