Mechanical Project Lead

Mechanical Project Lead

About Pipeline

Pipeline Design & Engineering develops custom manufacturing equipment, precision test fixtures, automated machines, and advanced manufacturing processes for R&D and manufacturing teams.

Our mission is to build equipment that R&D and manufacturing teams LOVE to use.

Our purpose is to promote joy in the lives of our team members.

We look for a strong cultural fit before the technical fit: https://teampipeline.us/culture/

As integrators and expert machine designers, we provide turnkey solutions that combine mechanical engineering, controls, software, electrical systems, fabrication, assembly, and testing. We also support general product development projects, including medical devices and consumer products.

Position Overview

Pipeline is seeking an experienced Mechanical Project Lead who can successfully guide customer projects while remaining actively involved in the engineering.

This individual will serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customers, lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, manage project schedules and budgets, and ensure that every deliverable meets Pipeline’s standards for quality and completeness.

The ideal candidate has extensive hands-on experience designing custom automation, manufacturing equipment, and precision fixtures. They should be comfortable mentoring less-experienced engineers, leading technical discussions, managing competing priorities, and stepping in wherever necessary to keep projects moving forward.

Project Leadership Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customers.
• Gather technical information from customers and communicate requirements, decisions, and changes to the engineering team.
• Define project tasks, assign responsibilities, and create and maintain project schedules.
• Track project progress, budgets, risks, and outstanding decisions.
• Prevent surprises by communicating potential technical, schedule, and budget issues early.
• Lead internal and customer-facing design reviews.
• Coordinate work among mechanical, controls, electrical, software, manufacturing, and assembly team members.
• Review engineering work to ensure deliverables are accurate, thorough, manufacturable, and of consistently high quality.
• Prepare formal proposals, project estimates, and quotes for prospective customer projects.
• Mentor younger engineers in mechanical design, machine design, automation, documentation, and engineering best practices.
• Help develop and improve Pipeline’s engineering workflows, standards, templates, and processes.
• Resolve unexpected issues, fill gaps, and ensure important details do not slip through the cracks.

Mechanical Engineering Responsibilities

• Design custom manufacturing equipment, automated machines, and precision fixtures using Solidworks.
• Select and integrate motion-control and automation hardware, including motors, linear actuators, pneumatic cylinders, sensors, vision systems, PLCs, and related components.
• Select and implement off-the-shelf mechanical hardware such as toggle clamps, spring plungers, shoulder screws, dowel pins, bearings, gears, and linear-motion components.
• Identify and source appropriate components from a broad range of automation and industrial-hardware suppliers.
• Design parts and assemblies for CNC machining, 3D printing, sheet-metal fabrication, weldments, and occasionally plastic injection molding.
• Perform basic engineering analyses of components, assemblies, and mechanical systems.
• Conduct project-specific research, development, and feasibility testing.
• Assemble and test benchtop prototypes, fixtures, and mechanical systems.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electromechanical systems during assembly and commissioning.
• Create manufacturing drawings, bills of materials, technical reports, test documentation, and other project deliverables.
• Participate in technical meetings and design reviews with customers, vendors, and Pipeline team members.
• Support equipment builds, testing, installation, and customer acceptance activities as needed.

Why Work with Pipeline?

• Get paid to work on fun, technically challenging engineering projects.
• Work alongside experienced professionals from whom you can learn and grow.
• Flexibility to work from the office, remotely, or both, depending on assigned project needs.
• Company contribution toward health-insurance coverage.
• Dental and vision plans offered through the company.
• Eligibility to participate in Pipeline’s profit-based bonus program.
• At least two weeks of paid time off.
• Eight paid holidays plus paid sick leave.
• A standard Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. schedule.
• Work with a group of truly delightful human beings.

Our Core Values

Individuals who identify with these values will find the greatest opportunity and fulfillment at Pipeline:

• Treat our customers well; treat our team members better.
• Governed by productivity, not bureaucracy.
• Suffocate chaos; promote order.
• Prevent surprises.

Work Location

This position may involve working from Pipeline’s Tempe office, remotely from a home office, or a combination of both, depending on the needs of assigned projects. Must reside within the Phoenix metropolitan area and be able to work from Pipeline’s Tempe office as project needs require. Candidates who do not currently reside within the Phoenix metropolitan area will not be considered.

Representative examples of the projects this individual may support can be reviewed in the Custom Manufacturing Equipment section of our case studies:

https://teampipeline.us/case-studies/

Next Steps

If you believe you are a strong fit for this position, please complete the questionnaire and engineering exercises linked below and submit them according to the included instructions.

Only candidates who complete and return both the questionnaire and engineering exercises will be considered. Please use Solidworks 2025 or earlier version.

Approved candidates will then be contacted to schedule an interview.

To help us better understand your capabilities, we also encourage you to share photographs or videos of relevant projects you have supported

Questionnaire and engineering exercises:

https://www.dropbox.com/t/GlSG5cAKSsAryIvT