Job Description

  Lead the Team That Designs Machines That Matter

At Steven Douglas Corp. (SDC), we design, engineer, and build custom automation machines that solve complex manufacturing challenges. No two projects are the same, and our engineers regularly solve problems that do not have a standard solution.

As a family-owned and growing company, we combine strong engineering fundamentals with the agility to make decisions quickly, solve problems collaboratively, and keep projects moving without layers of corporate red tape.

We are looking for a Mechanical Engineering Manager to lead our Mechanical Engineering team and take ownership of the department's people, performance, engineering standards, and technical execution.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who understands custom machine design , knows how to develop strong engineers, and can create the processes and standards that allow a growing engineering team to work efficiently without sacrificing quality.

What You’ll Do

Lead & Develop the Mechanical Engineering Team

• Lead, coach, and develop mechanical engineers and designers to improve individual and department performance. 
• Increase department performance against sold labor budgets by 5% each year
• Plan and allocate engineering resources across projects based on priorities, schedules, workload, and technical requirements. 
• Set clear expectations and provide regular feedback, training, and performance reviews. 
• Participate in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding new team members. 
• Build a collaborative team that communicates well, solves problems together, and takes ownership of results. 

Own Mechanical Engineering Standards & Processes

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve SDC mechanical engineering standards and best practices. 
• Drive standardization and reuse of proven machine designs, components, assemblies, and engineering solutions where appropriate. 
• Maintain engineering libraries, design standards, documentation requirements, and release processes. 
• Improve department processes to increase engineering quality, accuracy, consistency, and efficiency. 

Drive Technical Excellence

• Provide technical leadership and oversight for mechanical concepts and detailed machine designs. 
• Work to build technical experts in various machine types to lean on for advanced technical support
• Ensure designs meet customer specifications, SDC engineering standards, safety requirements, project schedules, and budgets. 
• Guide engineers through complex machine design challenges and technical decisions. 
• Review machine concepts, layouts, calculations, component selections, materials, finishes, drawings, BOMs, and release packages. 
• Participate in and/or lead internal and customer design reviews. 
• Support design issues through machine assembly, debug, acceptance testing, installation, and startup. 

Collaborate Across SDC

• Work closely with Project Management to coordinate engineering schedules, priorities, project progress, and resource needs. 
• Collaborate with Controls Engineering, Manufacturing, Assembly, Sales, Applications Engineering, and other departments throughout the project lifecycle. 
• Support concept development and quoting for new projects as needed. 
• Represent Mechanical Engineering in management discussions and company-wide initiatives. 

  What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline. 
• 10+ years of mechanical engineering/machine design experience, preferably designing custom industrial machinery or complex automated systems. 
• 5+ years of experience leading or managing highly skilled engineering professionals preferred. 
• Strong knowledge of machine design principles, mechanical components, manufacturing methods, materials, and tolerancing. 
• Advanced experience with 3D CAD; SolidWorks strongly preferred. 
• Experience developing and implementing engineering standards, processes, and reusable design solutions. 
• Strong understanding of designing equipment for manufacturability, assembly, serviceability, reliability, and safety. 
• Ability to balance technical excellence with project schedules, budgets, and customer requirements. 
• Strong leadership, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving skills. 
• Ability and willingness to travel to support projects, up to 10%. 

What Makes Someone Successful at SDC

• We move quickly, work collaboratively, and expect people to take ownership of their work. You’ll be successful here if you:
• Work as a team. You communicate openly, support your coworkers, and understand that successful machines require collaboration across departments. 
• Take ownership. You follow through on commitments, address problems instead of passing them along, and hold yourself and your team accountable for results. 
• Move with urgency. You can make sound decisions with the information available and keep projects moving without unnecessary delays. 
• Stay flexible. Priorities can change quickly in custom automation, and you can adjust while keeping the bigger picture in focus. 
• Solve problems. You look beyond the obvious answer, challenge assumptions, and continuously look for a better way. 
• Lead with integrity and respect. You communicate directly, treat people well, and do what is right for the customer, your team, and SDC. 
• Care about the end result. Our goal isn't simply to complete engineering drawings—it is to deliver machines that work. 

Why Join SDC?

• At SDC, you'll have the opportunity to lead a talented engineering team working on technically challenging custom automation projects across a variety of industries. Our size gives us the resources to tackle sophisticated projects while maintaining the speed and agility of a family-owned company.
• You'll have a meaningful voice in how the department operates, how we develop our people, and how we improve the way SDC designs and builds machines.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation based on experience and expertise. 
• Employer-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options, plus supplemental insurance. 
• Paid vacation and sick leave. 
• 10 company-paid holidays. 
• 4% employer 401(k) match each pay period. 
• Generous parental leave. 
• Company-sponsored Employee Assistance Program. 

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