Principal Mechanical Engineer
About The Position
Pipeline is seeking a highly experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer to serve as a senior technical leader while continuing to perform hands-on engineering. This is not primarily a people-management role. The position involves solving difficult technical problems, developing concepts, reviewing designs, troubleshooting equipment, and helping projects succeed. The engineer will draw on broad experience designing, building, testing, debugging, and improving mechanical and electromechanical systems. The role spans system architecture, SolidWorks design, component selection, tolerance analysis, shop-floor troubleshooting, mentoring, and customer-facing problem solving. Projects include automated machines, custom fixtures, test systems, manufacturing equipment, advanced manufacturing processes, product development, and R&D. The engineer will lead and review technical work, help scope and estimate projects, support proposals, and contribute to engineering practices and standards. This is a hybrid position for candidates residing in the Phoenix metropolitan area who can work from Pipeline’s Tempe office as project needs require. Occasional customer or supplier travel may be required. The standard schedule is Monday through Friday.
Requirements
- Demonstrated ability to take difficult engineering problems from ambiguity through successful implementation and strong technical judgment.
- Substantial professional engineering experience; the strongest candidates will typically have 10 or more years.
- Significant experience in custom machine design, automation, manufacturing equipment, precision fixtures, and test systems.
- Experience taking substantial systems from concept through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, testing, debugging, and deployment.
- Advanced mechanical design knowledge, including mechanisms, machine elements, materials, tolerances, fits, GD&T, structural considerations, and design for manufacturing.
- Advanced proficiency with SolidWorks or comparable 3D CAD, with the ability to become highly effective in SolidWorks.
- Experience with manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, sheet metal, weldments, additive manufacturing, and injection molding.
- Experience with motors, motion systems, actuators, pneumatics, sensors, machine vision, controls hardware, and industrial automation components.
- Experience in manufacturing-process development, particularly where the process must be invented, tested, or refined before equipment can be designed around it.
- Strong engineering judgment, including making sound decisions without an obvious textbook answer, recognizing problems before they become expensive, and choosing between rigorous analysis and practical solutions.
- Enjoyment of hands-on engineering work; the position is not suited to someone seeking primarily to manage people, attend meetings, or delegate technical work.
- Candidates must reside within the Phoenix metropolitan area and be able to work from Pipeline’s Tempe office as project needs require.
- Candidates must complete and return the questionnaire and engineering exercises to be considered.
- Use SolidWorks 2025 or an earlier version for the engineering exercises.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with precision test and measurement equipment.
- Experience with robotics and automated material handling.
- Experience in troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and hands-on problem solving.
- Product-development experience in addition to manufacturing-equipment design.
- Experience leading design reviews and identifying risks less-experienced engineers may overlook.
- Experience with customer-facing technical discussions, project scoping, estimating, and proposal development.
- An engineering degree is valuable but not required.
- Examples of personally supported equipment and engineering projects, such as photographs, videos, CAD images, or project descriptions.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a senior technical resource for Pipeline’s most challenging engineering projects.
- Develop concepts and system architectures for automated machines, custom fixtures, test systems, manufacturing equipment, and advanced manufacturing processes.
- Personally design complex mechanical systems using SolidWorks.
- Design mechanisms and integrate motors, linear actuators, pneumatics, sensors, vision systems, PLC-controlled devices, and related automation hardware.
- Select and implement bearings, linear guides, gears, couplings, clamps, locating components, fasteners, and other industrial hardware.
- Develop solutions for precision motion, fixturing, part handling, assembly, inspection, testing, dispensing, and other manufacturing processes.
- Design components and assemblies for CNC machining, sheet metal, weldments, 3D printing, injection molding, and other manufacturing methods.
- Apply GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, fits, fastening methods, and design-for-manufacturing principles.
- Perform engineering calculations and analyses to support design decisions.
- Develop prototypes, benchtop experiments, feasibility studies, and manufacturing-process-development activities.
- Identify technical risks early and develop practical approaches for resolving them.
- Lead design reviews and review engineering work for functionality, robustness, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, completeness, and quality.
- Troubleshoot mechanical and electromechanical problems during development, assembly, testing, and commissioning.
- Work directly with customers to understand technical problems, requirements, constraints, and success criteria.
- Help estimate engineering effort, hardware, fabrication, assembly, testing, and other project costs.
- Support concept development and technical proposal preparation for prospective projects.
- Provide technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams, including mechanical, controls, software, electrical, manufacturing, and assembly personnel.
- Mentor engineers and help develop stronger engineering judgment throughout the team.
- Improve Pipeline’s engineering standards, design practices, documentation, tools, templates, and workflows.
- Support equipment assembly, testing, debugging, installation, commissioning, and customer acceptance as needed.
- Contribute to product-development and R&D projects when appropriate.
- Step into difficult projects, fill technical gaps, and help ensure important details are addressed.
Benefits
- Company contribution toward health-insurance coverage.
- Dental and vision plans offered through the company.
- Eligibility to participate in Pipeline’s profit-based bonus program.
- Paid time off.
- Eight paid holidays plus paid sick leave.
- Flexibility to work from the office or from home depending on project needs.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
Education Level
No Education Listed
