Senior ​/ Principal Design Engineer

Senior / Principal Design Engineer

This position can be structured as an individual-contributor Senior or Principal Design Engineer, or as a Design Engineering Manager, depending on the candidate. The core need is the same either way: an experienced mechanical design leader who can coach and mentor the team, build durable processes, and raise the organization's engineering discipline. Formal people-management is not required - the priority is someone who is a strong technical mentor and is comfortable guiding others - but candidates who are leadership-motivated and interested in a management path are encouraged to discuss that option.

We are looking for an experienced, hands-on mechanical design engineer to serve as a senior technical leader for our engineering team. The team currently lacks a seasoned voice to help focus its efforts, mentor less experienced engineers, and establish the processes, procedures, and documentation the organization needs to operate consistently and predictably. This role exists to help move the organization away from a reactive, quality-issue-driven way of working and toward a genuine culture of continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate has a strong mechanism design background, deep fluency in GD&T, and is comfortable acting as the technical bridge between Engineering, Quality, Operations, Procurement, and Manufacturing - including direct, hands-on work with outside suppliers and contract manufacturers.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership, Coaching & Mentoring
• Planning, Prioritization & Roadmap Alignment
• Process, Documentation & Continuous Improvement
• Mechanical Design & GD&T
• Supplier, Manufacturing & Quality Partnership

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 8+ years of mechanical design experience for Senior level, or 12+ years for Principal level, with a demonstrated track record in mechanism design.
• Deep, demonstrated expertise in GD&T (ASME Y14.5), with the ability to teach and mentor others in its application and interpretation.
• Experience designing go/no-go and functional inspection gaging.
• Strong CAD design and drawing skills;
  Solid Works strongly preferred.
• Direct, hands-on experience sourcing, vetting, and managing suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Demonstrated experience working cross-functionally with Quality, Operations, Procurement, and Manufacturing.
• Comfortable coaching and mentoring other engineers - whether or not the role carries formal management responsibility.
• Experience prioritizing engineering work against a product roadmap, and partnering with Product/Project Management on planning, timelines, and resourcing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the firearms industry, or personal interest/familiarity with firearms design, manufacturing, or use.
• Experience building engineering processes and documentation from the ground up in a small- to mid-size manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with formal continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen).

What Success Looks Like

• The team has documented, repeatable design and release processes that didn't exist before.
• GD&T usage and drawing quality across the organization are visibly more consistent and correct.
• Supplier and vendor relationships are more structured, with clearer specs, gaging, and inspection criteria.
• The team is measurably shifting from reactive problem-solving to proactive, continuous improvement.
• Engineers on the team report feeling more focused, supported, and developed.