Senior Design Engineer III: Lead, Validate & Mentor

Nidec Automation; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Nidec Automation is seeking a senior Design Engineer III to lead complex design activities and drive product performance, quality, cost, and manufacturability. You will mentor junior engineers, collaborate with product management and manufacturing, and apply advanced engineering principles to deliver robust solutions.

The role demands strong CAD and analysis skills, rigorous design verification, and the ability to translate ambiguous requirements into concrete, scalable designs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required.
• Advanced degree preferred.
• Typically 5–7+ years of progressive experience in design or product engineering roles.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of complex components, subsystems, or products from concept through release.
• Translate high-level requirements into robust engineering solutions.
• Apply advanced engineering principles, standards, and best practices.
• Perform advanced calculations, simulations, and tolerance analysis.
• Lead design verification and validation activities.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks through structured analysis and testing.
• Own creation and approval of detailed drawings, specifications, and BOMs.
• Lead design reviews and technical decision discussions.
• Ensure configuration control, change management, and documentation accuracy.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Supply Chain on design for manufacturability and cost optimization.
• Support quality investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Provide technical support during production, field issues, or product changes.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Project teams.
• Communicate technical recommendations, risks, and trade-offs clearly to stakeholders.
• Support new product introductions, scale-ups, and process improvements.
• Serve as technical mentor and reviewer for Design Engineer I and II roles.
• Share best practices, lessons learned, and design standards.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of engineering processes and tools.

Skills

Advanced design knowledge

Materials & manufacturing processes

CAD proficiency

Engineering analysis tools

Independent problem solving

Systems-thinking

Analytical decision making

Written & verbal communication

Influence without authority

Attention to detail & quality mindset

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

CAD software

Engineering analysis tools

Job description

Nidec Automation is seeking a senior Design Engineer III to lead complex design activities and drive product performance, quality, cost, and manufacturability. You will mentor junior engineers, collaborate with product management and manufacturing, and apply advanced engineering principles to deliver robust solutions.

The role demands strong CAD and analysis skills, rigorous design verification, and the ability to translate ambiguous requirements into concrete, scalable designs.