Mechanical Design Engineer

About the role

This Mechanical Design Engineer role focuses on refrigeration and HVAC-related product design for commercial ice machines and associated equipment. You will apply mechanical engineering principles to develop, modify, and sustain electromechanical and appliance-style products while closely supporting manufacturing, testing, and validation activities.

Responsibilities

• Design and modify commercial ice machine products, with an emphasis on sustaining engineering and incremental design changes across existing product variations.
• Support manufacturing and production issues, including build challenges, design-related concerns, testing feedback, and vendor-related issues.
• Participate in lab testing and validation activities, spending approximately half of the time in the lab and half at the desk, to verify product performance and reliability.
• Apply mechanical design skills using CAD tools (platform agnostic) to create, update, and maintain product documentation and models.
• Contribute to product development and sustaining engineering efforts, ensuring products remain robust, efficient, and aligned with performance and quality requirements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with lab personnel, manufacturing floor teams, and other engineering disciplines to resolve issues and improve products.
• Engage in stage-gate and design review processes as part of a team, presenting design changes, discussing trade-offs, and incorporating feedback into final solutions.
• Provide manufacturing support and troubleshooting on the production floor, helping to diagnose root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Interact with vendors as needed to address component issues, clarify requirements, and support smooth integration of supplied parts into the product.
• Apply knowledge of refrigeration and HVAC systems to support design decisions and performance improvements, without needing to serve as the sole expert-level owner.
• Utilize awareness of DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis); conceptual knowledge is required, though full ownership of these tools is not necessary.

Requirements

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline, or equivalent practical experience in mechanical design.
• Refrigeration or HVAC experience, with required exposure to refrigeration or HVAC systems; depth of expertise is flexible but foundational knowledge is necessary.
• Mechanical design experience using CAD software, with the ability to work in a tool-agnostic environment; familiarity with SolidWorks is preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated experience supporting manufacturing and production, including troubleshooting issues on the shop floor and collaborating with production teams.
• Product design experience in electromechanical or appliance-type products, with an understanding of how mechanical, electrical, and controls components interact.
• Hands-on engineering approach, comfortable splitting time between lab testing, validation, and desk-based design work.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, including effective communication with lab staff, manufacturing personnel, and other engineers.
• Able to participate in structured stage-gate and design review processes, contributing technical input and incorporating feedback into designs.

Qualifications

• Experience working with appliance or refrigeration products, particularly commercial ice machines or similar equipment.
• Background in sustaining engineering, focusing on incremental improvements, reliability enhancements, and cost-effective design updates.
• Exposure to DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis); conceptual knowledge is required, though full ownership of these tools is not necessary.
• Vendor interaction experience, including collaborating with suppliers to resolve component issues and align on specifications.
• Interest in growing expertise in refrigeration product design and in contributing to continuous improvement of product performance and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative, family-oriented culture that values open communication, long-term relationships, and collective problem solving.
• Comfort working in a high-volume, repetitive manufacturing environment where efficiency and consistency are critical.

Skills

• Knowledge of refrigeration and HVAC systems.
• Hands-on engineering approach.
• Collaborative cross-functional skills.
• Structured stage-gate and design review processes.
• DFMEA and FEA methodologies.
• Vendor interaction experience.

Benefits

• Market-competitive pay.
• Comprehensive health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• Retail and thrift savings plans.
• Paid time off.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program.
• Annual profit-sharing bonus.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $109,000.00 - $138,000.00/yr. Benefits include health insurance, 401K, paid time off (PTO), and other company-sponsored programs. In addition to the base salary, this position is eligible for an annual profit-sharing bonus.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Denver, CO.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 15, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation, and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia, and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service. The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.