Prototyping Engineer at Tomra

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Prototyping Engineer

Company: Tomra

Location: Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Engineering - Prototyping

Date Posted: 2025-06-16T13:45:00.661

Experience Level: 1-5 years

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

Lead the full lifecycle of prototype machine development, from initial concept validation to final testing and documentation.
Bridge the gap between design concepts and tangible hardware, contributing hands-on expertise in mechanical and electrical systems.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional development teams to innovate and refine sorting and inspection technologies.
Ensure prototypes meet safety, quality, and performance standards through rigorous testing and documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Prototyping Engineer," the description indicates a strong emphasis on the physical build, testing, and validation phases, complementing the core design work done by other teams. The role acts as a crucial link in bringing design concepts to life and preparing them for production.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Design, specify, and fabricate test equipment and data acquisition systems essential for validating prototype performance.
Perform hands-on assembly of prototypes, ranging from proof-of-concept setups to near-production ready machines, ensuring precision and adherence to design specifications.
Manage warehouse activities related to prototype building, including parts tracking, inventory management, and logistics to support project timelines.
Collaborate with development teams to quote, order, and track parts through the established ordering process, mitigating delays and ensuring timely delivery.
Install and test new sorting and inspection machines both in-house and at initial customer sites, providing critical feedback for refinement.
Execute optical alignment and calibration procedures for sorter and inspection systems, ensuring optimal performance and accuracy.
Conduct setup and testing of all mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic subsystems to validate functionality and integration.
Perform acceptance run tests and document results meticulously to ensure consistent compliance with design requirements and performance metrics.
Implement quality assurance checks on all hardware components and assembled prototypes before shipment to internal or external stakeholders.
Analyze, interpret, and document test results comprehensively, providing data-driven insights for design iterations and validation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on technical work, project management related to parts and assembly, and rigorous testing/documentation. This role is critical for translating theoretical designs into functional, testable hardware prototypes, requiring strong mechanical aptitude and meticulous attention to detail.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering is required, providing a foundational understanding of mechanical systems, automation, and potentially integrated electrical components.

Experience: 1–5 years of relevant mechanical engineering experience is necessary. Industry exposure is beneficial, indicating a preference for candidates who have applied their skills in real-world manufacturing or R&D environments, particularly within the food processing or automation sectors. A strong portfolio demonstrating practical project experience, especially involving hands-on prototyping and testing, would be highly valuable.

Required Skills:

Mechanical Engineering: Strong understanding of mechanical principles, machine design, and component selection.
Mechatronics: Ability to integrate mechanical, electrical, and software systems for complex machine functionality.
Troubleshooting: Effective skills in identifying and resolving technical issues in mechanical, electrical, and potentially optical systems.
Prototyping: Hands-on experience in building, assembling, and testing physical prototypes.
Documentation: Ability to create clear and accurate technical documentation, including test reports and assembly procedures.

Preferred Skills:

CAD Modeling (Solidworks): Proficiency in Solidworks or similar CAD software for design review and potential minor modifications.
Electrical/Electronics/Optical Aptitude: Basic understanding or willingness to learn about electrical wiring, electronic components, and optical systems relevant to sorting machines.
Parts Ordering and Tracking: Experience with procurement processes and managing component inventory for projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a Mechanical or Mechatronics background strongly suggests the core of the role involves physical machine development. While design skills (like CAD) are beneficial, the primary focus is on the practical aspects of bringing designs to life and validating them. The preferred skills highlight areas where candidates can add extra value, particularly in related engineering disciplines.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Include case studies or project descriptions showcasing your involvement in the full lifecycle of a physical prototype, from concept realization to testing.
Demonstrate your hands-on assembly and fabrication skills through project examples with accompanying visuals of the physical prototypes.
Highlight projects where you designed or built test fixtures and data acquisition systems, explaining their purpose and impact on validation.
Showcase your ability to document the prototyping process, including assembly steps, test procedures, and results.

Process Documentation:

Document the research and discovery phase where you identified prototyping needs and potential solutions for a given concept.
Detail your ideation and iteration methods, explaining how you approached the physical build and made adjustments based on early testing.
Describe your validation and testing approaches, including the test setups used, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the prototype performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this engineering role with a prototyping focus, the "portfolio" should function more as a project showcase. The emphasis is on demonstrating practical skills in building, testing, and documenting physical systems, rather than purely visual design outcomes. Case studies should detail the engineering challenges and your hands-on solutions.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: NZD $70,000 - $95,000 per year. This estimate is based on typical salary ranges for Prototyping Engineers or Mechanical Engineers with 1-5 years of experience in Auckland, New Zealand. Factors influencing the exact salary include specific experience, technical skills (especially in Solidworks or related areas), and demonstrated ability in the required hands-on tasks. Data sources include publicly available salary data for engineering roles in New Zealand and cost of living adjustments for Auckland.

Benefits:

Birthday Leave: An extra day off to celebrate your birthday.
Onsite Car Parking: Convenient parking available at the work location.
Professional Training and Development: Opportunities and support for continuous learning and skill enhancement relevant to engineering and prototyping.
Kiwisaver Employer Contribution: Employer contributions to your Kiwisaver retirement savings plan, paid on top of your base salary.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week. The role may require flexibility and willingness to work overtime, particularly during critical prototyping phases or on-site installations. The nature of prototyping and testing may involve periods of intense activity to meet project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on available data for similar engineering roles in the Auckland area, scaled for the 1-5 years of experience requirement. The benefits package appears standard for New Zealand, with birthday leave being a nice additional perk. The note about potential overtime is crucial for candidates to understand the demands of a prototyping role.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Automation Machinery Manufacturing, specifically focused on sensor-based sorting, peeling, and post-harvest solutions for the food industry. This places the company at the intersection of advanced engineering, technology, and the critical global need for food safety and waste reduction.

Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees globally (based on LinkedIn data). This indicates a substantial, established company with potentially structured processes but also room for innovation within specialized teams.

Founded: 1972. Founded on innovation with reverse vending machines, demonstrating a long history of technological development and adaptation.

Team Structure:

The Prototyping Engineer role complements the design team, suggesting a collaborative structure where design concepts are handed off for physical realization and testing.
Likely works within a dedicated R&D or Engineering team focused on new product development and innovation.
Requires close collaboration with other development teams (likely mechanical design, electrical engineering, software) and potentially operations and service teams for industrialization and support.

Methodology:

Likely employs iterative development processes, given the focus on rapid prototyping and testing.
Emphasizes a "Safety first" culture, which will influence all aspects of prototype design, assembly, and testing.
Values innovation, passion, and responsibility, suggesting a culture that encourages technical exploration and problem-solving.

Company Website: https://www.tomra.com/en/food

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's industry and history suggest a strong engineering-driven culture focused on practical, impactful technological solutions. The team structure implies a clear division of labor between theoretical design and physical prototyping/validation, requiring strong handoff and collaboration skills from the Prototyping Engineer. The "Safety first" culture is a key consideration for anyone working with machinery prototypes.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role aligns with an Engineer level, likely junior to mid-level, given the 1-5 years of experience requirement. The focus is on executing the prototyping process and providing technical feedback rather than leading design strategy or team management.

Reporting Structure: Likely reports to an Engineering Manager or R&D Manager within the product development or engineering department.

Design Impact: This role has a direct and significant impact on the realization and validation of new product designs. By building and testing prototypes, the Prototyping Engineer provides crucial feedback that informs design iterations and ensures the feasibility and performance of new machines before they enter production.

Growth Opportunities:

Advancement within the engineering track to Senior Prototyping Engineer or a related engineering discipline role (e.g., Test Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer) with increased responsibility and complexity of projects.
Specialization in specific areas like advanced testing methodologies, data acquisition systems, or particular mechanical/electrical subsystems.
Potential to move into a design-focused role (e.g., Mechanical Designer) if CAD and design skills are further developed and demonstrated.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career path for this role is strongly rooted in engineering and technical expertise. Growth would likely involve taking on more complex prototyping projects, mentoring junior team members, or specializing in a critical technical area. Transitioning into a pure design role would require demonstrating proficiency in CAD and design principles beyond just prototyping.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Primarily an office environment (minimum 4 days a week) with significant time spent in a Development Centre/workshop for hands-on prototyping and assembly. Also involves travel to food processing plants, farms, and cold storage facilities for on-site testing and support.

Office Location(s): 4 Henderson Place, Onehunga, Auckland 1061, New Zealand. This indicates a specific physical location in Auckland.

Design Workspace Context:

The Development Centre is the key workspace for this role, providing the necessary tools, equipment, and space for physical prototyping and assembly.
Collaboration spaces are likely available for interacting with other engineering and design teams during project discussions and design reviews.
The work environment requires comfort and capability in both a conventional office setting for documentation and planning, and a hands-on workshop/field environment for building and testing.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a minimum of 4 days per week in the office/Development Centre. Willingness and ability to work overtime is required. The role involves significant travel (up to 70%), meaning time spent away from the primary office location will be substantial.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is distinctly not a typical office-bound design position. The significant travel and time spent in a workshop/field environment are defining characteristics. Candidates must be comfortable with a hands-on, physically demanding role that involves working in varied conditions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial screening interview focusing on your resume, experience, and fit for the hands-on nature of the role. Be prepared to discuss your relevant project experience in detail.
Technical interview(s) assessing your mechanical and potentially electrical/mechatronics knowledge, troubleshooting skills, and understanding of prototyping principles.
Discussion of your project portfolio, focusing on the engineering challenges, your approach to building and testing, and the outcomes. Be ready to explain your process documentation.
Interview(s) with the hiring manager and potentially team members to assess cultural fit, collaboration skills, and ability to work effectively in a fast-paced R&D environment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Structure your project case studies to clearly outline the problem, your role, the technical challenges encountered, the prototyping process (including build steps and materials), the testing conducted, and the results/feedback provided.
Include clear photographs or videos of the physical prototypes you built, highlighting key components and assembly details.
Quantify results where possible, such as improvements in performance or efficiency demonstrated through testing.
Be prepared to discuss the engineering decisions you made during the prototyping process and your rationale.

Challenge Preparation:

Be ready for potential technical questions related to mechanical design, materials, assembly techniques, and basic electrical principles.
Prepare to discuss how you would approach a hypothetical prototyping challenge, outlining your steps from understanding the requirements to building and testing the solution.
Practice explaining your problem-solving process and how you troubleshoot technical issues effectively under pressure.

ATS Keywords: Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Prototyping, Test Equipment, Data Acquisition, Assembly, Fabrication, BOM, Parts Ordering, Warehouse Operations, Testing, Validation, Documentation, Quality Assurance, Solidworks, CAD, Electrical, Electronics, Optical, Troubleshooting, Manufacturing, R&D, Automation, Machine Design, Technical Drawing, Mechanical Assembly, Electrical Assembly, Pneumatics, Hydraulics, Sensor Systems, Calibration, Industrialization, Field Testing, Technical Support, Collaboration, Communication, Problem Solving, Attention to Detail, Hands-on, Physical Prototyping, Test Stands, Component Tracking, Supplier Communication, Technical Reporting, Safety Culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily focus on practical engineering skills and hands-on experience, as demonstrated through your project portfolio. Technical questions and potentially a practical exercise or discussion of a hypothetical challenge are likely. Emphasizing your ability to build, test, and troubleshoot physical systems is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Solidworks: Preferred CAD software for reviewing designs and potentially making minor modifications for prototyping purposes. Proficiency or familiarity is beneficial.
General workshop tools and equipment: Essential for physical fabrication, assembly, and modification of prototype components.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Likely uses standard communication and project management tools for collaborating with engineering teams and tracking project progress.
Experience with systems for Bill of Materials (BOM) creation and management is implied by the responsibility for parts ordering and tracking.

Research & Testing:

Data acquisition systems: Tools and software for collecting and analyzing performance data during prototype testing.
Test equipment: Various instruments and setups for validating mechanical, electrical, and optical performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack for this role is centered around physical prototyping and testing. While familiarity with CAD is helpful for understanding designs, the core tools are those used in a workshop or lab environment for building and validating hardware. Experience with data acquisition and test equipment is crucial for performance analysis.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

Innovation: Encouragement to explore new concepts and take calculated risks to achieve breakthroughs in sorting and inspection technology.
Passion: Commitment and focus on achieving project success through dedicated effort and enthusiasm for the work.
Responsibility: Prioritizing safety and care for customers, products, and colleagues in all aspects of the prototyping process.
Safety First: A strong emphasis on maintaining a safe working environment and ensuring the safety of prototypes during development and testing.

Collaboration Style:

Close collaboration with other development teams (design, electrical, software) is essential for translating concepts into physical prototypes and providing feedback.
Requires effective communication and teamwork to manage parts ordering, tracking, and assembly processes.
Likely involves regular technical discussions and reviews within the engineering team to troubleshoot issues and refine prototype designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values highlight a blend of technical drive (innovation), commitment (passion), and ethical practice (responsibility, safety). The collaborative style is critical, as this role serves as a bridge between different engineering disciplines, requiring strong interpersonal and communication skills in addition to technical expertise.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Translating complex theoretical designs into functional physical prototypes within tight timelines and budget constraints.
Troubleshooting unexpected mechanical, electrical, or integration issues that arise during assembly and testing.
Adapting prototyping methods to suit different project needs, from rapid proof-of-concept builds to more refined pre-production units.
Working effectively in varied environments, including the workshop, office, and potentially demanding conditions at customer sites.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Gain hands-on experience with a wide range of mechanical, electrical, and potentially optical systems used in advanced sorting machinery.
Develop expertise in designing and utilizing specialized test equipment and data acquisition systems for performance validation.
Enhance project management skills related to parts procurement, inventory, and tracking for complex prototyping projects.
Opportunities to travel internationally and work directly with customers and other TOMRA sites, expanding technical and cultural exposure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges in this role are primarily technical and logistical, centered around the practical difficulties of physical prototyping and testing. The growth opportunities lie in deepening technical expertise across multiple engineering disciplines and gaining valuable experience in bringing complex machines from concept to reality, including field deployment aspects.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Describe a time you were involved in taking a design concept and building a physical prototype. What were the key steps you followed? (Prepare specific examples from your projects, detailing your hands-on involvement).
How do you approach troubleshooting mechanical or electrical issues that arise during prototype assembly or testing? (Explain your systematic approach to diagnosis and resolution).
Explain your experience with creating test setups and collecting data to validate prototype performance. (Discuss specific examples of test equipment you've used or built and the type of data gathered).

Company Culture Questions:

Given TOMRA's values of innovation, passion, and responsibility, how do you see yourself contributing to this culture in a prototyping role? (Connect your personal values and work style to the company's stated values).
Describe your experience working collaboratively with other engineering disciplines (e.g., mechanical design, electrical engineers, software developers). How do you ensure effective communication and handoff? (Provide examples of successful cross-functional collaboration).
How do you prioritize safety in your work, particularly when building and testing machinery prototypes? (Discuss your awareness of safety protocols and how you integrate them into your workflow).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Focus on 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your hands-on prototyping, assembly, testing, and documentation skills.
For each project, clearly articulate the problem, the design concept you were working with, your specific contributions to the physical build, the technical challenges you overcame, and the testing you performed.
Use visuals (photos, videos, simple diagrams) effectively to illustrate the physical prototypes and test setups.
Be prepared to discuss the Bill of Materials (BOM), parts sourcing, and assembly processes for your projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should heavily focus on demonstrating practical engineering skills and experience through concrete project examples. Be ready to discuss the technical details of your work, your problem-solving approach, and how you collaborate effectively in an engineering team, particularly in a hands-on, prototyping context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link.
Prepare a resume that highlights your relevant mechanical or mechatronics engineering experience, focusing on hands-on prototyping, assembly, testing, and troubleshooting skills. Use keywords from the ATS list provided.
Curate a project portfolio (or a section of your portfolio) specifically showcasing your experience with building and validating physical prototypes. Include detailed case studies with process documentation and visuals.
Research TOMRA Food's products and the food processing industry to understand the context of their machinery and the importance of reliable prototyping.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and design industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Prototyping Engineer