Mechanical Engineer – Water Solutions, NPD & VA/VE

Pentair Management Company; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Employee stock purchase program

Disability benefits

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Pentair is seeking a Mechanical Engineer for our San Luis Obispo, CA team. In this role you will drive new product development from specs to prototypes, work with manufacturing to scale parts, and support service with robust designs.

You will apply CAD skills (Autodesk Inventor), perform root cause analysis, lead cost-reduction initiatives, and ensure designs meet fluid, sealing, and actuation requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• 2–5+ years in mechanical engineering, design, and analysis in food service or water industry.
• Strong fundamentals in design, materials, and manufacturing processes; CAD tools (Autodesk Inventor).
• Experience designing components for mass production including injection molding, casting, extrusion, sheet metal, or fabrication.
• Experience deploying launches with manufacturing; NPD understanding a plus.
• Able to drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for field issues; manage ECR/ECN process.
• Identify and implement VA/VE initiatives without compromising value or performance.
• Understanding of Fluid Dynamics and integration of electromechanical and pneumatic components.
• Knowledge of sealing design, actuation mechanisms, and tube fittings.
• Ability to identify root causes and propose design/process solutions.

Responsibilities

• Define specifications, test design ideas, design parts, prototypes, test prototypes, document design, and support production and service.
• Value Engineer: identify opportunities to adjust design or build process to improve reliability and/or reduce cost.
• Manage the 3D CAD system and keep parts and drawings organized.
• Review Engineering Change Requests/Orders to shorten time from problem to solution.
• Drive project timelines and ensure objectives are met within the schedule.
• Offer creative engineering solutions and think outside the box when first ideas fail.
• Collaborate with vendors, suppliers, and communicate with customers on technical issues.

Skills

Mechanical design

Product development

3D CAD

DFM for mass production

Root cause analysis

VA/VE

ECR/ECN

Fluid dynamics

Seal design

Actuation mechanisms

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Autodesk Inventor

Job description

Pentair is seeking a Mechanical Engineer for our San Luis Obispo, CA team. In this role you will drive new product development from specs to prototypes, work with manufacturing to scale parts, and support service with robust designs.

You will apply CAD skills (Autodesk Inventor), perform root cause analysis, lead cost-reduction initiatives, and ensure designs meet fluid, sealing, and actuation requirements.