Senior Mechanical Systems Engineer

Tennant Company•Golden Valley, MN

1d•$97,500 - $150,600

About The Position

The Senior Mechanical Systems Engineer is a technical role focused on performance modeling, concept evaluation, and subsystem development for complex electro-mechanical robotic products. Working closely with the Chief Engineer and Principal Robotic Systems Engineer, the role identifies critical mechanical challenges, subsystem capabilities, and technology gaps that must be addressed to enable Tennant’s product roadmap. The position bridges architecture, analysis, and execution. It develops models, simulations, calculations, trade studies, and test plans to support data-driven decisions about subsystem performance, feasibility, risk, cost, manufacturability, and integration. It also helps lead early development of selected mechanical and electromechanical subsystems, translating roadmap needs and system requirements into validated concepts, design direction, and implementation plans. The role provides technical leadership to execution teams without direct authority and helps guide subsystem development from concept through validated design direction. It collaborates across engineering and business functions and communicates results, assumptions, uncertainty, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations to technical teams and leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of applicable professional experience in mechanical, electro-mechanical, robotic, systems, or complex product development.
Strong engineering foundation and experience developing complex products, subsystems, or mechanisms.
Experience applying engineering analysis, modeling, simulation, calculations, and test data to inform design decisions and evaluate technical trade-offs.
Ability to translate system-level requirements into subsystem performance targets, design constraints, test methods, and decision criteria.
Working knowledge of CAD, GD&T, tolerance analysis, materials, manufacturing processes, DFMEA, design reviews, and verification planning.
Ability to develop concepts, evaluate alternatives, plan prototypes and testing, analyze results, and make data-driven recommendations.
Ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering and business teams and influence technical direction without direct authority.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, written, and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with performance modeling in mechanisms, drivetrains, fluid systems, actuation, structures, thermal behavior, energy usage, cleaning systems, or mobile robotic subsystems.
Experience using MATLAB, Simulink, Python, and Excel for analysis and modeling.
Experience with first-principles modeling, empirical modeling, sensitivity analysis, trade studies, model correlation, design margins, uncertainty analysis, tolerance analysis, or statistical analysis.
Experience developing subsystem prototypes, test fixtures, instrumentation plans, validation methods, or correlation between models and physical test data.
Experience in industrial vehicles, autonomous machines, mobile robots, cleaning systems, material handling equipment, or complex electro-mechanical products.
Experience working with controls, software, sensing, actuation, power, or embedded systems teams on integrated subsystem development.
Experience with DVP&R, DFMEA, structured problem solving, 8D, root cause analysis, design quality, DFSS, Six Sigma Green Belt, or similar continuous improvement methods.
Experience designing and analyzing experiments, including DOE planning, factor selection, response measurement, statistical analysis, and interpretation of results.
Experience translating technical learning into reusable design guidance, requirements, standards, or modeling practices.

Responsibilities

Work with the Chief Engineer and Principal Robotic Systems Engineer to identify critical subsystem challenges, capability gaps, and technical risks affecting the product roadmap.
Develop performance models, simulations, calculations, and trade studies to support architecture decisions, subsystem selection, sizing, and design direction.
Evaluate mechanical and electro-mechanical subsystem concepts against performance, cost, package, weight, efficiency, durability, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, and integration objectives.
Translate product roadmap needs and system requirements into subsystem performance targets, design constraints, model assumptions, test plans, and development recommendations.
Lead or support early-stage development of selected subsystems, including concept generation, analysis, prototype planning, design reviews, test definition, and design iteration.
Partner with mechanical design, electrical, controls, software, manufacturing, sourcing, service, quality, and validation teams to ensure subsystem solutions integrate into the full machine.
Use modeling and test data to identify sensitivities, performance margins, failure modes, design trade-offs, and decision points.
Define and execute verification approaches for subsystem models, assumptions, prototypes, and performance claims.
Convert subsystem learning into reusable design guidance, requirements, modeling methods, validation approaches, and engineering standards.
Support make/buy, supplier, and partner technology decisions by evaluating performance capability, technical risk, integration needs, and lifecycle implications.
Communicate model results, assumptions, uncertainty, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations to technical teams and leadership.
Provide technical leadership to execution teams without direct authority and guide subsystem development from concept through validated design direction.