Engineering Machine Design Lead

Behm-Consulting-LLC; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Paper Machinery Corporation (PMC) in the United States seeks a Machine Design Team Lead to guide the mechanical design of high-speed industrial machinery from concept through production. You will establish design standards, mentor a small team, and collaborate across operations, sales, and product management to ensure performance, reliability, and manufacturability.

The role requires a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, strong CAD/FEA skills, and 5+ years in a design lead capacity within OEM

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field.
• Experience leading high-speed machine design in OEM or packaging environments.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD software (Inventor or SolidWorks) and FEA.
• Strong design rigor, validation, testing, and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design and development of high-speed automated machinery from concept to production.
• Establish design standards, best practices, and review processes.
• Ensure designs meet performance, reliability, safety, manufacturability, and cost goals.
• Mentor and develop a small team to improve performance and growth.
• Apply analytical methods, calculations, simulations, and validation activities.
• Use FEA and other tools to validate designs and improve performance.
• Develop verification and validation plans to meet product requirements.
• Collaborate with operations for efficient manufacturing processes.
• Coordinate with sales, engineering, and service for successful field integration.
• Provide status updates and technical recommendations to leadership.

Skills

High-speed machine design

Leadership/mentoring

Analytical abilities

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Inventor

SolidWorks

FEA

Job description

**Direct Hire
Paper Machinery Corporation (PMC) is a global leader in designing and manufacturing advanced paperboard cup and container forming equipment, helping customers around the world produce high-quality, sustainable packaging solutions. For more than 70 years, PMC has built its reputation on engineering excellence, innovation, and exceptional customer support, serving some of the world's most recognized foodservice and consumer packaging brands. With a commitment to quality, advanced manufacturing, and continuous improvement, PMC offers employees the opportunity to build rewarding careers while making a meaningful impact. Behm Consulting, LLC is proud to partner with Paper Machinery Corporation in the search for talented professionals who are ready to grow with an innovative and respected global manufacturer.

Job Overview

The Machine Design Team Lead is responsible for leading the design, development, and validation of high-speed industrial machinery. This role combines technical leadership, people development, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver innovative, reliable, and manufacturable machine solutions. The Machine Design Team Lead partners closely with the Tooling and Controls Leads, Operations, Sales, and Product Management to ensure projects meet performance, quality, cost, and schedule objectives while maintaining rigorous engineering standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the mechanical design and development of high-speed automated machinery from concept through production release.
• Establish and maintain engineering design standards, best practices, and design review processes.
• Ensure designs meet performance, reliability, safety, manufacturability, and cost objectives.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a small team to enhance performance and professional growth.
• Apply engineering rigor through analytical methods, calculations, simulations, and structured validation activities.
• Utilize Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and other engineering tools to validate designs and improve performance.
• Develop and execute design verification and validation plans to ensure product requirements are met.
• Partner with operations to ensure efficient manufacturing processes.
• Collaborate with sales, engineering, and service teams to ensure successful machine integration and support in the field.
• Provide regular status updates and technical recommendations to engineering leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related engineering field.
• High speed (200-300 cycles/minute) machine design experience in a design lead role within an OEM machinery, packaging, automation, or related manufacturing environment. Would expect 5+ years in a similar role but actual experience, responsibility, and ownership will take precedence.
• Strong proficiency with 3D CAD software (Inventor or SolidWorks)
• Experience performing and interpreting FEA analysis.
• Experience with design rigor, validation, testing, and documentation.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and project management skills.

Preferred Skills

• Excellent relationship and team building skills.
• Demonstrated success mentoring and developing team members.