Senior Mechanical Engineer – Custom Automation & Machinery

Impact Recruitment Ltd; Brown Deer (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Impact Recruitment Ltd is seeking an experienced Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and leadership of custom automation projects in Brown Deer, WI. This role focuses on conceiving blue-sky concepts, detailing with SolidWorks, and delivering turnkey, multi-million dollar systems onsite.

You will partner with Project Managers and shop-floor teams to ensure safe, robust, and cost-effective machines from concept through commissioning, with a strong emphasis on leadership and technical

Qualifications

• 3+ years of proven success in custom automated machinery design (industrial machinery and capital equipment).
• BSME degree or 5+ years of design-build experience with SolidWorks for complex mechanisms.
• Hands-on hydraulics/pneumatics experience with welding and multi-axis assembly.

Responsibilities

• Direct the mechanical design integrity, engineering strategy, and profitability for custom, complex machine design-build projects.
• Translate customer requirements into innovative, high-margin automation solutions in collaboration with Project Managers.
• Break down design initiatives into milestones, guiding in-house detailers and external resources.
• Specify hydraulic and pneumatic power transmission systems tailored to each build's demands.
• Conduct early-stage risk assessments to proactively engineer out safety hazards and accessibility issues.
• Manage high-level technical communications with clients while guiding shop-floor actions to stay on schedule and budget.

Skills

SolidWorks

Hydraulics & Pneumatics

Project Leadership

Custom Machine Design

Mechanical Design

Education

BSME

5+ years custom machine design-build

Tools

SolidWorks Large Assemblies

Job description

Senior Mechanical Engineer - Custom Automation & Machinery

Job Order ID: 4766

Employment Type: Permanent

Salary: $90000-120000/Yr

Web Publication Date: 9/8/2026 12:00:00 AM

Job Location: Brown Deer, WI 53209

Job Function:
Senior Mechanical Engineer - Custom Automation & Machinery

Up to $120,000/yr Greater Milwaukee / Brown Deer, WI Area (100% Onsite) 1st Shift / Mon-Fri Full-Time / Direct Hire

• Compensation & Growth: Baseline salary up to $120,000/yr based on custom machine design depth, plus a premium corporate benefits package and a clear leadership advancement track.
• Creative Autonomy: Elite 5-engineer innovation team building custom, ground-up, multi-million dollar automated work cells for global manufacturing leaders; zero repetitive minor part updates.
• Core Technical Scope: \"Blank-page\" machine conception, SolidWorks large assembly layouts, mechanism design, fluid power integration (hydraulics/pneumatics), and project leadership.
• Shop-Floor Synergy: Work in a modern engineering suite located steps from the build floor, collaborating directly with assembly leads to see your designs built, wired, and commissioned.
• Strict Requirements: U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency (Green Card); BSME or 5+ years direct custom machine design-build experience; 3+ years in custom automated equipment engineering.

If you are an inventive engineer who thrives on \"blank page\" design and wants to escape the monotony of minor product updates, repetitive part modifications, or corporate bureaucracy, this senior-track seat offers true creative autonomy. Our client is a highly agile, employee-oriented custom machinery builder scaling rapidly into a premier original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Designing and building multi-million dollar automated systems for clients across North America and Europe, they provide an environment where your engineering ingenuity directly shapes physical builds. As a lead engineer on a focused team, you will direct custom robotic work cells from initial concept through shop-floor testing and final commissioning.

What You Will Be Doing (Daily Responsibilities)

• Lead Ground-Up Conception: Direct the mechanical design integrity, engineering strategy, and profitability for custom, complex machine design-build projects.
• Translate Client Specifications: Partner closely with Project Managers during concept reviews to translate customer requirements into innovative, high-margin, and robust automation solutions.
• Supervise Design Workflows: Break down complex mechanical design initiatives into structured milestones, guiding in-house detailers and external engineering resources.
• Architect Fluid Power Systems: Specify advanced hydraulic and pneumatic power transmission systems tailored to the structural and speed demands of each custom build.
• Mitigate Design Risk: Conduct early-stage risk assessments to proactively engineer out safety hazards, mechanical pinch points, or component accessibility roadblocks.
• Client & Shop Floor Alignment: Manage high-level technical communications with clients while facilitating real-time corrective actions on the assembly floor to keep builds on schedule and budget.

What We Are Looking For (Requirements & Qualifications)

• Custom Machine Design Depth: 3+ years of proven success in custom automated machinery design (industrial machinery and capital equipment—not consumer products, small electronics, or medical devices).
• Education & CAD Mastery: BSME degree or 5+ years of custom machine design-build experience, paired with expert SolidWorks capability for complex mechanisms and large assemblies.
• Fluid Power & Manufacturing Aptitude: Hands-on experience specifying hydraulics/pneumatics and a strong understanding of structural welding and multi-axis assembly.
• Project Leadership: Capability to manage design budgets, direct small drafting teams, and maintain project release timelines.
• Location & Authorization: U.S. Citizenship or Green Card holder residing within a comfortable 45-minute daily driving radius of Brown Deer / Greater Milwaukee, WI.

Preferred Technical Assets (Bonus Skills)

• Robotics & Motion Integration: Experience integrating 6-axis articulated robots, gantry systems, or linear servos into custom work cells.
• FEA & Stress Analysis: Practical capability performing finite element analysis (FEA) on structural weldments and high-load mechanical components.
• Industrial ERP Exposure: Experience utilizing ERP platforms for design BOM releases and engineering change orders (ECOs).

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