Mechanical Design Engineer

Job Description

The Mechanical Design Engineer supports the development and sustaining engineering of large plastic products used in decentralized wastewater, stormwater, rainwater collection, and advanced treatment applications. Working from functional requirements and engineering challenges, this role independently creates practical, manufacturable design solutions and guides products from concept through release.

Responsibilities

• Develop practical and manufacturable mechanical design solutions based on functional requirements and engineering challenges.
• Create detailed SolidWorks 3D models, assemblies, and production drawings for large plastic products.
• Design assemblies and components that meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements.
• Select appropriate materials and manufacturing processes, including injection molding, blow molding, and extrusion, to achieve design and production objectives.
• Participate in and contribute to design reviews, providing clear rationale for design decisions and trade-offs.
• Support prototyping activities, including build planning, troubleshooting, and iteration based on test results.
• Provide engineering support for testing, including defining test needs, interpreting results, and refining designs accordingly.
• Manage and implement engineering changes and product-release activities to ensure accurate documentation and smooth transition to production.
• Support engineering document control and product lifecycle activities within a 3DEXPERIENCE environment, including model migration, revision control, approval routing, BOM management, and production release.
• Maintain ownership of assigned design challenges, develop multiple solution options, and drive work forward with minimal direction.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing, R&D, quality, project management, materials, and operations teams to ensure designs align with production capabilities and business needs.
• Apply knowledge of product geometry, material properties, manufacturing limitations, tooling constraints, and functional requirements to make sound mechanical design decisions.
• Ensure designs reflect principles of Design for Manufacturing and support efficient, reliable production.
• Support product development activities across the lifecycle, including concept development, detailed design, prototyping, testing, and release.
• Engage with prototype and testing technicians to translate design intent into physical builds and validate performance.
• Maintain clear, accurate engineering documentation, including BOMs, configurations, and revision histories.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of design standards, workflows, and engineering practices within the design team.

Essential Skills

• At least three to five years of recent mechanical product design experience, with demonstrated capability and autonomy in owning design work.
• Current, hands-on proficiency in SolidWorks, including parts, assemblies, drawings, surfacing, configurations, BOMs, and design revisions.
• Direct experience designing plastic products, with practical exposure to processes such as injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming, fiberglass, composites, or elastomeric components.
• Strong understanding of how material properties, geometry, tooling, production requirements, and expected loads influence mechanical design decisions.
• Experience applying Design for Manufacturing principles to ensure designs are practical and efficient to produce.
• Ability to independently own mechanical design tasks from concept through release, without requiring continuous direction.
• Knowledge of materials and mechanical properties relevant to plastic product design and environmental infrastructure applications.
• Experience supporting prototypes and testing, including interpreting test results and updating designs accordingly.
• Proficiency in creating clear, accurate engineering drawings and assemblies for production use.
• Familiarity with CAD and PDM/PLM tools, including environments such as 3DEXPERIENCE, SolidWorks PDM, Windchill, or Teamcenter.
• Experience with engineering change processes, including ECOs, ECNs, engineering releases, approval routing, BOM ownership, and revision control.
• Strong functional problem-solving skills and sound engineering judgment.
• Clear communication skills, with the ability to explain the reasoning behind selected design solutions.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and intellectual honesty in evaluating design options and trade-offs.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Product Design, or a related technical discipline is preferred.
• An associate degree in a relevant technical field may be considered when supported by extensive, directly relevant mechanical design experience.
• Experience with product development in environmental infrastructure applications such as wastewater, stormwater, and rainwater collection is beneficial.
• Exposure to large-scale plastic components and high-tonnage injection molding equipment is an advantage.
• Comfort working within a structured PDM/PLM environment for model management, revision control, and product lifecycle activities.
• Technical curiosity and a desire to understand how manufacturing, materials, and field performance interact with design decisions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including R&D, quality, project management, materials, manufacturing, and operations.
• Strong sense of design ownership, with a preference for leading design activities rather than performing isolated drafting tasks.
• Manufacturing awareness and appreciation for production constraints, tooling considerations, and process capabilities.
• Capability to participate across the full product lifecycle, including design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing support, and product release.

Work Environment

This role is part of a dedicated design engineering team based in Old Saybrook, working closely with three local design engineers, an engineering and project resource in Kentucky, and prototype and testing technicians. The engineer collaborates broadly with R&D, quality, project management, materials, manufacturing, and operations, providing a highly integrated product-development environment. The workplace offers proximity to an onsite prototype lab and machine shop, as well as exposure to some of the largest injection-molding equipment and plastic components in the industry. The position focuses on meaningful product-development priorities in wastewater, stormwater, and environmental infrastructure, with opportunities to own design activities and see work through from concept to production. The team maintains a steady workload that can support extended engagement beyond an initial contract period, with the potential to remain involved for approximately 12 months if performance and workload align.

This is a Contract position based out of Old Saybrook, CT.

The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $45.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Old Saybrook,CT.

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 30, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.