Chief Mechanical Engineer
The job description
Tech stack. Company-wide technical strategy, mechanical architecture governance, materials and process strategy, manufacturing technology roadmapping, executive technical communication, talent development, platform investment decisions
About the role
You will be the company's ultimate mechanical authority at an industrial equipment manufacturer with product lines spanning pumps, compressors, and material handling systems sold worldwide. Every major mechanical decision in the company will carry your judgment: platform architectures that commit a decade of product development, materials strategies affecting entire supply chains, manufacturing technology investments worth tens of millions, and the design standards every team follows. You will set the mechanical technology direction for the next ten years, build the engineering organization that executes it, and represent the company's mechanical technology to the customers and partners who depend on it.
What you will achieve
- Set the ten-year mechanical technology strategy, choosing directions in materials, manufacturing processes, simulation methods, and design methodology that keep the portfolio competitive through multiple market cycles.
- Govern mechanical architecture across all product lines, balancing platform leverage (shared designs, common suppliers) with product differentiation, each decision documented with clear rationale.
- Make the company's hardest mechanical technology calls with incomplete data and real deadlines, owning outcomes on investments worth tens of millions and defending them with intellectual honesty when conditions change.
- Build the mechanical engineering leadership bench, developing principal and staff engineers who extend your technical reach into every product line and manufacturing site.
- Represent mechanical technology to major customers, strategic partners, and the board, translating deep technical content into strategic clarity that drives business and investment decisions.
What you will bring
Must-haves
- 15 or more years of mechanical engineering experience with recognized mastery across design, analysis, materials, and manufacturing.
- Track record of technical direction adopted across a company or industry segment, with evidence of lasting business impact.
- Experience making large technology and capital investment decisions with direct business consequences, including accountability for outcomes.
- Demonstrated ability to build, mentor, and retain senior technical talent through growth periods and difficult restructurings alike.
- Executive-level communication: decisive, honest, and clear on technical matters with non-technical audiences including the board.
- BS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent; advanced degree strongly preferred.
Nice-to-haves
- Industry recognition through standards committee leadership, invited keynote presentations, or equivalent peer acknowledgment.
- Experience with global manufacturing strategy, footprint decisions, and technology transfer across regions.
- Background spanning hands-on product engineering execution and advanced technology development.
- Familiarity with sustainability-driven design: lifecycle analysis, circular economy principles, and regulatory trends.
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