Mechanical Designer - 3D & Process Design
Modern Process Equipment (MPE) · Chicago, IL · Full-time
Chicago, IL (on-site) | Full-time | Design & Engineering | Occasional travel (<10%)
About MPE
- Family-owned for 65+ years - over 90% of North American coffee runs through MPE grinders
- All products designed and manufactured in Chicago - small-company culture, enterprise-level impact
- Customers include Starbucks, Nestl, Purina, and Hershey's
- Markets served: coffee, pet food, cereal, craft brewing, dried nuts & chemical processing
The Role
MPE is hiring a Mechanical Designer to take custom processing equipment from blank canvas to finished build. You'll model integrated systems in 3D, draft mezzanines and structural components, and work directly with our sales team, project managers, and the customers themselves - turning unique processing challenges into equipment that ships from our Chicago facility. You'll also get real R&D bandwidth to invent product improvements and tackle problems that don't have an answer yet. Not just CAD work - you'll see what you design get welded, machined, and shipped.
Responsibilities
Design & Modeling
- Build 2D and 3D models of integrated grinding, conveying, and complete plant systems
- Take customer orders from concept stage through manufacturing
- Spec mezzanines, structural components, and process equipment integration
- Prepare approval, fabrication, and installation drawing packages
- Ensure designs are manufacturable in-house and by external fabricators
Collaboration & Communication
- Work with sales to translate initial customer requirements into design direction
- Partner with project managers from concept through manufacturing
- Meet directly with customers to understand project goals and surface constraints early
- Participate in internal design reviews and walk customers through your work
- Communicate clearly across written drawings, calls, and shop-floor conversations
R&D & Innovation
- Develop product improvements and inventive solutions for open-ended problems
- Prototype new ideas and iterate with the engineering team
- Apply your engineering skill set to designs without an existing playbook
- Contribute to continuous improvement of MPE's product platform
- Watch designs go from screen to shop floor - and back to your desk for v2
Requirements
Education & Experience
- 2-year degree in mechanical drafting/design (or similar) - or 4-year engineering degree
- Industrial design experience required - you've worked on equipment that gets built
- Process plant or food/beverage equipment experience a plus
- Exposure to sanitary or USDA/FDA equipment standards a plus
Technical Skills
- Proficiency in 3D modeling - SolidWorks preferred
- Proficiency in 2D drafting - AutoCAD preferred
- Working knowledge of GD&T, fabrication processes, and materials
- Basic understanding of processing plant design
- Quick to grasp new technical concepts and product applications
Soft Skills
- Effective in front of a customer and on the shop floor
- Detail-oriented with a bias for action - you close loops
- Able to juggle multiple active projects in a fast-paced environment
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Inventive - you can think outside the spec sheet
Culture Fit
- Results-oriented, accountable, and a genuine team player
- Comfortable taking initiative with limited direction
- Curious - you want to know how the equipment actually works
- Thrives in a small-company environment serving large customers
- Genuine desire to learn the industry
Benefits
- Competitive salary + bonus
- Major medical
- 401(k)
- Profit sharing
- Hands-on training
- Growth path
Ready to Design Equipment That Actually Gets Built?
Apply today - send your resume along with sample drawings or a portfolio. We're more interested in what you've designed than where you went to school.
