Staff Mechanical Engineer

Position Overview

Ultimate Staffing Services is actively seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer for a high-impact, full lifecycle role in Durham, North Carolina. This role focuses on the custom, in-house design and development of specialized machinery and requires deep mechanical and electrical design expertise. The position is 100% onsite and offers a fantastic opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the ground-up mechanical and electrical design of custom, proprietary manufacturing equipment tailored to unique magnet production needs.
• Work closely with local fabrication and machine shops to turn digital designs into physical hardware, source components, manage lead times, and oversee quality during the build process.
• Provide active, on-the-floor support during assembly, wiring, and initial testing of designed equipment, troubleshooting fitment or functional issues.
• Conduct rigorous stress analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fluid flow simulations (CFD) to ensure machinery can withstand aggressive industrial environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather feedback, conduct design reviews, and incorporate DFM principles for easy build, operation, and maintenance.
• Ensure all custom-designed equipment complies with safety, environmental, and ergonomics standards before production floor deployment.
• Develop and manage detailed 2D manufacturing drawings, 3D CAD assemblies, and various analyses, including stress, thermal, and fluid flow simulations.
• Oversee risk assessments, ergonomic assessments, and equipment-level PFMEA inputs.
• Manage detailed Bills of Materials (BOM), Spare Parts Lists, and draft technical inputs for Maintenance Manuals and Calibration Procedures.
• Provide inputs to Line Layouts and Station Cycle Times based on physical machine constraints.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical discipline with 7+ years of experience, or a Master's degree with 5+ years of experience.
• Expert-level experience creating and validating highly complex equipment assemblies in CAD (e.g., SolidWorks, Inventor) and creating detailed 2D manufacturing drawings with proper GD&T.
• Experience leading equipment design on both mechanical and electrical sides.
• Hands-on experience performing stress, thermal, and fluid flow simulations to validate custom designs before production.
• Experience working with external fabrication shops, specifying weldments, finishes, and ensuring vendor accountability to tight engineering tolerances.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Desired Skills

• Experience in heavy industrial manufacturing equipment, high-vacuum systems, or high-temperature processing equipment.
• Hands-on manual machining or welding experience.
• Familiarity with motion control hardware, servos, and basic PLC integration.
• Experience in highly regulated industries such as Defense (DoD), Aerospace (AS9100), or Automotive (IATF 16949).

Required Work Hours

Monday to Friday, 1st shift.

Benefits

Unlimited PTO, 401k.

Additional Details

Salary Range: $90,000 - $150,000 per year.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.