Mechanical Engineer

Cantrell•Gainesville, GA

About The Position

The Mechanical Engineer - Sustaining supports Cantrell-Gainco equipment throughout its life through engineer-to-order processing, product life-cycle management, and continuous improvement. This entry-level role creates new designs and modifies existing designs, solves problems, and improves products and processes using sound engineering practices, with safety, quality, and the customer in mind. Working with guidance from senior engineers and the Engineering Manager, the engineer plans and organizes assigned work, delivers accurate and complete results on time, and partners with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, service, and sales to keep customers’ equipment running well. Scope and independence grow as results are demonstrated. The role includes configuring and designing equipment to customer orders; preparing drawings, bills of materials, and specifications; managing engineering changes and product documentation; investigating production, field, service, and warranty issues; and conducting engineering analysis and testing. The engineer also identifies product and process improvements, provides technical support, and communicates schedules, risks, decisions, and results clearly. The position operates in both an office setting and a manufacturing warehouse, with travel up to 10% as needed. Employment is contingent upon a successful pre-employment background check and drug screening. Candidates must provide documentation of eligibility to work in the United States.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering field from an ABET-accredited program.
Entry-level candidate: new graduate or up to 2 years of experience; internships, co-ops, capstone projects, and student design teams count.
Working knowledge of engineering fundamentals, including statics, mechanics of materials, materials selection, and engineering drawings with GD&T basics.
Experience with a 3D CAD package through coursework, internships, or projects.
Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, and deliver work on time, individually and as part of a team.
Clear written and verbal communication skills in English.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Internship or co-op experience in manufacturing, machine design, or product support.
Hands-on mechanical aptitude, such as machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, assembly, or equipment repair.
Exposure to PDM, bills of materials, and ERP systems.
SolidWorks certification, such as CSWA.
Exposure to FEA, tolerance stack-ups, structured problem solving (5 Whys, 8D, DFMEA), or statistical process control.
Familiarity with food, sanitary, or washdown equipment.
Basic knowledge of pneumatics, electrical systems, or controls.
Exposure to Lean or continuous improvement methods.

Responsibilities

Review customer orders and requirements, identify standard versus engineered requirements, and clarify open questions early.
Configure, design, and modify equipment to order; create and release accurate drawings, bills of materials, and specifications on schedule.
Check order packages for completeness and accuracy before release, including part, revision, and configuration.
Support manufacturing and assembly during builds and incorporate lessons learned into standard designs.
Create new designs and modify existing designs using 3D CAD, producing clean models and detailed drawings with appropriate GD&T, tolerances, and stack-ups.
Apply design for manufacturability, assembly, serviceability, and hygienic design principles; select suitable materials and components.
Prepare and manage engineering changes, assess their impacts, obtain approvals, release changes, and verify implementation.
Maintain configuration, revision control, and documentation accuracy in CAD/PDM and ERP systems, including as-built and as-fielded records.
Resolve component obsolescence and supplier-related technical issues; evaluate and qualify replacement parts and alternate sources.
Keep manuals, parts lists, and technical data current as products change.
Investigate production, field, service, and warranty issues; identify root causes and develop corrective and preventive actions.
Provide timely technical support to manufacturing, service, sales, and customers, including on-site troubleshooting when needed.
Perform engineering calculations, tolerance analyses, and basic FEA; check results against hand calculations and physical reality, and report conclusions and recommendations.
Plan and run bench, shop, and field tests, documenting methods, results, and conclusions.
Identify and implement improvements to product reliability, performance, cost, manufacturability, and serviceability, prioritizing recurring failures.
Improve engineering processes and contribute lessons learned to engineering standards and best practices.
Participate in daily and visual management and track measures such as change lead time, backlog aging, and repeat failures.
Plan and prioritize assigned work, commit to realistic dates, track status, communicate schedule risks early, and deliver on commitments.
Work effectively individually and in teams, give and accept constructive feedback in design reviews, follow safety and quality procedures, and document decisions and rationale.