Lead Project Engineer Micro-Hydraulics

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related engineering discipline
• 7+ years of experience in hydraulic/fluid power system design and product development
• Strong experience with high-pressure hydraulic systems, ideally including compact or micro-hydraulic applications
• Hands-on experience designing and integrating hydraulic systems, subsystems, and components
• Strong understanding of hydraulic pressure, force, flow, load, and system-performance calculations
• Knowledge of hydraulic components such as pumps, valves, manifolds, cylinders/actuators, accumulators, seals, fittings, and pressure/flow control components
• Ability to create and interpret hydraulic schematics and engineering drawings
• Experience taking physical products from concept/design through prototype, validation, NPI, and production launch
• Experience within a manufacturing/product-development environment
• Exposure to high-volume manufacturing
• Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, troubleshooting, and failure investigation Demonstrated ability to lead engineering projects or technical workstreams

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

• Direct experience with micro-hydraulics or compact high-pressure hydraulic systems
• Electro-hydraulic system experience
• Experience with motor controls, electrical, and software integration
• Patent, invention disclosure, or other intellectual-property development experience
• Experience with GD&T, DFM/DFA, DFMEA, root-cause analysis, and risk assessment
• Supplier selection, qualification, and component-validation experience
• Experience within automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial equipment, mobile hydraulics, heavy equipment, or other advanced physical-product environments
• Experience developing new engineering standards, processes, or capabilities from the ground up Technical mentoring or leadership experience, even without formal direct reports

Job Description

Insight Global is seeking a Lead Project Engineer, Micro-Hydraulics for a top global manufacturing and product-development client. This engineer will play a key role in developing a growing micro-hydraulics capability, leading the design, integration, validation, and production launch of high-pressure hydraulic systems for physical products. The ideal candidate is a hands-on Mechanical Engineer with deep fluid-power expertise who understands hydraulic systems at the component and system level and has successfully brought engineered products from concept through manufacturing. This opportunity offers significant ownership and the ability to help shape a developing engineering function while remaining technically hands-on.

Day-to-Day

• Lead the design and development of high-pressure micro-hydraulic systems, subsystems, and components
• Translate product requirements into hydraulic architectures, schematics, component specifications, and performance criteria
• Perform hydraulic pressure, flow, force, load, thermal, sizing, and performance calculations
• Select and integrate hydraulic components based on system performance requirements
• Lead hands-on concept development, prototype builds, testing, and engineering validation
• Develop validation plans to verify system functionality, durability, reliability, efficiency, and safety
• Troubleshoot hydraulic performance issues during prototype, testing, pilot, and production stages
• Lead technical feasibility studies, design reviews, DFMEA, and risk assessments
• Partner with electrical, software, motor-controls, manufacturing, and supplier teams to integrate electro-hydraulic solutions
• Support NPI and transition new products into high-volume manufacturing
• Improve standardization and reuse of hydraulic designs across product programs Provide technical direction and mentorship as SBD's micro-hydraulic engineering capability grows