A day in the life You start by translating a rough concept into a production-ready mechanical design. You open your preferred CAD platform (SolidWorks, CATIA, or Inventor—Inventor preferred) and model assemblies with the manufacturability details already in mind. You prep for a design review, tightening up documentation so quality and repeatability are never in doubt. By midday, you're on the shop floor building and testing a prototype you designed—sometimes even taking it into the field to validate performance under real constraints. You run analyses (finite element analysis, fatigue, and motion studies) to back up your design choices and adjust parameters accordingly. In the afternoon, you sync with customers, controls engineers, and manufacturing partners to ensure requirements align with reality. You apply APQP principles, craft validation plans, and use FMEA to anticipate failure modes. When something breaks, you own the root-cause investigation and iterate toward a better solution. A few times each quarter, you'll support installations or testing at customer sites (~10% travel). What you'll tackle End-to-end mechanical design from concept through production release Hands-on prototyping, lab testing, and occasional field trials Structured engineering practice: design reviews, validation testing, and clear documentation Analytical verification: FEA, fatigue life considerations, and motion/kinematic analysis Cross-functional collaboration with customers, controls, and manufacturing Failure investigation and continuous design improvement based on real performance On-site installation and test support as needed (~10%) What you bring 3+ years of hands-on mechanical design/R&D experience Strong grounding in structures, materials, and motion systems Design-for-manufacturability mindset (production-ready, not just theoretical) 3D CAD proficiency: SolidWorks, CATIA, or Inventor (Inventor preferred) PDM experience (Autodesk Vault preferred) Comfort working in the shop and in the field Bias for ownership and moving projects forward Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field Experience with APQP processes, validation plans, and FMEA Knowledge of machining, casting, welding, and additive manufacturing Experience with conveyors and/or magnetics Practical understanding of tolerances, materials, fasteners, and fabrication Bonus points Background in automation, robotics, or heavy equipment Experience with dynamic systems or vibration analysis Direct collaboration experience with manufacturing teams Understanding of control systems and motion feedback Familiarity with Python, VBA, or iLogic Experience with parametric configurators Why this role Own the full mechanical lifecycle—from whiteboard to working product—and see your designs come to life on the shop floor and at customer sites.