Hydraulics Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Position Overview

The Hydraulics Engineer is responsible for the design, maintenance, troubleshooting, optimization, and reliability of industrial hydraulic systems supporting heavy manufacturing equipment.

This position will work closely with Maintenance, Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations, and Quality teams to improve equipment performance, reduce downtime, increase system reliability, and support production requirements.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with industrial hydraulic systems, large presses, heavy machinery, pumps, cylinders, accumulators, servo and proportional valves, filtration systems, and hydraulic controls. This role will also support equipment upgrades, rebuilds, installations, commissioning, and capital improvement projects.

• Design, develop, modify, and optimize hydraulic systems used in heavy industrial manufacturing equipment.
• Support hydraulic systems associated with forging presses, stamping presses, manipulators, material handling equipment, heat treatment equipment, and other large-scale machinery.
• Perform hydraulic system sizing, analysis, and performance evaluations.
• Evaluate and specify pumps, cylinders, accumulators, valves, reservoirs, filtration systems, pressure-control devices, and fluid distribution systems.
• Analyze system pressure, flow, temperature, contamination levels, energy consumption, and equipment cycle times.
• Develop and maintain hydraulic schematics, P&IDs, engineering drawings, equipment specifications, and technical documentation.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts involving hydraulic equipment failures and recurring equipment issues.
• Perform root cause analysis and develop corrective and preventive actions to improve equipment reliability.
• Partner with Maintenance teams to troubleshoot hydraulic, mechanical, and controls-related equipment problems.
• Support preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance programs.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment uptime and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Evaluate hydraulic circuits and recommend improvements to system design, controls, filtration, component selection, and overall performance.
• Support hydraulic system upgrades, retrofits, rebuilds, and modernization projects.
• Manage engineering projects from initial concept and equipment specification through installation, commissioning, startup, and final implementation.
• Support installation and commissioning of new production equipment and hydraulic systems.
• Work with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations to improve equipment performance, productivity, process consistency, and safety.
• Conduct equipment failure investigations and reliability assessments using Root Cause Analysis, FMEA, and other engineering methodologies.
• Develop equipment standards, maintenance procedures, operating instructions, troubleshooting guides, and technical training materials.
• Work with suppliers, contractors, OEMs, and equipment manufacturers to specify and procure hydraulic components and systems.
• Provide technical guidance to Maintenance personnel and other engineering team members regarding hydraulic systems.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, equipment reliability, productivity, delivery, and cost reduction.
• Ensure hydraulic equipment and engineering projects comply with applicable safety and environmental requirements.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of experience working within forging, metals manufacturing, steel processing, foundry, heavy industrial, or a similar manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years of experience designing, maintaining, troubleshooting, or optimizing industrial hydraulic systems.
• Strong understanding of hydraulic system design principles, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and mechanical systems.
• Hands-on knowledge of hydraulic components including:
  • Pumps
  • Hydraulic cylinders
  • Servo valves
  • Proportional valves
  • Accumulators
  • Reservoirs
  • Filtration systems
  • Pressure-control devices
• Experience supporting industrial equipment such as forging presses, stamping presses, steel-processing equipment, heavy machinery, or other large manufacturing systems.
• Ability to read and interpret hydraulic schematics, P&IDs, engineering drawings, and technical specifications.
• Knowledge of PLC-controlled hydraulic systems and industrial automation.
• Experience troubleshooting hydraulic system failures and identifying root causes.
• Knowledge of preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, and equipment reliability methodologies.
• Strong analytical and mechanical troubleshooting abilities.
• Strong project management and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to provide hands-on engineering support within an active manufacturing environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience with large hydraulic press systems ranging from approximately 500 to 10,000+ tons.
• Experience with forging presses and heavy metal-forming equipment.
• Experience with servo-hydraulic systems.
• Knowledge of closed-loop hydraulic controls and motion-control applications.
• Experience with PLC-controlled hydraulic equipment.
• Experience with reliability engineering and predictive maintenance programs.
• Experience with vibration analysis and condition monitoring.
• Knowledge of hydraulic oil analysis and contamination-control programs.
• Experience leading equipment upgrades, rebuilds, installations, commissioning, and capital projects.
• Knowledge of OSHA requirements and industrial equipment safety standards.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license is a plus.