Staff Mechanical Engineer, Automation & Equipment Design

Corning•Town of Erwin, NY

23h•$95,227 - $130,938•Onsite

About The Position

Corning Incorporated is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer, Automation & Equipment Design to join our Automation Equipment Design group at Sullivan Park in Corning, NY. This is an onsite role with travel that is project dependent and typically ranges from 25%–75% based on project phase. Travel is heaviest during vendor build check-ins, equipment installation, and production start-up, and may include international travel. In this role, you will help solve challenging mechanical engineering and automation problems by designing, building, and installing equipment for Corning’s manufacturing plants. From a concept sketch to equipment running on a production floor, you will work on a range of projects—including custom machine design, automation systems, robot cells, conveyors, and material-handling equipment. Whether your strength is detailed mechanical design or guiding complex equipment projects from specification through commissioning, this role offers the opportunity to do both.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related
8+ years of experience taking integrated machine and automation systems through the full design, build, and installation cycle in a manufacturing environment
Proficiency in 2D/3D CAD, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), and ANSI Y14.5 drafting standards
Hands-on experience with robot cells, AGVs, conveyors, or material handling systems — from design specification through commissioning
Familiarity with electro-mechanical drive systems, fluid power, pneumatics, part sensing, and machine safety standards
Experience managing external vendors or system integrators through at least part of the design, build, or integration process
Ability to travel 25%–75% based on project phase, including potential international travel

Nice To Haves

10 - 15+ years of experience delivering fully integrated machine and automation systems from design through factory installation
Experience with SolidWorks and AutoCAD design software
Project management experience overseeing multi-vendor automation programs — budgets, schedules, and cross-functional coordination
Knowledge of glass or ceramic manufacturing processes
Familiarity with precision engineering principles
Experience designing systems for clean room or contamination-sensitive manufacturing environments
Prior experience transitioning a new product or process from development into full-scale manufacturing

Responsibilities

Design and deliver custom process machines and automation systems that solve a range of mechanical engineering and manufacturing challenges, including robot cells, AGVs, conveyors, material-handling equipment, and specialized mechanical tooling; develop concepts, create CAD models and construction drawings, and follow builds through as-built documentation.
Define machine design specifications, error budgets, tolerance analyses, and proof-of-concept test plans; evaluate data and make engineering recommendations
Specify and manage external vendors and system integrators — from design review and build oversight through site acceptance and factory installation
Lead or support on-site commissioning, production start-up, and plant operator training at Corning manufacturing facilities
Collaborate with cross-functional manufacturing teams to translate process requirements into mechanical system designs that perform reliably in production
Track project budgets and schedules; report status to internal stakeholders on a defined cadence