Mechanical Engineering Manager
Vantage Point Recruiting
Job Description
As the Mechanical Engineering Manager, you will provide functional leadership for Enercon's Mechanical Engineering team within our Design Engineering organization. You will be responsible for building and sustaining a high-performing team, establishing consistent mechanical engineering practices, and ensuring the organization has the technical capability, tools, and processes needed to execute electronics-based product development efficiently and predictably. This role requires strong hands-on technical depth to guide technical decisions, review work product, coach engineers, and serve as an escalation point for complex mechanical challenges.
Responsibilities: Lead and manage the Mechanical Engineering function, including team structure, staffing plans, onboarding, performance management, and professional development. Establish clear expectations and consistent engineering standards for mechanical design quality, documentation, and release practices across projects. Provide technical oversight across projects by reviewing requirements, architectures, designs, analyses, drawings, and verification plans-ensuring work meets Enercon standards and project needs.
Serve as a technical escalation point for complex design and manufacturability challenges, guiding engineers to practical, high-quality solutions. Partner with project management team and other engineering managers on resource planning, prioritization, and tradeoffs across a multi-project environment. Ensure mechanical engineering deliverables align with project scope, quality, schedule, risk, and cost objectives through effective functional coordination and accountability.
Drive continuous improvement of mechanical engineering processes, templates, design review practices, and documentation controls. Maintain and evolve the tools and systems used by the Mechanical Engineering group (e.g., CAD standards, libraries, PLM/PDM interfaces, analysis workflows). Promote design-for-manufacture best practices and strong supplier/manufacturing collaboration across common fabrication methods (injection molding, sheet metal, castings, machining, etc.).
Support supplier engagement as needed by defining requirements for component specifications, manufacturing processes, and inspection criteria, and ensuring the team executes effectively with vendors. Ensure appropriate risk management and design control rigor is applied on projects, including participation in design reviews, verification strategy, and transfer-to-manufacturing readiness. Coach and mentor engineers to strengthen technical rigor, communication, ownership, and cross-functional execution.
Contribute to department-level leadership priorities, including hiring strategy, capability development, and overall project execution performance. Skills you'll have to succeed: Demonstrated success leading a mechanical engineering team in a product development environment, with strong people leadership and functional management capability. Deep practical knowledge of mechanical product development-enough hands-on expertise to evaluate designs, challenge assumptions, and provide actionable technical guidance.
Strong ability to diagnose complex technical problems and drive resolution through structured engineering thinking and effective team direction. Extensive experience designing custom plastic components and assemblies (especially injection molding), including DFM, tolerancing, tooling considerations, and material selection. Extensive experience with metal part/assembly design and fabrication (sheet metal, castings, extrusions, machined parts), including cost and manufacturability tradeoffs.
Strong proficiency with 3D CAD and drawing practices (SolidWorks or equivalent), including the ability to review and enforce modeling/drawing standards. Familiarity with analysis methods such as FEA and thermal simulation, with the ability to evaluate results and ensure appropriate use. Familiarity with industrial design concepts and how they interface with mechanical engineering requirements.
Working knowledge of design controls and documentation practices in regulated development/manufacturing environments (e.g., ISO 13485, FDA expectations, IEC/UL considerations). Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including customer-facing technical communication when needed. Strong interpersonal skills and cross-functional leadership across Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Project Management.
High ownership, urgency, and perseverance in pursuit of team and business outcomes. Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline (or equivalent experience). 10 years of mechanical product design/development experience; 15 years preferred. 5 years of engineering leadership experience (functional management strongly preferred; may include a mix of people leadership and senior technical/team leadership).