Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager

Delta Industrial Services Inc•Ramsey, MN

11d•$160,000 - $220,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Mechanical Engineering Manager leads and develops the mechanical engineering team, combining technical expertise in custom machine design with people leadership. The role focuses on strengthening design excellence, solving application challenges, advancing Design for Manufacturing (DFM), expanding engineering analysis capabilities, and improving financial awareness across the team. The leader is expected to remove obstacles, develop people, and help the team deliver high-quality, practical, cost-effective, and timely solutions without unnecessary process constraints. The position leads mechanical design practices for custom converting, packaging, and coating machinery and automation; promotes consistent standards while allowing flexibility for unique projects; provides hands-on technical guidance and reviews for complex or high-risk systems; and applies lessons learned from design, assembly, debugging, and field performance. It owns mechanical engineering schedules and resource planning, coordinates deliverables with project timelines, and collaborates with operations, project management, and leadership on schedules, budgets, scope, and risks. As a member of the Operations and Engineering leadership team, the manager contributes to tactical decisions and strategic planning and builds strong relationships across engineering, production, sales, business, manufacturing, and people and culture. The role reports to the SVP of Operations and Engineering and has 21 direct reports. It is a full-time, exempt, on-site position in a normal office environment, with core hours Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and travel of less than 10%. Salary is $160,000–$220,000 per year, depending on experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field.
10 or more years of experience in mechanical design, preferably in custom machinery, automation, or capital equipment.
At least 3 years in a leadership or managerial role.
Strong background in machine design.
Strong background in DFM and manufacturing processes, including machining, fabrication, and assembly.
Strong background in engineering analysis, including FEA and/or hand calculations.
Demonstrated ability to deliver complex engineering projects on schedule and within budget.
Proven track record of identifying and mitigating technical and project risks early.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with cost estimation and project financials.
Experience implementing or improving engineering standards and workflows.
Strong CAD proficiency, such as SolidWorks, Inventor, or similar.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop mechanical engineers with varying levels of experience.
Foster ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement; build capability in first-principles thinking, risk identification, critical thinking, and proactive problem solving.
Remove barriers to engineering productivity and promote a value-focused, disciplined approach without unnecessary bureaucracy.
Identify skill gaps, create development plans, recruit and onboard engineering talent, and facilitate individual and team meetings.
Model and uphold the company's stated values and servant-leadership approach, including leading by example, welcoming feedback, recognizing good work, supporting work-life balance, and delegating while supporting team members through setbacks.
Develop robust and scalable mechanical design practices for custom converting, packaging, and coating machinery and automation.
Champion DFM to reduce cost, lead time, and complexity; expand engineering analysis capability while ensuring analysis is appropriately applied.
Identify technical and execution risks early and drive mitigation plans.
Drive consistency in design standards while retaining flexibility for unique or outlier projects.
Provide hands-on technical guidance and design reviews for complex or high-risk systems.
Implement lessons learned and feedback loops from design, machine assembly, debugging, and field performance.
Own mechanical engineering schedule performance across projects and maintain current team resource plans as project needs change.
Ensure design deliverables are defined, sequenced, and completed in line with overall project timelines.
Partner with operations leadership and project management to develop schedules, resource plans, and milestones.
Establish team accountability for commitments and deadlines and strengthen financial ownership within mechanical engineering.
Collaborate with project management and leadership on scope, budgets, and risk management; align engineering decisions with business objectives.
Participate in the Operations and Engineering leadership team, contributing to tactical decisions, strategic planning, and problem solving.
Build and maintain relationships across engineering, production, sales, business, manufacturing, and people and culture departments.
Represent and advocate for the mechanical engineering team throughout the company.