WMD Squared is hiring a Lead Mechanical Engineer / PE — SolidWorks Design Team Lead to join our engineering and design team.
This is a senior-level technical and leadership role for a licensed Professional Engineer / PE with strong SOLIDWORKS experience, practical manufacturing knowledge, and the ability to lead and mentor a team of designers and engineers.
The ideal candidate will have experience designing real-world mechanical equipment that is fabricated, assembled, installed, serviced, and used in the field. Our work includes industrial equipment, power generation equipment, marine vessels, trailer-mounted skids, pressure vessel-related equipment, heavy equipment, mobile units, weldments, hydraulic equipment, and custom mechanical systems.
This person will serve as a technical lead, support project execution, review design work, mentor team members, maintain design standards, and help guide complex mechanical design projects from concept through production release.
About WMD Squared
WMD Squared Engineering is a design and engineering company specializing in practical, production-ready solutions for industrial, marine, power generation, heavy equipment, and custom mechanical systems.
We support customers from concept through detailed design, manufacturing drawings, fabrication support, and field implementation. Our team works closely with manufacturers, fabricators, and end users, so this role is ideal for someone who is not only strong technically but also understands how equipment is actually built and used.
Responsibilities
Lead and mentor mechanical designers, drafters, CAD technicians, and engineering team members.
Serve as a technical lead on complex mechanical design projects.
Review drawings, 3D models, assemblies, BOMs, and design packages for accuracy, completeness, manufacturability, and consistency.
Help assign work, set priorities, monitor project progress, and keep design tasks moving toward deadlines.
Support and maintain CAD standards, drawing standards, file management practices, revision control, and design quality expectations.
Design mechanical equipment, industrial systems, marine structures, trailer-mounted skids, power generation equipment, pressure vessel-related components, mobile units, welded structures, hydraulic equipment, and fabricated assemblies.
Create and manage detailed 3D models, assemblies, production drawings, fabrication drawings, and Bills of Materials using SOLIDWORKS.
Develop design packages suitable for manufacturing, fabrication, purchasing, assembly, and customer review.
Coordinate with engineers, project managers, customers, fabricators, vendors, and shop personnel.
Support design reviews, redlines, revisions, engineering change requests, and customer submittals.
Apply practical knowledge of welded steel structures, sheet metal, machining, mechanical assemblies, equipment layout, and production design.
Use or support design tools such as SOLIDWORKS PDM / EPDM, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, and related CAD/document control systems.
Assist with stress calculations, design validation, and coordination with FEA resources when required.
Support ASME Y14.5 drawing standards, GD&T, and good drafting practices.
Participate in customer meetings, shop visits, field reviews, and occasional on-site support as needed.
Required Qualifications
Licensed Professional Engineer / PE required.
Strong experience with SOLIDWORKS required.
5–10+ years of mechanical design, mechanical engineering, manufacturing design, or related industrial equipment experience.
Prior experience leading, mentoring, supervising, or coordinating the work of designers, drafters, CAD technicians, or engineering team members.
Experience reviewing drawings, checking design work, managing revisions, and maintaining CAD/design standards.
Experience creating or overseeing production-level part drawings, assembly drawings, weldment drawings, and Bills of Materials.
Strong understanding of mechanical assemblies, fabricated equipment, weldments, sheet metal, machining, and real-world manufacturing processes.
Experience designing equipment that will actually be built, installed, serviced, and used in the field.
Ability to communicate clearly with engineers, designers, customers, vendors, fabricators, and shop personnel.
Strong attention to detail, drawing accuracy, project follow-through, and revision control.
Familiarity with ASME Y14.5, GD&T, and standard drafting practices.
Ability to plan projects, estimate design time, assign work, and help the team stay on schedule.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with SOLIDWORKS PDM, EPDM, or Vault.
Experience with Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD.
Experience in power generation equipment, marine vessels, heavy equipment, oil and gas equipment, trailer-mounted skids, pressure vessels, industrial equipment, or mobile equipment.
Experience leading a CAD/design group or engineering design team.
Experience with customers such as marine builders, industrial manufacturers, power generation companies, or fabrication shops.
Experience with weldments, structural steel, hydraulic systems, piping, equipment packaging, and field-installed mechanical systems.
Experience with pressure vessel-related design, BPVC analysis, Compress, or similar tools.
Experience with SOLIDWORKS Simulation, FEA, ANSYS, SIMULIA, or similar analysis tools.
Hands-on shop, fabrication, field, or manufacturing experience is a major plus.
Location
This role is ideally based in or near Lafayette, Louisiana.
We will also consider strong candidates based near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Remote or hybrid arrangements may be considered for highly qualified candidates, but the ideal candidate must be able to communicate effectively, support customers and fabricators, and travel to job sites or customer locations as needed.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation range: $75–$90/hour, depending on experience.
WMD Squared offers a competitive benefits package including:
Health insurance
401(k) plan
Paid time off
Paid holidays
Dental and vision options
Life insurance
Opportunities to work on a wide variety of challenging industrial, marine, power generation, and custom equipment projects
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a licensed Professional Engineer who is highly capable in SOLIDWORKS, understands manufacturing, and has the leadership ability to guide a design team.
This person should be comfortable leading projects, mentoring designers, checking work, communicating with customers, and making practical engineering decisions.
Relevant previous titles may include:
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer
Mechanical Engineer PE
Engineering Manager
Design Engineering Lead
Mechanical Design Lead
Senior Product Engineer
Senior SolidWorks Engineer
Senior Equipment Design Engineer
Marine Engineer
Power Generation Equipment Engineer
Pressure Vessel Engineer
Skid Design Engineer
Work Environment
This is a collaborative engineering and design role involving both technical execution and team leadership. The work includes detailed design, customer coordination, manufacturing support, project planning, drawing review, and hands-on problem solving.
The right candidate will be detail-oriented, practical, organized, communicative, and comfortable working in a fast-paced engineering environment with a wide variety of project types.
Pay: $150,000.00 - $185,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Paid time off
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Lafayette, LA 70506
