Senior Mechanical Engineer
A cutting-edge technology manufacturer headquartered in the greater Chicago metro area is seeking an accomplished Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead full-cycle product development for ruggedized telecommunications and power-management solutions. This engineer will drive concepts from napkin sketch to production release, partnering with cross-functional experts in electrical, software, and systems design to launch high-reliability products that withstand harsh outdoor environments. If you thrive on ownership, collaboration, and seeing your ideas make it to market, this role was built for you.
This Role Offers
- Competitive base salary with bonus potential.
- Collaborative, high-impact culture where your designs ship to customers worldwide.
- Direct access to senior leadership and the freedom to influence product roadmaps.
- Comprehensive benefits package and clear advancement pathways as the business scales.
Focus
- Serve as the primary mechanical design authority on multi-disciplinary project teams, guiding concept creation, detailed design, verification, and new-product introduction.
- Translate marketing requirements into robust mechanical architectures using sheet-metal, injection-molded plastics, and PCB integration techniques.
- Conduct thermal, structural, and tolerance analyses to prove designs meet performance, cost, and quality targets.
- Generate and maintain engineering deliverables (3‑D CAD models, drawings, BOMs, test specifications) and shepherd them through the PLM workflow.
- Direct prototype builds, test plans, and root‑cause investigations, iterating quickly to meet aggressive schedules.
- Scout emerging materials, manufacturing processes, and external partners that accelerate innovation and reduce total product cost.
- Provide post‑launch product expertise for sustaining engineering, customer escalation, and value‑engineering initiatives.
- Mentor junior engineers and champion best‑practice design standards across the organization.
Skill Set
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (or similar) with a strong grasp of heat transfer fundamentals and electro‑mechanical packaging.
- 5+ years of hands‑on mechanical design experience developing complex products for volume production.
- Proficiency with modern 3‑D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and PDM/BOM management tools.
- Demonstrated success designing with sheet‑metal, plastics, and electronic assemblies, including DFM/DFA considerations.
- Working knowledge of tolerance stack‑ups, thermal management techniques, vibration/shock testing, and environmental compliance (IP/NEMA, NEBS, etc.).
- Excellent communication skills and a track record of leading cross‑functional teams to hit milestone dates.
- Ability to lift prototypes (up to 50lbs) and perform occasional hands‑on testing in a lab environment.
Preferred & Bonus Skills
- SolidWorks or similar for component‑level modeling and stress/deflection analysis.
- Familiarity with cleanroom ISO classifications, radiation shielding, or other highly regulated facility standards.
- Experience managing multi‑disciplinary teams and mentoring junior engineers.