Mechanical Design Engineer - Equipment

James Hardie Building Products Inc. is the North American leader in fiber cement home siding and exterior design solutions. Hardie® products offer long lasting beauty and endless design possibilities with trusted protection and low maintenance. The company pioneered modern fiber cement building products and continues to invest in innovation to transform the industry. James Hardie is a high-performance organization, with an unwavering commitment to Zero Harm. The company proudly employs a diverse workforce of over 3,000 employees across operations in North America.

Make your dream career a reality. It’s possible!

Onsite from any of our 12 US locations

As a member of the North American Engineering Technology Group, the Mechanical Design Engineer- Specialty Equipment will provide technical specialist support for engineering design and analysis, equipment performance and process performance supporting North America (NA) manufacturing operations.  The candidate must also possess solid engineering fundamentals to establish engineering standards, standard work procedures, performance monitoring, continuous improvement, and technical service support to the business needs. In addition to standard professional knowledge, the candidate will be expected to learn and understand various manufacturing processes within the business and utilizes this knowledge to interact with R&D, Process Design & Technology, Manufacturing, and various other groups to implement technical solutions, advance process capabilities, and deliver new product innovations.

Position Responsibilities

You will lead a wide range of projects driving innovative solution to advance equipment performance by applying standard practices for equipment design, equipment fabrication, installation, and operations with focus on driving performance and reliability through best practice sharing.   

What You’ll Do:

• Responsibility for global engineering standards, standard work procedures, best practice sharing and technical service support and expertise, across NA plants, for key specialty equipment.
• Develop monitoring system(s) to enable continual assessment on specialty equipment to ensure operating at expected performance. 
• Manage technical content between James Hardie and key equipment vendors on design, fabrication, installation, and issues resolution.
• Manage ideation, feasibility assessment and technical risk assessment for process equipment innovation opportunities. 
• Communicate with plant personnel to promote new equipment implementation, discuss concepts of new technologies, safety requirements, and process requirements.
• Provide technical support and mechanical analysis expertise during design, fabrication, and installation including, static, dynamic, and fatigue analysis through classical and FEA calculations of machine components.
• Lead execution of new design qualification testing program; including, coordinating detailed trial plans, with plant personnel, to verify manufacturing readiness.
• Provide operating guidelines and procedures, technical training, and oversight during start-ups to observe, troubleshoot, and document any process or scale-up issues.
• Initial project focused on the developing a new design to improve life cycle of steel interleaver, key equipment within the curing process, and upgrading standard work procedures, accordingly.
• Using a goal-oriented leadership style to lead teams to project success focusing on the key areas of Company strength and weakness and addressing both to accomplish projects personally or overseeing the work required to deliver the project results.
• Position requires 50% travel.

What You’ll Bring:  

• BS Degree in Mechanical, Structural, or Chemical Engineering Technology
• 8+ years of experience in equipment design, manufacturing, or technical services in a heavy industrial manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of Hatschek, Fiber Gypsum or paper making process (plus).
• Knowledge and understanding of process flows; Rheology experience (plus).
• Knowledge of mechanical equipment, machine design standards and specifications, and machine safety design, including ANSI, and ASTM.
• Demonstrated ability to perform stress analysis through use of classical hand calculations and knowledge of FEA structural modeling with ability to translate results and equipment performance.   Ability to use ANSYS (preferred), other applicable software is accepted. 
• Knowledge of vibration analysis and measurement systems (preferred) to include standard industry equipment, applications, data collection and data reduction methods.
• Knowledge of OSHA requirements and machine standards.
• Knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures in continuous manufacturing environment with experience to troubleshoot and optimize mechanical equipment performance.
• A verifiable record of developing and implementing practical and innovative solutions to complex problems.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate activities to lead cross-functional groups and external partners.
• Demonstrated proficiency with AutoCAD / AutoDesk / Inventor and GD&T dimension & tolerances for drawings (preferred).
• Demonstrated use of effective and inclusive Project Management skills
• Demonstrated skills with personal computer word processing and spreadsheet software (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Internet, and other proprietary software).
• Familiarity with best-practices principles such as Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent documentation and presentation skills.

What You’ll Receive:

At James Hardie, we recognize that our success depends on our people. We've worked hard to build a generous and competitive benefits program that demonstrates our commitment to our employees.

• Comprehensive low-cost co-pay Health Insurance; medical, dental, prescription, and vision insurance benefits for every 30+ hour full-time employee. Insurance starts on day one!
• 401(k) Retirement plan that will match 100% of employees saved dollars up to the first 6% of your salary
• Paid holidays, paid vacation including Jury Duty and bereavement leave
• Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Parental Leave
• Community Involvement & Sustainable Solutions - Fire Resistant Siding to Help Rebuild the Grizzly Flats Community | James Hardie
• And more

Apply now and come “home” to Hardie!

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James Hardie Building Products Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, veteran's status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or any other basis protected by law.