Product Design Engineer Needed — Lacrosse-Style Dog Ball Launcher

Monster K9 Dog Toys is developing a lacrosse-style ball launcher for dogs and needs an experienced product design/mechanical engineer to take the concept through production-ready CAD. The focus of this project is on the head of the lacrosse stick. This will be an entirely new type of lacrosse stick design that replaces typical netting with a single, all-plastic head that works better for dog toys. The shaft and other parts of the design will use standard parts, and we have sourcing already in place. (While sourcing is in place, we will still consider additional options if you have experience in this area and connections to share.) We have not yet secured a manufacturing partner for the head of the stick. The design will use: * One-piece molded plastic head with no netting or moving parts (typical lacrosse netting is replaced by a single plastic unibody head) * Aluminum shaft with a simple, durable head connection * Approximately 7" scoop ID and 4.5" throat ID (we may prototype different sizes and experiment to determine the best fit) * Compatibility with multiple ball sizes. Most will be 2.5-3 inches. Some will be 3-4”. A few will be up to 5.5”. Ideally, we optimize for the most common sizes, but design it so that it still functions at the outlier sizes as well (they may just sit higher towards the scoop) * Simple, lightweight, durable, easy-to-clean construction * Geometry optimized for ground pickup, ball retention, and consistent release Scope: * Refine the product architecture and dimensions through concept work * Create functional CAD and manufacturing drawings * Select appropriate materials and wall/rib geometry * Design the head for injection molding and the shaft connection for assembly with standard aluminum lacrosse shafts * Create a design that is not only highly functional but also aesthetic and on-brand for our products (the design should read sleek but tough — high performance sporting goods products for large and high energy dogs) * Revise the design based on physical testing if needed * Deliver final production-ready files for manufacturer quoting and tooling * Max landed cost: $10-12 (including shaft and assembly); max allowable cost for the head under $3-5 each. We are looking for someone with experience in injection-molded consumer products, sporting goods, launchers, or similar mechanical products. Strong DFM knowledge is required. Please include relevant work samples, your proposed process, estimated timeline, etc. *Note: The entire concept is open to improvements or changes if you have better ideas to improve the design in any way.