Mechanical Design Engineer III (Senior)

Designformaking; Idaho Falls (ID); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4/10 schedule

Hands-on design-build role

Growing integrator team

Own complete machines

Job summary

Designformaking in Idaho Falls is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer III to lead custom automation equipment from concept through design, hands-on assembly and build, FAT, installation, and commissioning. You will actively assemble, fit, troubleshoot, and improve the equipment you designed, staying with it until it runs reliably on-site at the customer.

This is a full-time, shop-floor focused role in a collaborative team.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of hands-on design and build experience with full-machine ownership.
• SAT/installations and customer-site commissioning experience.

Responsibilities

• Own the machine from concept through commissioning, including hands-on build.
• Develop layouts and perform mechanical calculations for loads and motion.
• Lead assembly on the shop floor with machinists and technicians.
• Review designs with customers and mentor junior engineers.
• Troubleshoot build issues and implement fixes in CAD/drawings.
• Travel to customer sites for installation and commissioning.

Skills

Mechanical design

Onshape

Shop-floor collaboration

Problem solving

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Onshape

Job description

This is a design-and-build role. You will design the machine, then get on the shop floor and help build it. Design For Making is looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer III (Senior) to lead custom automation equipment from concept through design, hands-on assembly and build, FAT, installation, and commissioning. You will not simply produce models and drawings and hand them off: you will help assemble, fit, troubleshoot, and improve the equipment you designed, and stay with it until it is running at the customer's site.

You'll work on custom automation systems that may include robotics, conveyors, material handling, pneumatic systems, servo-driven mechanisms, tooling, fixtures, machine frames, guarding, and other purpose-built equipment. We use Onshape as our primary mechanical design platform.

Own the machine from concept through commissioning

• Develop practical concepts and layouts during discovery and quoting; perform mechanical calculations addressing loads, motion, cycle time, and structural requirements, and develop controlled Onshape models, drawings, and BOMs.
• Personally participate in shop-floor assembly and build alongside machinists, fabricators, technicians, and controls engineers; resolve fit-up and fabrication issues and feed changes back into the released design.
• Lead complete custom machines and robotic cells, including customer design reviews; review and mentor Level I–II engineers while retaining clear mechanical/design ownership.
• Carry the same equipment through build, debug, FAT, SAT, installation, and commissioning. Own the mechanical result, not just the CAD deliverable; project coordination follows DFM's PO-driven project process rather than making this the overall project-manager role.
• Troubleshoot build, fit-up, and field issues and incorporate approved fixes into CAD, drawings, and BOMs.
• Occasional travel to customer sites is expected for installation, SAT, and commissioning; frequency varies by project.

You will have worked on several of these

• Custom automation equipment and industrial machinery
• Robotic work cells and end-of-arm tooling
• Conveyor and material-handling systems
• Pneumatics, servos, and linear motion
• Machine frames, weldments, and fabricated or machined parts
• Guarding, industrial safety, GD&T, and DFMA

Must have

• Demonstrated experience taking custom machinery or industrial automation from concept through hands-on build, FAT, installation, and commissioning—including personal shop-floor assembly/build involvement. Typically 5–8+ years of relevant experience, with full-machine ownership rather than CAD-only work.
• SAT/customer-site commissioning experience and the ability to travel for installation and commissioning.
• Strong mechanical design and machine-development judgment.
• Advanced 3D CAD; Onshape experience strongly preferred
• Ability to take an incomplete problem and develop a practical mechanical solution
• Designs that can be fabricated, assembled, maintained, and operated
• Clear manufacturing drawings and documentation
• Comfort working with machinists, fabricators, technicians, and controls engineers

Nice to have

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• Familiarity with SMC, Festo, THK, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Rockwell, or similar
• Machine-safety and risk-assessment experience

What's great about the job

• Full-time role with a 4/10 schedule
• Custom automation and robotics, concept through install
• Hands-on work with a growing integrator
• A team that will challenge a design until the cell runs reliably

The kind of engineer we want

You look at a machine and start asking: Why is that bearing there? Can a machinist actually make this? What happens when that actuator jams? How does someone replace that component three years from now? We want engineers who will challenge a design, prototype ideas, walk the shop floor, help build the machine, and keep improving it until it works.

Idaho Falls. Full-time. Work that shows up on a running cell.