Recruiting on behalf of a confidential client
Our recruiting firm is conducting a search on behalf of an established U.S.-based manufacturing company seeking a hands-on Mechanical / Manufacturing Engineer to join its engineering team.
This is a great opportunity for an engineer who enjoys more than sitting behind a computer. The ideal candidate will be involved throughout the entire manufacturing process — from design and engineering through fabrication, assembly, testing, and final delivery.
You'll work closely with machinists, fabricators, welders, assemblers, inspectors, suppliers, and project teams to turn engineering concepts into high-quality, manufacturable products.
What You'll Do
Design & Engineering
- Design mechanical components, assemblies, weldments, tooling, and fixtures using SolidWorks.
- Review and improve designs for manufacturability, cost, quality, reliability, and production efficiency.
- Perform Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews and recommend design improvements.
- Develop tooling, fixtures, gauges, and assembly aids.
- Create clear engineering drawings, documentation, and manufacturing requirements.
Manufacturing Engineering
- Develop manufacturing plans and processes for parts, assemblies, and complete systems.
- Create manufacturing routings, work instructions, and production documentation.
- Establish efficient production sequences and workflows.
- Develop inspection requirements and quality documentation.
- Define finishing, marking, packaging, and shipping requirements.
- Help ensure processes are safe, repeatable, and efficient.
Shop Floor & Production Support
- Work directly with machinists, fabricators, welders, inspectors, and assemblers to solve technical problems.
- Troubleshoot manufacturing and assembly issues and implement practical solutions.
- Improve machining and fabrication processes to reduce setup time and increase efficiency.
- Support first-article, in-process, and final inspections.
- Help resolve nonconformances and implement corrective actions.
- Spend meaningful time on the shop floor rather than being limited to an office environment.
Assembly, Integration & Testing
- Provide technical leadership on complex mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and automated systems.
- Support hands-on assembly, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and validation.
- Develop assembly and test procedures.
- Work with technicians to resolve technical challenges.
- Verify completed systems meet engineering and customer requirements.
Project Coordination
- Take technical ownership of assigned projects from engineering through delivery.
- Track schedules, engineering progress, costs, and technical risks.
- Coordinate with manufacturing, purchasing, quality, suppliers, and other internal teams.
- Communicate technical issues and solutions clearly to management and project stakeholders.
- Balance quality, cost, schedule, and manufacturability when making engineering decisions.
Suppliers & Outside Processes
- Coordinate with outside suppliers for processes such as coating, plating, heat treating, painting, specialty machining, and inspection.
- Communicate engineering requirements and specifications to suppliers.
- Help ensure outside processes meet quality and schedule requirements.
Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency.
- Develop better engineering standards, processes, documentation, and work instructions.
- Help introduce new manufacturing technologies, tooling concepts, and production methods.
- Look for ways to make future projects easier, faster, more consistent, and more reliable.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant industry experience.
- Strong mechanical design and problem-solving skills.
- Solid SolidWorks experience.
- Practical knowledge of manufacturing processes such as:
- CNC machining
- Sheet metal fabrication
- Welding
- Mechanical assembly
- Understanding of GD&T and engineering drawings.
- Knowledge of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles.
- Experience designing tooling, fixtures, or manufacturing processes.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating with manufacturing and cross-functional teams.
The Ideal Candidate
This role is particularly well suited for an engineer who:
- Likes being on the shop floor and working directly with manufacturing teams.
- Enjoys solving real-world engineering and production problems.
- Can move comfortably between CAD/design work and hands-on manufacturing support.
- Understands that a great design also needs to be practical and efficient to manufacture.
- Takes ownership rather than waiting to be told what needs to be done.
- Can manage multiple projects and priorities.
- Has strong attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture.
- Enjoys improving processes rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
Why This Role Is Different
This isn't a traditional engineering position where your involvement ends when a drawing is released.
You'll have the opportunity to follow projects through the entire product lifecycle — design, manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, testing, troubleshooting, and delivery.
The company is looking for an engineer who can think beyond the individual part or drawing and help improve the entire manufacturing process.
If you enjoy hands-on engineering, working closely with skilled manufacturing professionals, and seeing your designs become finished products, this could be an excellent opportunity.
Our recruiting team is conducting this search on behalf of a confidential client. Client details and company information will be shared with qualified candidates during the interview process.