Engineering Manager - Brake Systems

Motorsport Network, LLC; Bellingham, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

4x10 schedule

Paid vacation

Paid medical benefits

401(k) with employer match

Profit sharing

Job summary

GiroDisc is seeking a hands‑on engineering leader to design high‑performance brake components and mentor a small team in Bellingham, WA. You will directly handle CAD, reviews, reverse engineering, and production release while shaping design standards for next‑gen products.

The role emphasizes real, hands‑on work with brakes, rotors, calipers, and kits, plus collaboration with manufacturing and customers for robust, repeatable designs.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of mechanical/product design experience with production‑intent parts.
• Strong brake systems experience in motorsport or high‑performance aftermarket products.
• Hands‑on design leadership alongside a small engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of brake components from concept to production release.
• personally create CAD models, drawings, BOMs, revisions, and production‑intent docs.
• Mentor engineers and establish design standards and manufacturing discipline.
• Collaborate with manufacturing to ensure designs are practical to machine and assemble.
• Lead design reviews, risk reviews, and continuous improvement projects.

Skills

Brake systems

Team leadership

CAD design

Design reviews

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

CMM/inspection tools

Job description

GiroDisc Racing Brakes - Bellingham, WA

Full-time, in-person | 4x10 schedule | Senior-level compensation based on experience

About the Role

GiroDisc is looking for a hands‑on engineering leader to help shape the next generation of our performance brake products. This is not a desk‑only management role. The right person will personally design parts, solve hard technical problems, mentor our engineering team, and build the design standards and development discipline needed for GiroDisc’s next stage of growth.

You will lead a small team of engineers while remaining directly involved in CAD, design reviews, calculations, reverse engineering, prototype evaluation, manufacturing support, customer/vehicle requirements, and production release. We are especially interested in candidates with deep experience in performance brake systems, calipers, rotors, motorsport components, OEM brake/chassis engineering, or high‑performance aftermarket product development.

What You Will Own

• Lead design and development of performance brake components and systems from concept through production release.
• Personally create and review CAD models, drawings, BOMs, revisions, and production‑intent documentation.
• Develop and improve GiroDisc design standards for rotors, hats, brackets, calipers, mounting hardware, clearances, tolerances, materials, finishes, and manufacturability.
• Mentor and train the existing engineering team in brake system design, vehicle fitment, caliper/rotor fundamentals, design judgment, inspection methods, and production release discipline.
• Provide technical leadership for new product architecture, including rotor and hat designs, big brake kits, caliper development, mounting brackets, piston sizing, brake balance considerations, and packaging around wheels, suspension, hubs, and uprights.
• Work closely with manufacturing to ensure designs are practical to machine, inspect, assemble, inventory, and service.
• Support reverse engineering of OE components and vehicle packages using CMM/scan/inspection tools, CAD surfacing/layout methods, and sound engineering judgment.
• Create validation plans for fitment, thermal performance, durability, stiffness, runout, torque capacity, service life, and real‑world track/street use.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Production, suppliers, dealers, race teams, and customers to translate real requirements into robust products.
• Lead design reviews, risk reviews, root‑cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement projects.
• Help evaluate new technologies, materials, coatings, friction interfaces, manufacturing methods, and testing methods relevant to performance braking.
• Build a culture of engineering ownership: clear requirements, clean CAD, correct drawings, controlled revisions, thoughtful tolerances, and designs that work the first time.
• Provide technical and project leadership across a diverse portfolio of engineering initiatives beyond core product design, driving schedules, resolving roadblocks, and making key decisions to ensure successful project outcomes.

What You Bring

• 8+ years of mechanical/product design experience, with significant responsibility for production‑intent parts or systems.
• Strong background in brake systems, motorsport components, chassis/suspension systems, performance aftermarket products, or safety‑critical mechanical assemblies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead other engineers while still doing hands‑on design work yourself.
• High proficiency in SolidWorks or comparable 3D CAD, including assemblies, drawings, tolerancing, revision control, and design‑for‑manufacture practices.
• Practical understanding of CNC machining, fixturing, tooling, inspection, GD&T, tolerance stack‑ups, material selection, heat treatment, surface finish, and production variation.
• Ability to make sound engineering trade‑offs between performance, weight, stiffness, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, inventory complexity, and customer needs.
• Comfortable using inspection tools and reverse‑engineering methods to understand OE vehicle geometry and packaging constraints.
• Strong communication skills with engineers, machinists, production staff, salespeople, suppliers, and technically sophisticated customers.
• A bias toward action, ownership, and practical problem solving. You should enjoy being close to the parts, the machines, and the end users.

Highly Valuable Experience

• Brake caliper design: piston sizing, seal grooves, bridge stiffness, pad abutments, fluid passages, knockback, thermal behavior, pressure testing, serviceability, and manufacturing methods.
• Rotor and hat design: air gap/vent design, thermal mass, vane geometry, mounting hardware, float, flange flatness, runout control, cracking modes, corrosion protection, and assembly stack‑ups.
• Brake system performance: bias, torque calculations, thermal capacity, pad selection, track duty cycles, pedal feel, ABS interaction, and vehicle‑level integration.
• Motorsport or track‑focused development, including dyno testing, track feedback, race team/customer support, and failure analysis.
• CAE/FEA or thermal analysis experience, especially when used pragmatically to guide design decisions rather than as a substitute for testing.
• Experience in ISO 9001 or similar controlled engineering/release environments.
• Supplier development, casting/forging/machining process knowledge, or bringing a new mechanical product line from blank sheet to production.
• Experience with top level high‑performance braking systems, OEM brake/chassis groups, race teams, or similar performance brake environments.

Who We Are

GiroDisc is a privately owned U.S. manufacturer of premium two‑piece brake rotors and performance braking solutions for enthusiasts, race teams, shops, and high‑end sports/exotic vehicles around the world. We design, machine, assemble, and support our products in Bellingham, Washington. Our size allows quick decisions, direct ownership, close connection to manufacturing, and real influence over the product roadmap.

We believe in excellence, integrity, innovation, customer focus, teamwork, and work‑life balance. This is a rare opportunity for a brake systems expert to make an immediate impact without being buried in corporate layers.

What We Offer

• Competitive senior‑level salary based on experience and fit.
• Relocation assistance for the right candidate.
• 4x10 work schedule with Fridays off.
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave.
• Paid medical benefits.
• Company‑matched 401(k).
• Profit sharing program.
• Collaborative manufacturing environment where engineers are close to the product and the people making it.
• The chance to build meaningful products used by serious drivers, race teams, and performance shops worldwide.