Principal Engineer Mechanical & Acoustic

Job Description

Job Description

POSITION PURPOSE

The Principle Mechanical & Acoustic Engineer is part of the Subject Matter Expert (SME) Engineering team and supports BAC’s New Product Engineering (NPE) organization by applying mechanical engineering expertise in sound, vibration, airflow, fan systems, pump systems, and overall system performance to develop and optimize new products. This role provides technical leadership for analyses, selections, tests, and design guidance that improve product acoustic performance, vibration robustness, energy efficiency, manufacturability, and reliability.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead sound, vibration and mechanical-system performance work for NPE programs, ensuring technical deliverables are completed on time, on spec, and aligned with product objectives.

• Perform acoustic evaluations, and mechanical-system tradeoff studies to optimize product performance, sound, cost, manufacturability, and reliability.

• Support product architecture and design decisions by evaluating how fan type, fan speed, motor selection, inlet/outlet geometry, attenuation, airflow paths, structural features, pump configuration, and other mechanical design choices affect sound, vibration, and overall performance.

• Plan and execute technical portions of multi-stage NPE assignments, including analysis, test planning, data review, design recommendations, documentation, and follow-up actions.

• Analyze sound, vibration and mechanical performance data; identify root causes, trends, and improvement opportunities; and translate findings into actionable recommendations for product design teams.

• Collaborate with SME Engineering leads, the R&D Lab and test engineers to define test requirements, instrumentation needs, data collection methods, and acceptance criteria for sound, vibration, fan, pump, and system-level performance testing.

• Support development and validation of analytical methods, selection tools, calculation templates, and design guidelines used by NPE teams for sound, vibration, and mechanical-system decisions.

• Support development and validation of product ratings, customer facing selection software and digital twins.

• Investigate and resolve sound, vibration, fan-system, pump-system, and mechanical performance issues identified during NPE testing, product qualification, field evaluations, or regional engineering support.

• Prepare clear technical reports, presentations, calculations, and recommendations for engineering audiences; communicate technical tradeoffs effectively across design, lab, manufacturing, regional, and leadership stakeholders.

• Provide technical support and guidance to junior engineers and designers, including review of analyses, interpretation of test data, and coaching on sound, vibration and mechanical-system engineering fundamentals.

• Contribute to continuous improvement of BAC’s sound, vibration, and mechanical performance engineering practices by documenting lessons learned, improving analysis/test methods, and staying current with relevant technologies, standards, and industry practices.

• Remain current with relevant industry practices, analytical techniques, and technologies related to acoustic engineering, vibration, rotating equipment, and mechanical-system performance.

NATURE & SCOPE

The Principal Mechanical & Acoustics Engineer reports to the Senior Manager, Global Engineering, and supports multiple NPE programs and regional engineering needs. This role provides technical and project support to other departments. The engineer is expected to work independently on multi-stage assignments, plan and schedule technical work, and seek assistance only when unusual or complex issues require additional expertise.

The role is part of a team that functions as a Center of Excellence (COE) in the Mechanical/Acoustic field, providing Subject Matter Expertise to other engineers in the business. The role requires frequent cross-functional interaction with NPE, Thermal Engineering, Structural Engineering, Controls Engineering, Global Components, R&D Lab, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, vendors, and regional engineering teams. The work directly influences new product performance, sound ratings, product robustness, customer satisfaction, and speed of product development.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field; advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum10 years of relevant engineering experience with a Bachelor’s degree, including experience supporting product development or mechanical-system performance work.

• Strong understanding of mechanical engineering fundamentals, including fluid mechanics, acoustics, vibration, rotating equipment, fan laws, pump behavior, system effects, and mechanical power transmission.

• Experience with fan selection, pump selection, airflow system analysis, acoustic analysis, vibration analysis, and interpretation of sound/vibration/performance test data.

• Ability to independently plan and execute multi-stage technical assignments, manage multiple priorities, and achieve target dates and deliverable scope.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to process test data, identify trends, determine root causes, and summarize recommendations in clear technical reports.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with design engineers, test engineers, manufacturing, vendors, and regional engineering teams.

• Strong technical writing and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex sound, vibration, and mechanical-system tradeoffs to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Working knowledge of engineering tools such as Excel, Mathcad, MATLAB/Python, acoustic or vibration analysis tools, and CAD/CAE tools; experience with data acquisition and signal processing preferred.

• Familiarity with HVAC, heat rejection equipment, rotating machinery, fans, motors, pumps, belts, drives, and acoustic attenuation preferred.

• Ability to provide technical support to junior engineers and contribute to standards, guidelines, and reusable tools for NPE teams.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Working hours are the standard BAC schedule, with flexibility as needed to support global teams and project deadlines.

• Travel, both domestic and international, can be up to 15–20% of the time. Travel as needed to BAC design centers, manufacturing facilities, suppliers, acoustic/vibration test facilities, customer sites, or field installations to support product development, validation, troubleshooting, and regional engineering needs.

• Primarily office-based work will be experienced; however, periodic visits to manufacturing facilities, laboratories, field sites, and test installations may require walking, standing, climbing, and occasional lifting up to 30 pounds.

• The employee may occasionally be exposed to heat, cold, humidity, mechanical equipment, and noise during manufacturing, lab, or field activities.

BAC Hiring Compensation Range $108,200 to $185,200

BAC offers a comprehensive benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401k, employee stock ownership plan, and more. Please see additional details on the BAC website at

BAC Employees are eligible to participate in an annual bonus incentive program.