Animatronic - Principal Mechanical Engineer - In Office

About the role

LifeFormations is seeking a full-time experienced Engineer to join our growing team in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ideal candidate will lead the design and integration of mechanical systems for animated figures, sculpted elements, exhibits, and interactive experiences.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the integration of mechanical design with electrical and control systems for animated figures, mechanical effects, and show-action equipment.
• Guide a team to create designs that meet or exceed customer expectations with safety and reliability at the forefront.
• Lead a portfolio of employees, vendors, projects, and customers, serving as the engineering point of contact for all customer conversations and concerns.
• Owning and leading a team or design vendors through the development of animated figures from design to assembly, testing, and installation.
• Developing senior engineers to own projects under your supervision.
• Auditing internal mechanical and shell designs for best practices and verifying system functionality.
• Using SolidWorks to design animated figures using Design for Manufacturing principles.
• Coordinating and leading engineering efforts with digital modeling, controls, and fabrication teams.
• Analyzing animated figures through hand calculations, bearing calculations, RBDs, and FEA.
• Performing quality control on both internal and external analyses.
• Reviewing drawing packages and approving parts for production.
• Leading the team through the drawing creation process.
• Leading design workshops and reviews.
• Presenting company design and fabrication work to customers.
• Troubleshooting assembly and performance problems on the production floor.
• Collaborating to create and maintain all mechanical and armature documentation throughout the project.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related technical fields.
• 9 years of mechanical design and analysis experience.
• 4 years of animatronic design experience within the themed entertainment industry.
• 3 years of technical and functional leadership experience.
• Leadership experience through a design/build project.
• Hands-on troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to provide solutions to complex problems outside your comfort zone in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Experience in creating Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Hazard Analysis (HA), Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD), and Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

Benefits

LifeFormations offers a competitive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.

Pay

Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Full-time position with flexible hours to accommodate project needs.