Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
Ripple Foods
A well-established manufacturer of advanced metal forming equipment is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and development of highly specialized industrial machinery. This is an opportunity to play a key technical leadership role within a smaller, collaborative engineering team, where your work will have a direct and visible impact on projects and company success.
About the Role
The Senior Mechanical Engineer will lead the design of custom metal forming equipment from concept through completion. This position is heavily focused on hands-on engineering and machine design, while also serving as the primary technical mentor for a junior engineer.
Approximately 80% of the role involves mechanical design, including performing force and material strength calculations, predicting metal forming behavior, selecting materials, and ensuring designs are optimized for manufacturability, performance, and cost. The engineer will develop detailed machine concepts and production-ready designs using 2D and 3D CAD tools.
The remaining portion of the role includes application engineering support, such as participating in project kickoffs, collaborating with sales and manufacturing teams, interfacing with suppliers, and providing technical updates to customers. This individual will also help troubleshoot system issues, perform root-cause analysis, and recommend design improvements.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design of custom industrial machinery from concept through production
- Perform force calculations, stress analysis, and material selection for metal forming equipment
- Develop detailed 2D and 3D CAD designs for manufacturing and assembly
- Ensure designs follow design-for-manufacturability (DFM) principles
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to a junior engineer
- Collaborate with Sales, Manufacturing, and external suppliers throughout project execution
- Participate in project kickoff meetings and customer technical discussions
- Troubleshoot equipment issues and perform root cause analysis
- Support testing, tooling reviews, and fabrication processes
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
- 8+ years of mechanical design experience in industrial machinery or machine building
- Experience designing custom equipment from concept through completion
- Strong understanding of metal forming, roll forming, or similar manufacturing processes
- Experience performing engineering calculations and structural analysis
- Proficiency with 3D and 2D CAD software (Inventor or AutoCAD preferred)
- Knowledge of hydraulic systems is a strong plus
- Ability to operate as a technical lead in a small, collaborative environment
- Strong communication skills with experience interacting with customers and cross-functional teams
Additional Details
- Salary: $120,000 – $135,000
- Travel: Approximately 5–10% (primarily for larger projects or customer visits)
- Schedule: Flexible start times within a standard 8 AM – 5 PM workday
This role offers the opportunity to own major engineering projects, mentor junior talent, and work on highly specialized industrial equipment within a stable company that values collaboration and technical excellence.