Mechanical Designer

Actalent · Lake Orion, MI · Yesterday

On-siteEngineering$36–$50/hrContract

About the role

The Mechanical rim Tooling Designer designs and develops tooling and equipment used in automotive final assembly, including I/P carriers, lift assist tools, sub tables, conveyors, and other assembly tools. Over 90% of the role involves computer-based design work in UGNX on major automotive programs, ensuring compliance with established engineering standards.

Responsibilities

Design mechanical tooling and equipment to support automotive final assembly project objectives, including I/P carriers, lift assist tools, sub tables, conveyors, and other assembly tools.
Perform the majority of design work (over 90% of the time) using UGNX, focusing on complex tooling and automation equipment for automotive applications.
Ensure designs adhere to applicable OEM and internal standards and specifications throughout the project lifecycle.
Work closely with Manufacturing, Controls Engineering, and Project Management to support projects from inception through final customer acceptance and sign-off.
Provide follow-up support after customer sign-off to address design-related issues and continuous improvement opportunities.
Cook up all internal and external mechanical design activities to maintain alignment with project scope, schedule, and quality requirements.
Review and release final engineering drawings to the manufacturing department, ensuring accuracy and completeness for build.
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with customers and suppliers to support effective communication and project execution.
Lead, organize, and participate in design review meetings for both internal and outsourced designs, driving alignment and timely decision-making.
Ensure equipment being started up and commissioned operates in accordance with approved customer specifications and performance requirements.
Interpret engineering drawings and specifications to develop and provide clear equipment installation instructions that comply with site installation requirements.
Gather required project information from customers and suppliers to create comprehensive equipment and tooling specifications.
Develop equipment specifications for internal mechanical design and for builds by outside vendors, ensuring clarity and feasibility.
Ensure selected suppliers follow established design and engineering processes, meet project quality and delivery expectations, and stay within budget.
Document project information, decisions, and changes related to mechanical design based on input from customers and suppliers.
Conduct thorough handovers when transitioning projects to integration teams for build, ensuring alignment on design intent and requirements.
Complete project-related purchase requests for design work and provide accurate information to the purchasing team.
Travel to supplier and customer sites when required to support design reviews, equipment buy-offs, and project coordination (typically less than 5% travel).
Provide clear, project-specific direction to design suppliers to ensure deliverables meet technical and quality expectations.
Conduct design and build buy-offs and quality checks to verify that tooling and equipment meet specifications and customer requirements.
Review all mechanical engineering drawings prior to final release to ensure compliance with customer requirements and readiness for customer buyoff.

Essential Skills

At least 3 years of experience designing tooling, equipment, or automation equipment for manufacturing or assembly environments.
Minimum of 3 years of experience designing in UGNX, with strong proficiency in 3D modeling and 2D detailing.
Demonstrated experience in tool design for automotive equipment and manufacturing tooling, including lift assist tools and assembly tooling.
Experience working on automotive programs, specifically previous experience with Ford programs in general or final assembly.
Hands-on experience with automation design and tooling for assembly lines, including IP carriers and sub tables.
Ability to interpret and apply engineering drawings, customer specifications, and industry standards to mechanical design work.
Strong capability to review, validate, and release mechanical engineering drawings for manufacturing and customer approval.
Proven experience coordinating with cross-functional teams such as Manufacturing, Controls Engineering, Project Management, customers, and suppliers.
Ability to lead and participate in design review meetings and provide clear technical direction to internal teams and external design suppliers.
Strong documentation skills to record project information, design decisions, and changes from customers and suppliers.
Willingness and ability to travel occasionally (typically less than 5%) to local tooling suppliers or customer sites as needed.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

General assembly experience in automotive manufacturing environments is highly beneficial.
Body shop experience, particularly with tooling and automation, is a strong plus.
Experience working with automotive final assembly tooling and equipment beyond Ford programs is advantageous.
Familiarity with manufacturing tooling build processes and performing design and build buy-offs.
Experience collaborating with external vendors and design suppliers to manage outsourced design and build activities.
Ability to develop detailed equipment installation instructions and ensure compliance with site installation requirements.
Strong relationship-building skills with customers and suppliers, supporting long-term strategic partnerships.
Comfort working in a growing design organization and contributing to the development of in-house design capabilities.

Work Environment

The role is based in a modern, brand-new facility in Auburn Hills that is positioned for further expansion and growth. The design group consists of a close-knit team of approximately seven designers on this team (including both direct employees and contractors), with an additional design team of four to five designers supporting other customers. The culture emphasizes a family-style, collaborative environment where team members work together and support one another. Work is primarily office-based, with most time spent at a computer using UGNX to design tooling and equipment for automotive final assembly. The standard schedule is five days per week in the office, with occasional opportunities to work from home as business needs allow.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Lake Orion, MI.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $36.00 - $50.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Lake Orion, MI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 10, 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.