Mechanical Engineer

X4 Engineering; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

X4 Engineering in Houston, TX is seeking a Mechanical Engineer with a strong background in machine safety, risk assessment, and manufacturing automation to support safety improvements across industrial operations. This hands-on role focuses on identifying hazards, designing safer equipment and workstations, and ensuring compliance with industry safety standards.

You will conduct risk assessments, implement guarding, support LOTO, and collaborate with controls engineers on PLC-controlled

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in manufacturing/industrial environment.
• Experience with machinery risk assessments and hazard analyses.
• Working knowledge of ISO 12100, ISO 13849, IEC 62061, and ANSI B11.
• Strong machine guarding, LOTO, and OSHA 1910 knowledge.
• Experience with industrial automation and PLC-controlled equipment.
• Willing to work on-site in Houston, TX five days a week.

Responsibilities

• Conduct machinery risk assessments and hazard analyses for production equipment.
• Design and implement machine guarding and safety improvements.
• Support LOTO compliance and safety initiatives.
• Collaborate with controls engineers on PLC-controlled equipment.
• Evaluate ergonomic risks and improve workstation designs.
• Perform safety audits, inspections, and assist incident investigations.
• Validate safety systems for OSHA and international standards.
• Work with Operations, Maintenance, EHS, and Engineering to improve safety and reliability.

Job description

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer with a strong background in machine safety, risk assessment, and manufacturing automation to support safety improvements across industrial operations. This is a hands-on engineering role focused on identifying hazards, designing safer equipment and workstations, and ensuring compliance with industry safety standards.

The ideal candidate comes from a manufacturing, assembly, production, or packaging environment and has experience implementing engineering controls rather than process or refinery engineering.

What you'll do

• Conduct machinery risk assessments and hazard analyses for production equipment.
• Design and implement machine guarding and engineering safety improvements.
• Support Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) compliance and machine safety initiatives.
• Collaborate with controls engineers on PLC-controlled automated equipment.
• Evaluate ergonomic risks and develop safer workstation and tooling designs.
• Perform safety audits, inspections, and assist with incident investigations.
• Validate safety systems and ensure compliance with OSHA and international machinery safety standards.
• Work closely with Operations, Maintenance, EHS, and Engineering teams to improve operator safety and equipment reliability.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Experience performing machinery risk assessments and hazard analyses.
• Working knowledge of ISO 12100, ISO 13849, IEC 62061, and ANSI B11 standards.
• Strong understanding of machine guarding, LOTO, and OSHA 1910 regulations.
• Experience with industrial automation, control systems, and PLC-operated machinery.
• Ability to work on-site in Houston, TX five days per week.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, or similar PLC platforms.
• Robotics or automated equipment integration experience.
• Ergonomic assessment and human factors engineering experience.
• Knowledge of Performance Level (PL) and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) concepts.
• Proven track record of leading machine safety upgrades or equipment modernization projects.

Ideal background

• Machine Safety Engineer
• Manufacturing Mechanical Engineer
• Automation / Controls Engineer with safety experience
• Packaging or Assembly Equipment Engineer