Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

GAM Enterprises, Inc.; Mount Prospect (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

GAM Enterprises, Inc. in Mount Prospect, Illinois, is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the design and development of planetary and right-angle gearboxes, gear trains, and precision mechanical components from concept through production.

You will work closely with customers, Sales and Application Engineering, and Manufacturing to deliver reliable, manufacturable, and cost-effective motion-control solutions for challenging applications.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, mechanical design, or product development.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Experience designing gears, gearboxes, drivetrain components, or precision assemblies.
• Familiar with gear design tools such as MITCalc, KISSsoft, MASTA, FVA Workbench.
• Advanced CAD experience; SolidWorks preferred.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical design principles, tolerances, GD&T, and CNC machining.
• Ability to analyze complex engineering problems and develop practical solutions.
• Experience with drawings, BOMs, documentation, and change processes.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills in cross-functional teams.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities in a high-mix, low-volume environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of planetary and right-angle gearboxes and precision components from concept through production.
• Modify designs to meet customer requirements, performance specs, manufacturability, and cost targets.
• Collaborate with customers, Sales, App Eng, and Manufacturing to develop unique solutions.
• Perform gear sizing, torque/load calculations, shaft/bearing selection, tolerance analysis, and performance evaluation.
• Apply GD&T, material selection, and DFM to create reliable production-ready designs.
• Create and maintain drawings, BOMs, assembly docs, testing reports, and change records.
• Support prototype testing, validation, and production transfer of new/modified products.
• Investigate issues; conduct root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
• Work with Manufacturing to optimize CNC machining, assembly, quality, cost, and performance.
• Lead & support engineering changes from design through validation.
• Provide technical guidance to engineers and cross-functional teams.

Skills

Gears & gearboxes design

GD&T

Mechanical design problem solving

Customer collaboration/communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

7+ years of mechanical engineering experience

Tools

MITCalc

KISSsoft

MASTA

FVA Workbench

SolidWorks

Job description

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Posted on 09/29/2026

Location

Mount Prospect, Illinois

About GAM

GAM Can, Just ASK! That is our passion. Our Mantra. The spirit of our entrepreneurial culture. We live and breathe our core values of teamwork, being action-oriented, building long-term relationships, professionalism, and having fun.

GAM manufactures precision mechanical components for the Motion Control Industry. Our manufacturing environment is high-mix, low-volume, and highly flexible , providing engineers the opportunity to work on challenging, custom applications and see designs move from concept to production.

The Opportunity

GAM is seeking an experienced Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the design and development of precision planetary and right-angle gearboxes, mechanical components, and other GAM products from concept through production .

This position will serve as a technical leader within the engineering team, working closely with customers, Sales and Application Engineering, and Manufacturing to develop reliable, manufacturable, and cost-effective solutions for complex motion-control applications.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of planetary and right-angle gearboxes, drivetrain components, and precision mechanical products from concept through production.
• Develop and modify designs to meet customer requirements, application needs, performance specifications, manufacturability, quality, and cost objectives.
• Collaborate directly with customers, Sales, Application Engineering, and Manufacturing to develop solutions for unique applications.
• Perform engineering analysis including gear sizing, torque and load calculations, shaft and bearing selection, tolerance analysis, and mechanical performance evaluation.
• Apply GD&T, tolerance stack-up, material selection, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles to create reliable, production-ready designs.
• Create and maintain detailed engineering drawings, BOMs, assembly documentation, testing reports, and engineering change documentation.
• Support prototype development, testing, validation, and the transition of new and modified products into production.
• Investigate product, manufacturing, and field-related issues; perform root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions.
• Work closely with Manufacturing to optimize CNC machining, assembly, quality, cost, and overall product performance .
• Lead and support engineering changes from design through implementation and validation.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers and engineering team members.
• Provide advanced technical support to Sales, Customer Service, Operations, and customers when required.
• Identify opportunities to improve existing products, engineering processes, manufacturing methods, quality, and cost.

Minimum Skills & Abilities

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, mechanical design, or product development, preferably in precision manufacturing, motion control, power transmission, automation, or a related industry.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline .
• Demonstrated experience designing gears, gearboxes, drivetrain components, or precision mechanical assemblies .
• Experience with gear design and analysis software such as MITCalc, KISSsoft, MASTA, FVA Workbench, or similar .
• Advanced practical CAD experience; SolidWorks preferred .
• Strong knowledge of mechanical design principles, materials, tolerances, GD&T, and CNC machining .
• Ability to independently analyze complex engineering problems and develop practical, reliable solutions.
• Experience with engineering drawings, BOMs, product documentation, and engineering change processes.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with customers, engineers, manufacturing personnel, and management.
• Organized, detail-oriented, adaptable, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment .

Preferred Experience

• Servo or precision gearboxes
• FEA or other mechanical engineering analysis
• Product testing and validation
• PDM/PLM systems
• Robotics, automation, or motion-control applications
• Experience taking products from concept through design, validation, production release, and continuous improvement

Minimum Education & Experience

• 7+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, mechanical design, or product development, preferably in precision manufacturing, motion control, power transmission, automation, or a related industry.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline .

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