Principal Mechanical Design Specialist
Samuel, Son & Co. · Waterloo
As the Principal Mechanical Design Specialist, you are a senior technical authority and internal consultant who helps solve complex mechanical challenges, improves consistency across designs, and strengthens early concept, feasibility, and risk discussions with Applications.
This role combines three core expectations: advanced technical guidance, consistent design practices, and mentorship of developing mechanical designers.
Advanced Technical Leadership
- Solve the hardest mechanical design problems and guide major architecture decisions on complex or high-risk systems
- Help teams make better technical decisions by applying practical judgment, system-level thinking, and long-term design experience
Design Standardization & Technical Excellence
- Improve reuse, engineering robustness, and common design practices across the Mechanical Design function
- Review critical designs for safety, manufacturability, performance, quality, and long-term reliability
Collaboration with Applications Engineering
- Support proposal and concept development by contributing senior mechanical judgment to feasibility, architecture, and risk discussions
- Help ensure proposed solutions are practical, buildable, and ready for execution
Mentorship & Technical Development
- Mentor junior designers, developing team members, and co-op students through practical, hands-on design guidance
- Build stronger engineering judgment across the team by sharing practical knowledge and reinforcing sound design practices
Customer & Cross-Functional Support
- Support customer-facing, build, integration, and issue-resolution work with credible senior mechanical input
- Help Sales, Applications, Operations, Manufacturing, and customer teams align around practical technical solutions
Systems Engineering & Lifecycle Support
- Contribute mechanical input on requirements, specifications, FMEAs, interfaces, verification, testing, and acceptance criteria
- Strengthen execution readiness and lessons learned without taking ownership away from the assigned project or design execution leads
This role partners with the Mechanical Design Manager and Team Leads to raise technical quality, support sound decision-making on complex work, and mentor others through technical influence rather than direct people management.
- Principal Mechanical Design Specialist: guides complex technical decisions, strengthens common practices, develops technical capability, and reduces early design risk
- Team Lead, Mechanical Design: leads daily execution, coaches designers, manages workload visibility, and supports delivery quality
- Mechanical Design Manager: sets priorities, manages people decisions, handles final escalations, and oversees department administration
- Complex or high-risk projects
- New platform or product architecture development
- Cross-project technical problems requiring deeper expertise
- Common design practices and technical improvement initiatives
- Early concept decisions where experienced judgment can reduce downstream risk
- Technical growth of less experienced designers
- Degree or Diploma in Mechanical, Mechatronic, Systems Design, Engineering Physics, Engineering Science, or related discipline
- Extensive experience in industrial automation, custom machine design, and complex system development
- Strong expertise in concept development, technical risk identification, machine architecture, and system integration
- Experience mentoring junior engineers and developing technical capability in others
- Strong proficiency in SolidWorks, PDM, AutoCAD, and related engineering tools
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical ideas clearly across teams
- Ability to travel to customers, other sites, or business units as needed
The base pay range for this position is $49.85/hour - $68.54/hour (CAD). The posted range reflects the expected base hourly rate for this position. Actual base pay will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and experience, as well as internal equity considerations. Offers are typically made within the range and not at the top of the range to support growth and progression. This position is eligible to participate in a short-term incentive plan. Incentive awards, if any, are based on business and individual performance and are not guaranteed.
At Samuel, we believe every team member brings unique and valuable skills, experiences and knowledge to our thriving business – enabling us to build on over 170 years of success in the metals industry. We offer countless opportunities for our team members to develop and grow in their careers, empower them to make decisions on the job and be a part of driving positive change – within our organization and in the communities where we live and work. If you’re seeking a dynamic, supportive and welcoming workplace to make your mark and grow your career, we have the programs, culture and opportunities to make it happen. We’re stronger together.Samuel is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In the United States, we utilize E-Verify.
As the Principal Mechanical Design Specialist, you are a senior technical authority and internal consultant who helps solve complex mechanical challenges, improves consistency across designs, and strengthens early concept, feasibility, and risk discussions with Applications.