Senior Project Engineer (Greater Chicago Area)

Sr NPD Project Engineer, Mechanical

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Company Overview

Our client is a fast-growing, privately held manufacturer of power distribution and smart grid equipment. It finished last year at ~$1B in revenue and has already added another $600M in 2026 from data center projects alone, at a time when demand for this kind of equipment has never been greater.

Where this role sits -- new product development -- is the heart of the business. The company was founded by two engineers and has stayed privately owned for over a century, meaning it answers to customers rather than to shareholder profits. It reinvests ~3.5% of revenue into R&D every year and keeps its focus on building innovative, high-quality products it knows the market will love.

In this role you'd be a technical lead on complex NPD projects within a 30-person NPD team. You'd own the design of an entire subsystem from first concept to analysis, prototyping and testing, to production release for high-volume manufacturing. You'd lead a cross-functional project group, keeping leadership informed as the work progresses, and have a plan ready when your prototype doesn't pass a test.

Power equipment industry experience is a plus, but isn't required. If you've led mechanical design projects on complex, durable, industrial, or outdoor, electromechanical products before (e.g. appliances, engines/transmissions, commercial or industrial equipment) this is a chance to bring that experience into the power grid sector while it's hotter than ever!

Responsibilities

• Lead complex NPD projects through a stage-gate process, including schedule, budget and resource planning
• Drive design and engineering analysis, including 3D modeling, FEA, GD&T and tolerance stack-ups
• Write test plans, build and test prototypes, and lead root cause analysis when results fall short
• Work with purchasing and suppliers on cast, machined, molded and stamped components
• Direct the engineers, designers and technicians supporting your project, and approve drawings for release

Required Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering
• 8+ years of progressive mechanical design and product development experience
• Strong fundamentals in mechanism design, statics, dynamics and material properties
• Creo/ProE (preferred) or another 3D parametric CAD platform, plus exposure to FEA
• Experience with DFMEA, DOE, GD&T and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Confidence reporting on project status, challenges, and proposing solutions to leadership

Preferred Qualifications:

• Stored energy, spring loaded, or actuated mechanism design
• Power distribution, substation, electric utility, smart grid, or similar equipment design experience

Compensation:

The base salary range for this position is $120,000-$140,000 annually with a target incentive of 8% of the base salary, which can pay up to 16%. The actual wage offered may be higher or lower depending on candidate experience, knowledge, skills, qualifications. The company also offers a profit sharing program paid into a pretax retirement account, plus generous relocation support, and comprehensive benefits including 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave, and more.

APPLY TODAY!