Design Engineer — Commercial Foodservice Equipment

Chicago, IL (Northwest Side) · Onsite · $120,000–$130,000

An 85-year-old, family-owned Chicago manufacturer is looking for a Design Engineer to own its commercial cooking equipment line.

Own is the word. You would take products from concept through CAD, prototype, lab testing, agency approval and into production — reporting directly to the COO. In a company this size that means the person running the business sees your work, and decisions do not take six weeks.

You would not be doing it alone. There is drafting support and lab support, so you are the engineer — not also the draftsman and the test technician.

A new product roadmap is launching now, with several new products planned per year. Patent work is part of the job.

What you would do

• Develop new products and improve the existing line

• Run complete testing, including extended lab programs on your own designs

• Drive cost reduction into both new and current products

• Coordinate manufacturing launches alongside production and sales

• Document inventions to support patent applications

• Write engineering and laboratory test reports

What you need

• 5+ years of product design experience; Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent

• Experience with products combining mechanical AND electrical systems — this is the requirement that matters most

• CAD proficiency (AutoCAD, Inventor)

• Designed real parts for real fabrication: sheet metal forming, welding, manual and CNC machining

• Comfortable running your own laboratory testing

• Combustion experience and UL 197 / NSF familiarity are a bonus, not a requirement

Details

• $120,000–$130,000 depending on experience

• Standard hours are 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, fully onsite in Northwest Chicago. There is some flexibility on start time — as early as 7:00 a.m.

• 401(k), medical, dental and vision, PTO and 10 paid holidays

• Relocation: No relocation expenses covered. Candidates should be within 1-1.5 hour drive of NW Chicago. 

• Target start: early October