Mechanical Designer

Permanent, fully onsite position in Dakota City, IA.

About the role

The Mechanical Designer provides drafting and design support using CAD tools such as SolidWorks and AutoCAD to develop equipment models and detailed manufacturing and assembly drawings. This role collaborates closely with a design team to create and improve machinery, applies established drafting standards and best practices, and participates in peer reviews to ensure accuracy and quality. The position offers the opportunity to follow projects from concept through to the shop floor, occasionally visiting job sites and performing other related duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Provide drafting and mechanical design work using SolidWorks and AutoCAD for a range of equipment and machinery.
• Develop accurate equipment models and detailed manufacturing and field assembly drawings in accordance with established drafting standards and best practices.
• Understand the function and design of existing product lines to support improvements and new designs.
• Participate in the design of new and current equipment in cooperation with a multidisciplinary design team.
• Review models and drawings created by others as part of the peer review process and provide constructive feedback.
• Update and revise drawings created by others, accurately incorporating required changes and engineering change notices.
• Apply company drafting standards and best practices consistently across all design work.
• Collaborate with engineering and shop floor personnel to verify design intent and ensure manufacturability of parts and assemblies.
• Support documentation processes within PDM and ERP systems related to design and engineering changes.
• Occasionally travel to job sites to support equipment design, installation, or troubleshooting as needed.
• Perform other related mechanical design and drafting duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a mechanical designer or in a closely related design role.
• Two-year drafting and design technical certificate, degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fluent user of AutoCAD and SolidWorks, or highly transferrable CAD software experience.
• Strong mechanical design and drafting skills, including creating detailed models and drawings for manufacturing and assembly.
• Experience working with engineering change notices and related documentation processes.
• Knowledge of PDM (Product Data Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software in an engineering or manufacturing environment.
• Ability to take initiative and work effectively with minimal supervision while managing multiple design tasks.
• Demonstrated productivity, dependability, resourcefulness, efficiency, and professionalism in a design or engineering setting.

Skills

• Experience in agriculture, material handling, material blending, or fertilizer industries.
• Familiarity with shop floor processes and the ability to collaborate with production teams to validate designs.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining high-quality design standards.
• Effective communication skills to work within a design team and participate in peer reviews.

Work Environment

This is a primarily office-based role supporting computer-aided design work within an engineering department. The standard schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The designer works upstairs alongside the engineering team, with occasional trips to the shop floor to review parts and see designs in operation. The environment features a relaxed, people-focused culture where casual attire such as jeans and T-shirts is common. Team members have opportunities to see their designs progress from concept to completed machinery, including starting up machines before they ship to customers. The workplace emphasizes collaboration, a friendly atmosphere, and periodic social activities such as informal tournaments and catered lunches.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $60,000.00 per year. Individual compensation offered within this range will depend on qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

• 401k
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance

Schedule

Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM.