Lead Mechanical Engineer

Wilevco LLC

Wilevco is a U.S. manufacturer of food processing equipment specializing in coating, mixing, frying, oil filtration, and related processing systems. Our equipment is used by food manufacturers across North America and around the world.

We are seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to take ownership of Wilevco's mechanical engineering function. This is a highly hands-on role for an engineer who can improve and standardize our existing product designs while also supporting new equipment, production, field service, and customer-specific applications.

The right person combines strong mechanical design skills with a practical manufacturing mindset. You should be equally comfortable working in SolidWorks, reviewing a machine on the shop floor, solving an urgent field problem (doing an install when needed), and working with manufacturing to make a design easier and more cost-effective to build.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead for Wilevco's mechanical engineering activities.
• Review, clean up, and standardize existing SolidWorks models, assemblies, and drawings.
• Develop and maintain accurate Bills of Materials (BOMs) for machines and assemblies.
• Create detailed manufacturing and assembly drawings that allow our shop to build equipment efficiently and consistently.
• Apply Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) principles to simplify designs, reduce part counts, improve manufacturability, and lower cost.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, drawing practices, part numbering, revision control, and documentation processes.
• Clean up the PDM system - remove duplicates, create workflows.
• Create and maintain machine manuals, technical documentation, assembly instructions, and supporting engineering documentation.
• Work closely with production, purchasing, sales, and field service to resolve engineering and manufacturing issues quickly.
• Support troubleshooting of machines in production and at customer facilities.
• Respond with urgency when equipment is down or a customer issue requires immediate engineering support.
• Work directly with vendors and fabricators on machining, sheet metal, welding, purchased components, and custom parts. Take a VERY hands on approach, including traveling to suppliers, installations, and sister companies.
• Support new product development and customer-specific equipment projects from concept through manufacturing, testing, installation, and commissioning.
• Ensure designs incorporate appropriate sanitary design principles for food processing equipment.
• Continuously improve Wilevco's engineering processes, documentation, and product designs.

What we are looking for

• Enough experience to be the only engineer but still be hands on
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience, preferably involving industrial machinery, automation, food processing equipment, or other custom equipment.
• Strong proficiency with SolidWorks, including complex parts, assemblies, and detailed manufacturing drawings.
• Experience developing and maintaining structured BOMs.
• Experience with or strong knowledge of SolidWorks PDM or a comparable product data management system.
• Strong understanding of DFMA principles.
• Practical knowledge of manufacturing processes, including stainless-steel fabrication, sheet metal, welding, machining, and mechanical assembly.
• Experience designing equipment incorporating components such as motors, gearboxes, bearings, pumps, pneumatic cylinders, conveyors, and sanitary piping.
• Familiarity with sanitary equipment design and food processing environments is strongly preferred.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-moving, small-company environment.

Who is a fit

We are looking for someone with a strong sense of urgency and ownership. Wilevco is a customer focused, hands-on assembler and priorities can change quickly in order to support customers. A machine may be on the shop floor and need an engineering decision today, or a customer may have an issue in the field that needs to be diagnosed immediately.

You need to be comfortable firefighting when necessary while also building the systems and processes that reduce firefighting over time.

This role is a good fit for someone who:

• Takes ownership of problems and drives them through resolution.
• Moves quickly without sacrificing engineering quality.
• Is comfortable making practical engineering decisions with incomplete information.
• Enjoys getting out from behind the computer and working directly with technicians and fabricators.
• Can balance urgent day-to-day issues with longer-term engineering improvements.
• Looks for ways to simplify designs and make machines easier to manufacture, assemble, service, and maintain.
• Thrives in a smaller company where an engineer can have a direct and visible impact on the product and the business.