Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer

About Rochester Sensors

Rochester Sensors, an Amphenol Company, develops sensors for industrial, heavy vehicle, power generation, and storage industries. A multi-national company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with manufacturing facilities in Coppell, Texas USA; Mexico City, Mexico; Brussels, Belgium; Warwick, United Kingdom; Shannon, Ireland; and Shanghai, China. Rochester builds Quality, Accuracy, and Reliability into all products, selling to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors across multiple markets.

Overview

We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to develop rugged liquid level sensing products for industrial and heavy equipment applications. The ideal candidate has experience designing electromechanical products from concept through production, with expertise in sensor design, mechanical packaging, sealing solutions, vibration-resistant design, and integrating electronics into products that must perform reliably in harsh environments.

Responsibilities

• Design the mechanical architecture for advanced liquid level sensing systems, including: guided wave radar probes, capacitive sensing structures, and ultrasonic sensor housings.
• Develop sensor designs capable of surviving years of operation in extreme duty cycles.
• Create mechanical systems that withstand: severe vibration and mechanical shock, extreme temperature ranges (–40°C to +125°C+), fluid exposure and chemical attack, and dust, contamination, and pressure variations.
• Focus on areas including: structural integrity, sealing and environmental protection, electronics packaging, probe and waveguide design, and material selection for durability and corrosion resistance.
• Perform deep failure analysis and root cause investigations.
• Solve problems related to: vibration-induced fatigue, thermal expansion mismatches, fluid interaction with sensing structures, long-term reliability of ruggedized electronics packaging.
• Design and perform FEA analysis on designs for rapid failure analysis.
• Own the mechanical design from concept through production.
• Lead prototype development, testing, and design iteration.
• Drive design decisions balancing performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost.
• Work within automotive-grade development systems including: APQP, DFMEA / PFMEA, design verification and validation testing.
• Support development processes aligned with IATF 16949 quality systems.

Required Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 5+ years of experience designing rugged industrial or automotive products.
• Proven track record developing mechanical systems for electronic sensors or instrumentation.
• Strong experience in several of the following areas: harsh environment product design, ruggedized electronics packaging, vibration and fatigue-resistant mechanical systems, fluid-contact sensor structures, sealing systems and ingress protection, and materials engineering for extreme environments.
• Advanced experience with 3D CAD systems.
• Experience using FEA tools for structural, vibration, and thermal analysis.
• Experience working within automotive-grade product development systems, including: APQP, DFMEA / PFMEA, environmental validation testing, and IATF 16949 environments.

Preferred Experience

• Mechanical design of liquid level sensors.
• Experience with guided wave radar probes or instrumentation.
• Heavy vehicle, construction equipment, or agricultural machinery development.
• EMI/EMC-conscious electronics packaging.
• Design for IP67 / IP69K environmental protection.
• Experience designing products for long service life in high vibration environments.
• A hands-on mechanical architect, not just a CAD designer.
• Comfortable solving complex physics and materials problems.
• Experienced designing products that survive in extreme environments.
• Motivated to create highly reliable sensor systems used worldwide.

Travel Requirements

Up to 10% travel may be required.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, employees may be required to walk for prolonged periods of time, occasionally bending, climbing, rotating, squatting, reaching, kneeling, or stooping, lifting up to 40 pounds, and periods of computer use. Employee may be frequently exposed to heat/cold, heights, gases, vibration, dust, chemicals, odors, dampness, fumes, and noises.

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• Life, AD&D, short/long term disability insurance
• Casual workplace with an unbelievable feeling of energy
• 401K Retirement program with company match