Job Title: Engineering Manager – Machine Design

Location: Golden Valley, MN (on-site)

Reports To: CEO

Department: Engineering

About MPE Global

MPE Global designs and builds advanced polyurethane processing equipment and automation systems, with a legacy of quality, innovation, and service dating back to 1967. As we continue to scale operations in our Minneapolis facility, we're looking for an experienced, working Engineering Manager to lead our engineering team and take the mechanical design side of the business forward.

Position Summary

The Engineering Manager is a working manager role — part leader, part senior engineer. Reporting directly to the CEO and serving on the company leadership team, this person will lead both the mechanical and electrical engineering functions with five direct reports: three Mechanical Engineers, one Electrical Engineer, and one Senior Controls Engineer. Mechanical engineering is the core of the role: we need a seasoned machine-design leader — someone who has built custom capital equipment before, knows what good looks like, and can raise the technical bar across the team through guidance, design review, process improvement and best practice. Candidates with genuine electrical engineering experience, including building BOMs and schematics, will stand out.

This is not an administrative management position — but it is not a lead designer seat either. Our mechanical engineers are capable and own their designs; they need a leader with deep, earned experience who can review work at the drawing level, catch problems early, coach best practices, and step in to solve hard problems when builds go sideways. The right candidate mentors, reviews, and unsticks — leading custom capital equipment builds from concept through customer acceptance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical engineering. Provide technical direction for machine design across custom polyurethane processing equipment — frames, fluid handling, metering and mixing systems, tooling, and mechanical integration. Review and approve designs at the model and drawing level; go hands-on when the situation calls for it.
• Lead and mentor a team of five direct reports (3 Mechanical Engineers, 1 Electrical Engineer, 1 Senior Controls Engineer); set priorities, distribute workload, and hold the team accountable to schedule and quality
• Serve as an active member of the leadership team — represent engineering in company-level planning, resourcing, and strategic decisions
• Support and develop the electrical engineering function — provide meaningful design review, guidance on schematics, panel design, and BOM structure, and act as a technical sounding board
• Establish and enforce engineering standards and best practices: design methodology, drawing standards, design review cadence, BOM structure, revision control, and documentation processes
• Act as the senior technical problem-solver — diagnose and resolve design, build, and field issues quickly, and turn lessons learned into standards
• Build accurate, production-ready BOMs that align with purchasing and production workflows in our ERP system
• Oversee engineering execution of custom and standard machine builds from concept through FAT, installation, and customer acceptance
• Drive on-time, on-budget delivery through disciplined project planning, resource allocation, and technical coordination
• Collaborate with production, purchasing, service, and sales to ensure designs are buildable, serviceable, and cost-effective
• Drive continuous improvement in product design, standardization, and design-for-manufacturability
• Represent engineering in key customer meetings, design reviews, and site visits as needed
• Recruit, train, and develop engineering staff as the team grows

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent engineering degree with a strong mechanical design track record)
• 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience in industrial equipment, capital machinery, or automation — including 3+ years leading engineers — with a track record of delivering complex custom machines from concept through commissioning
• Deep design judgment: able to review models and drawings critically, catch problems before they reach the floor, and provide meaningful technical guidance to experienced engineers
• Strong working proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred), GD&T, and detailed drawing packages — comfortable getting hands-on when needed
• Experience creating and managing structured BOMs and engineering documentation
• Working knowledge of machine design fundamentals: structures, fluid systems, pumps, drives, materials, and machining/fabrication methods
• Strong project planning, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills

Preferred:

• Electrical engineering experience — schematics, panel design, electrical BOMs, and the ability to review and guide EE work (strong differentiator)
• Background in polyurethane processing, metering/mixing, or similar fluid- and pump-based systems
• Experience with SolidWorks Electrical and PLC/HMI systems (Siemens preferred)
• Familiarity with UL 508A, CE, and NFPA standards
• Experience supporting field commissioning and customer escalations

Compensation

The expected salary range for this role is $120,000 to $150,000, depending on experience, qualifications, and technical leadership ability.

Additional benefits include:

• Health, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer contribution
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Bonus opportunities
• Annual performance reviews and growth opportunities

Why Join MPE Global?

At MPE Global, we build machines that build value. This role offers real ownership: you'll shape how our machines are designed, set the engineering standards for a growing company, and lead a talented team building custom capital equipment for customers like DuPont, 3M, and Honeywell. With a new facility and strong momentum, it's an exciting time to join and make a visible impact.

Pay: $120,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Have you personally led the design and delivery of custom, engineered-to-order capital equipment — from concept through FAT/commissioning — as opposed to production/process engineering support?
• In your current or most recent role, did you review and approve mechanical models and drawings produced by other engineers? Approximately how many engineers' design work did you review?
• Have you created or reviewed electrical schematics and electrical BOMs?

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Golden Valley, MN 55427 (Required)

Work Location: In person