Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer Experience: Mid Level Salary: $90,000 - $130,000 per year Job Details We are seeking a hands-on Mechanical Engineer to design, modify, specify, and validate the physical equipment and mechanical systems supporting our food-manufacturing operation. This individual will develop new equipment solutions, modernize aging production and packaging equipment, and ensure that all mechanical designs are safe, sanitary, maintainable, reproducible, and appropriate for the manufacturing environment. The Mechanical Engineer will create complete 3D models, fabrication drawings, equipment layouts, and bills of material while supporting projects through fabrication, installation, testing, and startup. Success in this role is measured by whether the finished equipment installs correctly, operates reliably, withstands production demands, meets sanitation requirements, and can be maintained effectively. Key Responsibilities and Duties Mechanical Design and Fabrication Develop 3D models and complete fabrication drawings for production and packaging equipment, change parts, tooling, fixtures, guards, transitions, chutes, hoppers, frames, and platforms. Specify dimensions, tolerances, surface finishes, materials, fasteners, and fabrication requirements. Perform and document engineering calculations involving loads, stress, deflection, fatigue, torque, drive sizing, and power transmission. Select materials, coatings, finishes, and elastomers appropriate for food contact, washdown, cleaning chemicals, temperature, corrosion, and wear. Apply sanitary-design principles involving surface finish, radii, drainability, cleanability, joints, fasteners, crevices, and hollow structures. Coordinate fabrication through internal resources and outside vendors, including drawing release, quoting, design reviews, inspections, and final acceptance. Maintain controlled drawings, revision histories, equipment files, and bills of material. Production and Packaging Equipment Design and validate modifications to existing production and packaging equipment. Modernize aging machinery through equipment redesigns, component upgrades, rebuilds, and obsolete-part replacement. Evaluate how proposed modifications affect machine safety, sanitation, maintainability, warranties, and OEM support. Design conveyance and material-handling systems involving transfers, accumulation changes, elevation changes, and product flow. Size and select motors, gear reducers, belts, chains, bearings, couplings, and related drive components. Design machine guarding and access systems in accordance with applicable safety standards. Support machine-safety risk assessments and corrective actions. Develop pneumatic and hydraulic circuits and specify components appropriate for the application. Design equipment so wear parts and service points can be accessed without unnecessary disassembly. Mechanical Utilities and Facility Systems Provide engineering support for refrigeration, steam and condensate, compressed air, process water, wastewater, heating, and ventilation systems. Perform load, capacity, and equipment-sizing calculations for mechanical utility systems. Identify utility-capacity constraints, oversized systems, and opportunities to reduce energy or operating costs. Specify pumps, piping, valves, and heat-transfer equipment, including sanitary-service components where required. Support Process Safety Management activities involving ammonia refrigeration, mechanical integrity, process hazard analysis, and management of change. Asset Integrity and Reliability Analyze recurring mechanical failures involving wear, fatigue, misalignment, lubrication, overload, or incorrect material selection. Develop permanent engineering corrections instead of repeatedly replacing failed components. Support predictive and condition-monitoring strategies involving vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, and alignment standards. Develop critical-spare-parts strategies focused on interchangeability, standardization, availability, and single-source risk. Assess equipment condition and remaining useful life. Develop technically and financially supported recommendations for equipment rebuilding or replacement. Standards and Technical Support Develop mechanical engineering standards for design, materials, guarding, fasteners, documentation, and fabrication. Provide advanced technical support to maintenance when mechanical issues exceed routine repair. Support Manufacturing Engineering with the physical equipment requirements of process-improvement and capital projects. Provide documentation and technical justification during internal, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits. Direct the technical work of designers, drafters, fabricators, vendors, and contractors. Support equipment installations, trials, commissioning, production startups, and planned shutdowns. Qualifications Needed Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent demonstrated mechanical-design engineering experience and capability. Minimum of three years of mechanical-design experience in a manufacturing environment. Demonstrated proficiency with 3D CAD and the development of complete, dimensioned, buildable fabrication drawings. Working knowledge of GD&T, fits, tolerances, and surface-finish specifications. Ability to perform and document the engineering calculations supporting a design, including the assumptions used. Experience designing or modifying production equipment, packaging equipment, machinery, or material-handling systems. Working knowledge of motors, gear reducers, bearings, belts, chains, couplings, and other power-transmission components. Knowledge of machine guarding, equipment-safety standards, and risk assessments. Experience selecting materials, coatings, finishes, and elastomers for the intended manufacturing environment. Ability to work directly with fabrication shops, machine shops, vendors, equipment suppliers, and contractors. Proven ability to follow projects from design through fabrication, installation, testing, and startup. Ability to work hands-on in production, maintenance, and fabrication environments. Ability to lift and move up to 35 pounds. Availability for occasional off-shift, weekend, and planned-shutdown work during installations and startups. Ability to travel occasionally to fabrication shops, equipment suppliers, training, trade shows, and other company facilities. Preferred SolidWorks experience. Previous food, beverage, dairy, packaging, or consumer-products manufacturing experience. Familiarity with 3-A Sanitary Standards and ASME BPE requirements. Experience designing equipment for food-contact or washdown environments. Experience with ammonia refrigeration and Process Safety Management requirements. Training or certification in vibration analysis, alignment, or predictive maintenance. Working knowledge of welding, machining, and fabrication processes. Familiarity with pressure-piping and pressure-vessel codes. Professional Engineer license or progress toward licensure. Bilingual English and Spanish capabilities. A bit about us: Founded nearly four decades ago and based in Delphos, Ohio, we are an established food manufacturer producing refrigerated dips, desserts, yoghurt, salsa, and specialty foods sold in grocery stores nationwide. Since our founding in 1988, we have grown from a small local operation into a trusted family of recognizable refrigerated brands while maintaining our commitment to quality, consistency, and thoughtful innovation. We continue to invest in the equipment, engineering capabilities, and manufacturing systems necessary to support our growth and produce fresh foods built for real life. Why join us? High-Impact Design Role: Modernize and improve the production and packaging equipment the plant relies on every day. Full Project Ownership: Follow designs from initial concept and engineering calculations through fabrication, installation, validation, and startup. Hands-On Engineering: Divide your time between CAD design, the fabrication and maintenance shops, and the production floor. Stable 1st-Shift Schedule: Primary schedule of 6:00 a.m.–2:30 a.m. Technical Variety: Work with machinery, conveyance, guarding, utilities, power transmission, pneumatics, hydraulics, and custom fabrication. Visible Results: See your designs installed and operating in a live manufacturing environment. Cross-Functional Exposure: Partner with maintenance, manufacturing engineering, sanitation, operations, fabricators, vendors, and equipment suppliers. Established Manufacturer: Join a growing organization with nearly four decades of food-manufacturing experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr