What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Engineer (PE) position at Vibration Mountings and Controls Inc?
Description
The Principal Engineer is the enterprise-level technical authority for Test & Measurement, responsible for defining and governing engineering standards and analysis methodologies, providing final technical authority on complex/high-risk decisions, and shaping the technical strategy that drives long-term engineering excellence and compliance. This is a non-management role that partners closely with Engineering Management with a heavy emphasis on mentorship and review of engineering deliverables.
Responsibilities not limited to:
- Define and govern technical standards and methods for seismic/wind certification (analysis workflows, modeling assumptions, verification/validation, test methods); ensure consistent use of the company’s Certification Scheme.
- Serve as final technical authority for complex/high-risk projects: approve major modeling assumptions, boundary conditions, load cases, and final technical deliverables.
- Develop and validate advanced analysis workflows, including nonlinear static, transient dynamic, modal/response-spectrum, and multi-load-case FEA; set acceptance criteria and verification plans.
- Provide technical oversight for the most challenging efforts, such as review and sign off on complex test-fixture designs and ensure alignment between test plans and analytical predictions of members of the department.
- Develop and maintain department technical manuals and guidelines.
- Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions for failures or unexpected test results; codify learnings into methods and training.
- Enable accreditation readiness: ensure technical compliance with ISO/IEC?17065, AC-156, and applicable building codes/standards (IBC, ASCE?7, AISC); review technical content of Certificates of Conformance and certification packages prior to submission.
- Represent the organization as a senior technical SME in audits and HCAI meetings (Engineering Manager leads external representation), and support executive-level customer technical reviews as requested.
- Partner cross-functionally with Engineering Management, Technical Specialist, engineers, sales, labs, and field/testing staff to align on scope, feasibility, risks, and acceptance criteria.
- Mentor and coach the Technical Specialist and all engineers on advanced structural analysis, test methods, and technical writing; lead peer reviews and knowledge-sharing to lift overall quality.
- Scan emerging trends (codes, tools, methods) and recommend strategic updates to keep the T&M engineering practice best-in-class.
Expertise
- Operates as a recognized authority whose decisions have enterprise-level technical and business impact.
- Ensures alignment between technical execution and organizational strategy.
- Integrates market, regulatory, and technical insights.
Accountability
- Accountable for enterprise-level technical outcomes and risk management.
- Makes high-impact technical decisions within policy and accreditation constraints.
- Ensures alignment between technical execution and organizational strategy owned by management.
Leadership & Influence
- Influences senior leadership and cross-functional partners by articulating complex issues clearly and credibly; builds alignment around standards, risks, and trade-offs.
- Partners with Engineering Management (who owns leadership/people management) to drive execution and external representation, while retaining individual-contributor status.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Civil, or Structural Engineering
- Professional Engineer (PE) license
- 8–12 years of progressive engineering experience with significant expertise with the following:
- Detailed structural focusing on stiffness methods
- FEA tools (e.g., FEMAP, ANSYS or equivalent)
- AutoCAD and Inventor or similar 2D/3D modeling software(s)
- Experimental testing (e.g., shake-table and wind testing), and certification programs
- Deep working knowledge of IBC, ASCE?7, AISC, and AC-156; proven ability to interpret and apply these to non-structural equipment certification
- Demonstrated ability to produce high-level technical reports and to review/sign off on high-complexity deliverables
Salary : $100,000 - $120,000