Mechanical Engineer

About the Role

The Mechanical Engineer - Sustaining supports Cantrell-Gainco equipment throughout its life through engineer-to-order (ETO) processing, product life-cycle management, and continuous improvement. This role involves creating new designs and modifying existing ones, solving problems, and improving products and processes, applying sound engineering practices with safety, quality, and the customer in mind.

Key Responsibilities

Engineer-to-Order (ETO) Processing

• Review customer orders and requirements, identify standard vs. engineered components, and clarify open questions.
• Configure, design, and modify equipment; create and release accurate drawings, bills of materials, and specifications on schedule.
• Ensure order packages are complete and accurate before release (correct part, revision, configuration).
• Support manufacturing and assembly, and incorporate lessons learned into standard designs.

Design & Modification

• Create new designs and modify existing ones using 3D CAD, producing clean models and detailed drawings with appropriate GD&T, tolerances, and stack-ups.
• Apply principles of design for manufacturability, assembly, and serviceability, and hygienic design for washdown and food-processing environments.
• Select materials and components suited to the application.
• Favor simple solutions with fewer parts and less complexity, knowing when "good enough" meets the requirement.

Product Life-Cycle Management

• Prepare and manage engineering changes: define change, assess impact (fit, form, function, cost, installed base, inventory), obtain approvals, release, and verify implementation.
• Maintain configuration, revision control, and documentation accuracy in CAD/PDM and ERP systems, including as-built and as-fielded records.
• Resolve component obsolescence and supplier-related technical issues; evaluate and qualify replacement parts and alternate sources.
• Keep manuals, parts lists, and technical data current.

Problem Solving & Product Support

• Investigate production, field, service, and warranty issues; identify the root cause.
• Apply structured root-cause methods (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, 8D, TRIZ) to find causes.
• Develop corrective and preventive actions, and confirm their effectiveness with data.
• Provide timely technical support to manufacturing, service, sales, and customers, including on-site troubleshooting.

Analysis, Verification & Validation

• Perform engineering calculations, tolerance analyses, and basic FEA appropriate to the problem, and sanity-check results.
• Clearly state requirements and report whether results meet them, with a conclusion and recommendation.
• Plan and execute bench, shop, and field tests; document method, results, and conclusions.
• Separate knowns, assumptions, and testing needs, flagging gaps.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify and implement improvements to product reliability, performance, cost, manufacturability, and serviceability, prioritizing recurring failures.
• Improve engineering processes (templates, checklists, standard work) and contribute lessons learned to standards and best practices.
• Participate in daily and visual management, tracking measures like change lead time, backlog aging, and repeat failures.

Planning, Teamwork & Professional Practice

• Plan and prioritize assigned work, commit to realistic dates, deliver on them, and communicate schedule risks early.
• Work effectively individually and in teams; provide and receive constructive feedback.
• Follow safety, quality, and company procedures, and document decisions and rationale.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• 3D CAD package ( SolidWorks preferred)
• GD&T, tolerances, and stack-ups
• Design for manufacturability, assembly, and serviceability
• Hygienic design principles
• CAD/PDM systems
• ERP systems
• FEA
• 5 Whys, fishbone, 8D, TRIZ
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering field, from an ABET-accredited program.
• Entry level: new graduate or up to 2 years of experience. Internships, co-ops, capstone projects, and student design teams count.
• Working knowledge of engineering fundamentals: statics, mechanics of materials, materials selection, and engineering drawings including GD&T basics.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, and deliver work on time, individually and as part of a team.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Internship or co-op experience in manufacturing, machine design, or product support.
• Hands-on mechanical aptitude: machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, assembly, or equipment repair.
• Exposure to PDM, bills of materials, and ERP systems; SolidWorks certification (e.g., CSWA).
• Exposure to FEA, tolerance stack-ups, structured problem solving (5 Whys, 8D, DFMEA), or statistical process control.
• Familiarity with food, sanitary, or washdown equipment; basic knowledge of pneumatics, electrical, or controls.
• Exposure to Lean or continuous improvement methods.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk and hear.
• Regularly required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities: close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to work for extended periods at a workstation on a computer or similar device.
• Occasional extended periods of standing, bending, kneeling.

Working Conditions

• Office setting and manufacturing warehouse.
• Routinely uses standard office equipment, hand tools, and material handling equipment.
• Travel: up to 10% as needed.