Design Engineer

Job Title: Design Engineer

Job Description

The Design Engineer will develop material handling solutions for manufacturing and warehouse facilities, with a strong focus on conveyor systems and related machinery. This role combines hands-on mechanical and industrial design with project management, from initial concept and site layout through engineering design and handoff to execution. The engineer will translate facility requirements into practical designs that increase capacity, support new equipment, and optimize existing layouts, while collaborating closely with vendors and internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design material handling equipment, including conveyor belts and related machinery, to meet specific operational requirements within manufacturing and warehouse facilities.

• Develop site layouts and plant/warehouse configurations that support new equipment, increased capacity, and optimized material flow.

• Create design solutions for retrofitting existing areas to accommodate new equipment and for rearranging existing equipment within the facility.

• Define and document the scope of work for each project, ensuring alignment with facility needs, timelines, and budget constraints.

• Prepare and write Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Quotations (RFQs) for vendors and partners involved in site selection and equipment procurement.

• Collaborate with vendors during site selection, equipment specification, and implementation planning.

• Produce detailed engineering designs, drawings, and documentation using CAD tools such as AutoCAD and SolidWorks.

• Manage projects from design through handoff to execution, tracking milestones and ensuring deliverables are completed on time.

• Travel to facility sites (up to approximately 50% of the time) to conduct site visits, gather requirements, validate layouts, and support implementation.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that new layouts, retrofits, and equipment integrations support overall system performance and capacity goals.

• Consider upstream and downstream impacts when changing components within systems, ensuring that machines and processes function effectively together rather than as isolated units.

• Monitor project KPIs and performance, including meeting deadlines and achieving key milestones for assigned projects.

• Support continuous improvement efforts by identifying opportunities to enhance material handling efficiency, safety, and reliability through design changes.

• Participate in reviews and handoffs to execution teams, ensuring that designs are clear, feasible, and ready for installation and commissioning.

Essential Skills

• 5-7 years of experience in manufacturing or industrial design, with hands-on responsibility for equipment and layout design.

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, such as mechanical, industrial, electrical, or manufacturing engineering.

• Demonstrated mechanical design experience in a manufacturing setting, with the ability to create practical, implementable solutions.

• Proficiency in AutoCAD for developing detailed layouts and engineering drawings.

• Experience using SolidWorks or similar 3D CAD tools for mechanical design.

• Strong experience in plant or warehouse layout design, including material handling systems.

• Project management skills, including planning, scheduling, and tracking milestones, combined with hands-on design responsibilities.

• Experience working with vendors, including creating RFPs and RFQs and collaborating during site selection and equipment procurement.

• Ability to design and optimize warehouse or plant layouts and material handling solutions, particularly conveyor systems.

• Willingness and ability to travel up to approximately 50% of the time for site visits and project work.

• Capability to consider system-level interactions, ensuring that equipment and processes function effectively together within a larger system.

• Comfort working in a hybrid environment that includes both office-based collaboration and remote work, as well as on-site facility visits.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with mechanical design of warehouse systems, plant layouts, and material handling equipment is strongly preferred.

• Experience in designing conveyor systems and material handling solutions that increase capacity or support new equipment implementations.

• Experience in automation engineering or automation mechanical engineering, particularly involving design of new layouts, retrofits, and line implementations or launches.

• Ability to assess upstream and downstream impacts of design changes within systems engineering, ensuring coordinated operation of machines and processes.

• Familiarity with process design and automation systems related to material handling and conveyor equipment.

• Strong communication skills for coordinating with vendors, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams.

• Organizational skills to manage multiple projects, track KPIs, and meet deadlines and milestones.

• Interest in transitioning from contract to potential full-time employment, with openness to relocation if a permanent opportunity arises.

Work Environment

The role offers a hybrid work schedule, typically with three days in the office and two days remote each week, providing a balance between collaborative on-site work and focused remote tasks. During the first few weeks, the engineer should be comfortable working in the office five days a week to integrate with the team and become familiar with processes and systems. The position is structured as an 11-month contract, with the possibility to extend up to two years; when full-time openings become available, contract engineers may interview for those opportunities. The engineer can work remotely for up to 11 months of the contract but should be open to relocating to the Nashville area if a full-time offer is accepted. The work involves regular site visits to manufacturing and warehouse facilities, using tools such as AutoCAD and SolidWorks to develop layouts and designs. The environment emphasizes collaboration, professional growth, and access to competitive benefits, including strong stock and health benefits upon conversion to permanent employment. Dress code is typically aligned with a professional office and industrial site setting, with appropriate attire for both office-based work and facility visits.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Nashville, TN.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $65.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Nashville,TN.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 8, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.