Mechanical Design Engineer

Actalent; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 73,000 - 80,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) Plan

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

HSA

Transportation benefits

PTO / Vacation

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer in Salt Lake City to lead hardware design for startup clients. The role emphasizes customer-facing technical leadership, manufacturability improvements, and design for large form factor products with chassis and control systems.

You will mentor engineers and drive production readiness across complex hardware and PLC-based architectures. The position is contract-based and onsite in Salt Lake City, UT, with pay in the range shown and benefits

Qualifications

• BSME required and relevant hardware design experience.
• Experience with large form factor products and chassis design.
• Hands-on HVAC and cooling system design experience.

Responsibilities

• Review mechanical and hardware designs to improve manufacturability and performance.
• Lead in-house transition of a sourced component to manufacturing.
• Design control panels, PLC-based systems, and large system controls.
• Contribute to PCB layout and mechanical integration across system architecture.
• Mentor junior engineers and guide design reviews and handoffs.
• Collaborate with customers to align solutions with product goals.

Skills

Mechanical engineering degree

Hardware design

Large form factor design

HVAC & liquid cooling

PLC-oriented architectures

Control panels design

PCB layout integration

Mentorship & leadership

Customer communication

Manufacturability improvements

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

PCB Layout

PLC Integration

Mechanical CAD

Job description

Job Title: Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Job Description

The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer supports innovative product design for startup clients whose products are not yet fully mature or in production. This role serves as a customer-facing technical expert, providing design feedback and improvements to enhance manufacturability and reliability. You lead and mentor less-experienced engineers, helping them grow their technical capabilities while driving high-quality design outcomes. The first major project focuses on bringing a previously sourced component in-house for manufacturing, with significant involvement in designing control panels, PLCs, and large system controls.

Responsibilities

• Support product design and development for startup clients with early-stage or pre-production products.

• Act as a customer-facing expert, reviewing mechanical and hardware designs and providing clear, actionable feedback to improve manufacturability and performance.

• Lead efforts to bring a sourced component in-house for manufacturing, including design refinement, documentation, and production readiness activities.

• Design and develop control panels, PLC-based systems, and large system controls for complex hardware products.

• Apply mechanical engineering principles to large form factor products, including chassis and enclosure design.

• Develop and optimize HVAC thermal and liquid cooling systems to ensure proper thermal management of hardware and electronic assemblies.

• Design and refine control and power distribution systems with a focus on PLC-oriented architectures and reliability.

• Contribute to PCB layout and mechanical integration, ensuring compatibility between mechanical design, PCB manufacturing, and overall system architecture.

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers, guiding them in best practices for mechanical design, hardware development, and manufacturability.

• Collaborate closely with customers to understand requirements, communicate design trade-offs, and align solutions with product and manufacturing goals.

• Support continuous improvement of design processes and standards within the engineering team.

• Participate in design reviews, documentation, and handoff activities to manufacturing teams within the facility.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) required.

• 5+ years of hardware design experience, including mechanical design for complex products.

• Strong mechanical engineering and mechanical design skills for large form factor products and chassis design.

• Hands‑on experience with HVAC thermal and liquid cooling systems, including thermal engineering and fluid systems.

• Expertise in control and power distribution systems, particularly PLC-oriented architectures.

• Experience designing control panels and large systems controls.

• Proficiency in PCB layout and understanding of PCB manufacturing constraints as they relate to mechanical design.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage engineering activities and mentor junior engineers.

• Customer communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts clearly and provide constructive design feedback.

• Experience improving designs for manufacturability and production readiness.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working with startup or early‑stage product companies and supporting immature designs.

• Background in thermal design, including heat dissipation strategies for electronic and mechanical systems.

• Exposure to PLC programming concepts and integration into mechanical and control systems.

• Experience with power distribution design in complex hardware environments.

• Ability to work in a fast‑growing environment and adapt to changing customer needs and priorities.

• Interest in supporting companies and helping them improve and mature the designs of their products.

• Leadership qualities that foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning within the engineering team.

Work Environment

The role is based in a large, modern manufacturing facility that produces products for multiple customers. The facility has experienced significant growth over the past three years and continues to add new clients, creating frequent opportunities to work on diverse and innovative hardware products. Engineers collaborate closely with manufacturing teams and customer stakeholders in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment focused on bringing designs from concept to production. The setting emphasizes hands‑on engagement with equipment, control panels, PLC systems, and large hardware assemblies, offering broad exposure to cutting‑edge mechanical and control technologies.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Salt Lake City, UT.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $52.88 - $57.69/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms.

If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long‑term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Salt Lake City,UT.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 21, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News‑Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.