Senior Mechanical Engineer

Bullard; Kentucky; On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Senior Mechanical Engineer at Bullard leads mechanical design, development, verification, and lifecycle support across head protection, fire helmet, respiratory protection, and thermal imaging portfolios. You will translate customer needs into robust, manufacturable, and compliant product solutions with cross-functional teams in Lexington and Cynthiana.

Responsibilities include defining specifications, designing for injection molding, developing test plans, performing tolerance analyses, and

Qualifications

• B.S. in an Engineering discipline.
• 10 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering of new products or related.
• Excel at using CAD to design assemblies and injection-molded plastic parts.
• Experience creating and reviewing engineering drawings and using GD&T.
• Experience troubleshooting technical problems and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Experience developing test plans, conducting product testing, interpreting technical data, and presenting results clearly.
• Ability to read, understand, and apply industry standards, specifications, and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and DFM, especially with injection molded plastic parts.
• Self-starter with a passion for problem-solving and enthusiastic advocacy for the customers’ needs, the products, and the company

Responsibilities

• Lead the definition, documentation, design implementation, and verification of mechanical requirements for new electromechanical safety products.
• Collaborate with product managers and cross-functional teams to establish product specifications, design objectives, cost targets, deadlines, and performance requirements.
• Design plastic components and assemblies for injection molding using CAD, including development of engineering drawings and tolerance analyses.
• Develop test plans and test methods to evaluate product performance, investigate field or production issues, and verify regulatory compliance.
• Analyze test and product evaluation data and present the results.
• Lead mechanical design reviews and communicate design decisions, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Perform tolerance analysis, engineering calculations, material selection, and design risk analysis (FMEA) to ensure product safety and robustness.
• Collaborate with operations, quality, sourcing, and product management teams to support ongoing product improvements.
• Support production and quality teams by investigating, diagnosing, and resolving product and manufacturing issues.
• Participate in product compliance activities, including interpreting applicable standards and regulatory requirements.
• Become a subject matter expert in regulatory and standards product and testing requirements applicable to respiratory protection, head protection, and/or fire helmets.
• Support manufacturing process improvements and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical support for supplier, material, and component-related issues as needed.
• Mentor engineers in mechanical design, testing, problem-solving, and engineering best practices.

Skills

Mechanical design

Injection molding

GD&T

Test plans

FMEA

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory compliance

Problem solving

Education

B.S. in Engineering

Tools

CAD

Engineering drawings

Job description

The Senior Mechanical Engineer leads the mechanical design, development, verification, and lifecycle support of safety products across Bullard’s head protection, fire helmet, respiratory protection, and thermal imaging portfolios. Working closely with product management, engineering, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, and operations, this role translates customer and business needs into robust, manufacturable, and compliant product solutions.

What You’ll Do: (Essential functions of this role)

• Lead the definition, documentation, design implementation, and verification of mechanical requirements for new electromechanical safety products.
• Collaborate with product managers and cross-functional teams to establish product specifications, design objectives, cost targets, deadlines, and performance requirements.
• Design plastic components and assemblies for injection molding using CAD, including development of engineering drawings and tolerance analyses.
• Develop test plans and test methods to evaluate product performance, investigate field or production issues, and verify regulatory compliance.
• Analyze test and product evaluation data and present the results.
• Lead mechanical design reviews and communicate design decisions, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Perform tolerance analysis, engineering calculations, material selection, and design risk analysis (FMEA) to ensure product safety and robustness.
• Collaborate with operations, quality, sourcing, and product management teams to support ongoing product improvements.
• Support production and quality teams by investigating, diagnosing, and resolving product and manufacturing issues.
• Participate in product compliance activities, including interpreting applicable standards and regulatory requirements.
• Become a subject matter expert in regulatory and standards product and testing requirements applicable to respiratory protection, head protection, and/or fire helmets.
• Support manufacturing process improvements and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical support for supplier, material, and component-related issues as needed.
• Mentor engineers in mechanical design, testing, problem-solving, and engineering best practices.

What Success Looks Like (KPIs):

• Deliver product designs that are innovative, manufacturable, and meet performance, cost, quality, and schedule objectives.
• Successfully lead design projects with multiple engineers from concept to production.
• Resolve manufacturing and quality issues and update product designs for changing requirements with robust engineering practices and sound design decisions.

What You Bring: (Education, Experience, & Required Skills/Abilities)

• B.S. in an Engineering discipline
• 10 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering of new products or related
• Excel at using CAD to design assemblies and injection-molded plastic parts
• Experience creating and reviewing engineering drawings and using GD&T
• Experience troubleshooting technical problems and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Experience developing test plans, conducting product testing, interpreting technical data, and presenting results clearly.
• Ability to read, understand, and apply industry standards, specifications, and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and DFM, especially with injection molded plastic parts
• Self-starter with a passion for problem-solving and enthusiastic advocacy for the customers’ needs, the products, and the company

The Person must:

• Model a “learning culture” where success is celebrated and employ an attitude of learning from mistakes to generate continuous improvement.
• Be able to collaborate and build trusting internal relationships to enable teamwork.
• Be energetic, engaged, and convey a positive attitude.
• Have strong communication skills, both written and oral.
• Have absolute attention to detail, strong ethics and integrity, and practice confidentiality with information.

Nice to Have- (preferred skills)

• Work experience in any of the following areas:
• Biomedical Engineering
• Helmets or impact-resistant products
• Respirators
• Experience with manufacturing operations, particularly injection molding
• Participation in standards or technical committees
• Experience with regulated products and compliance activities
• Experience with fabrics and sewing

How We Work

• Location: On-site collaboration in Lexington and Cynthiana with some flexibility for remote work.
• Travel: 0-10% for conference attendance and technical training opportunities
• Physical Requirements: Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds, sit or stand for long periods of time

Our Commitment to Safety

The successful candidate must have the ability to understand and adhere to all company safety practices, policies, and procedures to maintain a safe working environment for self and others.

Disclaimer:

This job description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills efforts or working conditions associated with the job; it is intended to be an accurate reflection of those principal job elements essential to the job. Incumbents may be required to perform other duties as assigned or as required by the needs of the business.