Senior Engineer

Socket.dev; Goodfield (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off and holidays

401K Retirement plan - employer match

Anniversary bonus plan

Referral program

Performance based bonuses

Job summary

VIVO is seeking a Senior Engineer to join the Engineering Department. The role focuses on three pillars: deep mechanical systems expertise, ownership of product development quality, and hands-on contribution to design and continuous improvement.

You will mentor the team, lead projects, and represent engineering in external discussions when needed. The position involves coaching teammates, driving design decisions to validation outcomes, and collaborating across functions to deliver robust

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or similar preferred.
• 7+ years of mechanical/product design engineering experience with leadership.
• Owning end-to-end project outcomes—delivering on schedule and to quality standards.
• Deep expertise in mechanical systems, materials, and manufacturing methods.
• Willingness to travel and represent the company externally.
• Ability to mentor others and influence technical direction without formal authority.
• Strong proficiency in mechanical design, CAD, and prototyping methodology.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace applications or Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Technical, Project, and Team Leadership: mentor junior engineers, lead cross-department projects, coordinate resources and deadlines.
• Product Design & Development: lead projects from concept to completion and manage quality expectations.
• Innovation & Product Development Individual Contribution: contribute hands-on design work and support validation and new product submissions.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD

Prototyping

Project leadership

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Office suite

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

Prototype tools

Google Workspace / MS Office

Job description

Job Summary:

The Senior Engineer role is positioned in the Engineering Department and is built around three functional pillars.
The first is to bring deep mechanical systems expertise to both elevate the technical capability of the team and support VIVO's product development and broader Engineering systems. The individual should be motivated by working with team members to accomplish larger objectives, be available for questions and discussion items providing coaching and feedback, and be competent in finding solutions to project roadblocks to advance projects and initiatives to completion.
Second, using the skills and qualities of the first pillar, this position is expected to take ownership of the quality and output of our product development efforts, leading design projects from concept through completion, coordinating resources and holding contributors accountable to deadlines and quality standards.
Thirdly, this position is expected to use their deep expertise/knowledge to contribute in a hands-on manner themselves to product design and development, new idea generation and continuous improvement opportunities, and other technical challenges or initiatives across the Engineering Department.

Encompassing all of these, the Senior Engineer plays a hands-on coaching and mentoring role — helping the broader team work through challenging technical problems, encouraging creative and unconventional thinking, and strengthening the connection between design decisions, validation efforts, and real world outcomes. As needed, this individual may be called upon to represent VIVO's engineering function in conversations with potential acquisition targets or foreign suppliers.
This is an individual contributor position with no formal supervisory authority over team members. Persistent accountability issues on a project are escalated to the Engineering Manager.

Job Responsibilities:

1. Technical, Project, and Team Leadership
   • Mentor and coach junior engineers through challenging technical problems, encouraging creative, unconventional thinking and helping connect design decisions with validation and real world outcomes
   • Provide deep mechanical systems expertise to support product development, patent strategy, and other technical/quality initiatives across the Engineering Department as needed
   • Organize and lead team members around objectives and deliverables for cross-departmental projects and initiatives (e.g., patent brainstorms, quality investigations) as needed, coordinating the people and resources needed to move them forward
   • Represent VIVO's engineering function in conversations with potential acquisition targets' technical staff or foreign suppliers as needed, including travel
2. Product Design & Development
   • Lead product design and development projects from concept through completion, coordinating resources and setting deadlines and quality expectations
   • Perform frequent project check-ins and reviews identifying open questions and roadblocks, and determining the best course of action to move projects forward
   • Hold project contributors accountable to agreed deadlines and quality standards, escalating persistent issues to the Engineering Manager
3. Innovation & Product Development Individual Contribution
   • Contribute directly to design and development work using engineering methodology and tools
   • Support validation activities as needed, partnering with the Validation team on sample review and issue resolution
   • Contribute significant, differentiated ideas to the New Product Submission program

Core Values:

• [ Integrity ]
  • Developing relationships on the foundation of trust and upstanding character.
• [ Initiative ]
  • Having a work ethic that is proactive in seeing and improving company needs.
• [ Invested ]
  • Devoting our time, talents, and ingenuity into making VIVO the best it can be.
• [ Adaptive ]
  • Having the courage to boldly take risks and grow in an ever-changing market
• [ Respect ]
  • Placing value in others to foster an environment of mutual compassion and synergy.
• [ Serve ]
  • Working together to nurture a culture of humility as we give back to others.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or similar preferred
• 7+ years of mechanical/product design engineering experience, with a demonstrated track record of technical and project leadership
• Demonstrated track record of owning end-to-end project outcomes — delivering on schedule and to quality standards, not just technical execution
• Deep expertise in mechanical systems, materials, and manufacturing methods
• Comfortable traveling and representing the company in external, cross-organizational settings (supplier or acquisition-related engagements)
• Demonstrated ability to mentor others and influence technical direction without formal authority
• Strong technical proficiency in mechanical design, CAD, and prototyping methodology
• Demonstrated ability in problem solving, troubleshooting, and cross-functional collaboration
• Proficiency with Google Workspace applications (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc) or Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc)

Working Conditions:

• Employee is expected to work as many hours as necessary until the whole job is complete (approx. 40-45 hours per week)
• Occasional domestic or international travel required for supplier or acquisition-related engagements
• Walking, pushing, pulling, and visual acuity to inspect products and equipment
• Ability to lift and exert up to 50 pounds of force
• Comfortable using power tools (saws, drills, grinders, etc) for various tasks
• Subject to noise, slight temperature changes, dust, and other warehouse conditions
  

Benefits include

• Free Health insurance for employees or health buy out option
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Paid time off and holidays
• Referral program
• 401K Retirement plan - employer match 80 cents on the dollar up to 6%
• Anniversary bonus plan

Performance based bonuses