Principal Mechanical Engineer

Role details

We are working with an established engineering and manufacturing company on the search for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to set the technical direction for new injection-molded products, lead a small team of engineers and designers, and own each product from concept through production launch.

Location

On-site, Northeastern U.S. (approximately 10% travel)

Employment type

Full-time

About The Company

Our client is an established, multi-site engineering and manufacturing company that designs and builds custom electro-mechanical products for customers in industrial, medical, and aerospace and defense markets. They work alongside their customers from early concept through full-rate production, pairing in-house design engineering with their own manufacturing floors, so engineers here see their work go from CAD to a shipped product. The company is investing in its engineering and quality teams and building one shared way of working across its sites.

About The Role

This is the senior technical leader for mechanical design, driving complex designs from concept through production. The role blends hands-on engineering, technical leadership, and ownership of new product introduction (NPI). You will mentor a small team, set design direction, and solve the engineering problems that come with launching new products, while staying close to the modeling, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing readiness work yourself.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering direction, design decisions, and technical strategy for new customer-driven injection-molded products.
• Review customer concepts, CAD models, assemblies, drawings, and requirements, and advise on design for manufacturing (DFM), tooling approach, cost, and production readiness.
• Own mechanical development from concept through validation (EVT/DVT/PVT) and production launch.
• Support tooling and piece-price quoting by assessing part complexity, materials, tolerances, cycle time, cavitation, and secondary operations.
• Mentor and guide a small team of mechanical engineers and designers, review their work, and raise the quality of the design output.
• Build and evaluate prototypes using machining, 3D printing, and soft tooling.
• Work cross-functionally with engineering, sales, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.
• Work directly with mold makers, contract manufacturers, and suppliers to optimize part design, tooling design, and mold construction.
• Run tooling DFM reviews with suppliers, covering gate and runner layout, parting lines, shutoffs, venting, ejection, mold flow, and inspection requirements.
• Lead tooling launch, sampling, validation, and production release on the manufacturing floor, including ISO 8 cleanroom molding where applicable.
• Improve design processes, standards, and best practices across the engineering organization.

Must-have Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or an equivalent degree. Master's degree preferred.
• 10+ years of mechanical design experience, with at least 5 in new product development, including leading increasingly complex projects or teams.
• Injection-molded part design, tooling considerations, and DFM/DFA carried through production launch.
• Experience launching new production at the factory-floor level.
• Strong 3D CAD and FEA skills (SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation, Creo, NX, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated ability to lead small engineering teams or project groups.
• Deep understanding of materials, mechanics, GD&T, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience working with overseas suppliers.
• Knowledge of PLM systems, structured documentation practices, and medical device / ISO 8 cleanroom requirements.

Additional Requirements

• Due to ITAR and/or CUI compliance, this position requires candidates to be a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Individual per 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
• Candidates being considered for hire must pass a pre-employment background check.

What We Offer

• Technical ownership of new products from first concept to production launch, and a team to lead.
• A comprehensive benefits package: medical, dental, and vision, company-paid life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, and an employee assistance program.
• Paid sick leave, vacation, and company-paid holidays.
• A 401(k) with a company contribution.

It's ok if you don't check all the boxes. We hire for the capacity and the drive to learn and grow. If there is something you haven't done, but you are capable, please apply!

VoltForce does not work on a Corp-to-Corp (C2C) basis.