Mechanical Engineer

Job Description        

Job Summary: 

The Mechanical Engineer is responsible for providing engineering support for the daily operations, equipment reliability, troubleshooting, maintenance, and capital improvement activities of Sanders Lead Company, Inc. This position provides hands-on engineering support throughout the Company's lead smelting and recycling operations while helping ensure equipment and processes operate safely, efficiently, reliably, and in accordance with applicable OSHA, environmental, regulatory, and company requirements.

The Mechanical Engineer works across the thermal and mechanical systems of the facility, including furnaces and burners, refining kettles, molten metal handling systems, process gas ducting, baghouses and emission control systems, pumps, blowers, conveyors, piping, and material handling equipment.

The position works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Safety & Health, Environmental, contractors, vendors, and plant leadership to identify problems, develop practical engineering solutions, support projects, and improve equipment reliability, production efficiency, safety, and environmental performance.

Essential Job Duties / Responsibilities:

• Apply thermodynamics and heat transfer principles to evaluate equipment performance, including mass and energy balances, combustion efficiency, burner performance, refractory heat loss, and fuel consumption.
• Apply fluid dynamics to process gas and fume ducting, hooding, baghouses, scrubbers, fans, blowers, pumps, cooling water systems, chemical process loops, and compressed air systems.
• Perform mass and energy balances and use engineering analysis to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, throughput, equipment performance, and emissions control.
• Evaluate and specify mechanical equipment, including fans, pumps, heat exchangers, burners, dampers, valves, ducting, and piping.
• Evaluate materials and equipment for high-temperature, corrosive, abrasive, and other demanding industrial applications.
• Develop and maintain engineering calculations, spreadsheets, and technical documentation supporting engineering decisions.
• Utilize CFD, process simulation, or other engineering analysis tools when appropriate.
• Produce and revise 2D engineering drawings using AutoCAD, including plant layouts, P&IDs, equipment arrangements, ducting, piping, and fabrication details.
• Develop 3D models and detail drawings using SolidWorks for replacement parts, fixtures, guarding, structural supports, equipment modifications, assemblies, and weldments.
• Maintain accurate as-built drawings, revision history, bills of material, and plant drawing records.
• Work directly with Maintenance and outside fabricators to ensure designs can be safely fabricated, installed, operated, and maintained.
• Review field conditions and equipment measurements and incorporate accurate information into engineering designs.
• Provide hands-on engineering support for equipment and process problems throughout the plant.
• Investigate equipment failures and recurring problems by gathering data, evaluating operating conditions, identifying root causes, and developing corrective actions.
• Lead or participate in root cause analysis using methods such as 5-Why, fishbone, and fault tree analysis.
• Utilize plant data, including process historian information, DCS/PLC trends, thermal imaging, vibration analysis, flow measurements, and pressure surveys to support engineering conclusions.
• Coordinate with Electrical, Instrumentation, Metallurgical, Environmental, Maintenance, and Operations personnel when problems cross disciplines.
• Support reliability and preventive maintenance programs through failure analysis, spare parts evaluation, PM development, equipment criticality assessments, and maintenance interval recommendations.
• Follow corrective actions through completion and verify that solutions resolve the identified problem.
• Support and progressively lead capital improvement projects from concept through design, procurement, installation, startup, commissioning, and closeout.
• Develop project scopes, equipment specifications, technical requirements, cost estimates, and capital project justifications.
• Assist with vendor and contractor selection and evaluate proposals based on technical requirements, quality, reliability, schedule, and cost.
• Coordinate installation activities around production schedules, planned outages, and shutdowns.
• Monitor project scope, budget, schedule, materials, and overall progress and communicate issues to plant leadership.
• Develop commissioning and turnover requirements and verify installed systems perform as intended.
• Manage or support the Management of Change (MOC) process for equipment and process modifications.
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities involving reliability, efficiency, safety, environmental performance, energy use, and maintenance effectiveness.
• Incorporate employee safety and environmental protection into engineering designs, equipment modifications, and project plans.
• Design and evaluate engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation, capture hoods, enclosures, and dust suppression systems to reduce employee exposure to lead and other hazards.
• Support compliance with applicable OSHA requirements, including OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1025, as well as ADEM, EPA, air permit, and other applicable environmental requirements.
• Apply machine guarding, LOTO, confined space, hot work, molten metal handling, and other applicable safety requirements to engineering designs and work plans.
• Participate in incident investigations, process hazard analyses, job hazard analyses, and other safety and environmental improvement activities.
• Work with Safety & Health, Environmental, Maintenance, and Operations to identify and correct engineering-related safety and environmental concerns.
• Follow all Company safety, hygiene, PPE, environmental, and contamination-control requirements.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of mechanical engineering principles, including thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, mechanical systems, and equipment design.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to investigate complex equipment and process problems and determine root causes.
• Ability to apply engineering calculations, data analysis, and sound engineering judgment to real-world industrial equipment and processes.
• Working proficiency with AutoCAD for 2D drafting and SolidWorks for 3D modeling, assemblies, weldments, and detail drawings.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel for engineering calculations, data analysis, and reporting.
• Ability to read, interpret, develop, and revise engineering drawings, P&IDs, equipment specifications, and technical documentation.
• Ability to develop practical, maintainable, safe, and cost-effective engineering solutions.
• Strong independent judgment and decision-making skills, including knowing when additional information or technical expertise is needed.
• Strong plant-floor orientation with a willingness to inspect equipment firsthand and communicate directly with operators and maintenance personnel.
• Demonstrated ownership and accountability for engineering problems and projects from identification through implementation, verification, and documentation.
• Strong safety awareness and ability to incorporate safety and environmental protection into engineering decisions.
• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities to improve reliability, efficiency, safety, and environmental performance.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to communicate technical information effectively with operators, maintenance technicians, contractors, vendors, management, and plant leadership.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Operations, Maintenance, Safety & Health, Environmental, Electrical, Instrumentation, and other departments.
• Demonstrated professionalism, dependability, accountability, and commitment to safety and environmental compliance.

Physical Requirements / Work Environment:

• Work performed in a heavy industrial manufacturing and lead smelting environment with both office and field responsibilities.
• Frequent exposure to elevated temperatures, dust, noise, vibration, molten metal, moving machinery, industrial traffic, and varying weather conditions.
• Frequent walking throughout production and support areas, including indoor and outdoor plant areas.
• Ability to climb stairs, ladders, and designated elevated equipment platforms and access equipment areas as required.
• Ability to bend, kneel, stoop, reach, climb, and perform other physical activities associated with plant inspections and field engineering work.
• Ability to safely work around furnaces, refining equipment, molten metal, process gas systems, baghouses, dust collectors, pumps, blowers, conveyors, piping, and other industrial equipment.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 30–50 pounds as required.
• Ability to wear all assigned PPE, including respirator, hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, gloves, coveralls, and steel-toe boots.
• Respirator use requires medical clearance, fit testing, and being clean-shaven at the respirator sealing surface.
• Participate in the Company's lead medical surveillance program, including required blood lead testing and applicable medical monitoring.
• Follow required hygiene and contamination-control procedures, including designated work clothing, change-room procedures, showering requirements, and restrictions on eating and drinking in designated plant areas.
• Ability to work occasional off-shift hours, weekends, holidays, or extended hours to support outages, startups, capital projects, emergencies, and operational needs.
• Must comply with OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, Company safety procedures, and plant requirements.

Training Requirements:

• Complete new hire orientation and required Engineering Department training.
• Complete training related to the Company's lead smelting and recycling processes and plant operations.
• Complete applicable engineering, equipment, process, maintenance, environmental, and regulatory training.
• Complete hazard communication, lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, confined space, hot work, and other required safety training.
• Complete respirator fit testing and related respiratory protection requirements, as applicable.
• Complete training related to lead exposure, hygiene, contamination control, and the Company's lead medical surveillance program.
• Complete required annual safety and compliance training.
• Participate in additional Engineering, Safety & Health, Environmental, Operations, Maintenance, or Company training as assigned.
• Maintain knowledge of applicable OSHA, ADEM, EPA, environmental, safety, engineering, and Company requirements.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from an ABET-accredited program or a closely related engineering discipline with equivalent coursework.
• 0–4 years of engineering experience. New and recent graduates are encouraged to apply.
• Relevant internships, co-ops, capstone projects, or comparable practical engineering experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated knowledge of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and mechanical equipment.
• Working proficiency in AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of engineering assignments and projects.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with Operations, Maintenance, contractors, vendors, management, and other departments.
• Ability to work extended hours, weekends, holidays, or adjusted schedules as operational needs require.
• Ability to safely work within a heavy industrial manufacturing and lead smelting environment.
• Ability to pass a pre-employment physical and drug screen

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
• Internship, co-op, or full-time experience in a smelter, refinery, foundry, steel mill, chemical plant, power plant, or other heavy process industry.
• Experience with high-temperature process equipment, refractory systems, combustion systems, or molten metal handling.
• Familiarity with industrial ventilation, dust collection, baghouses, scrubbers, or other air pollution control equipment.
• Experience with CFD or thermal/process simulation software such as ANSYS Fluent, SolidWorks Flow Simulation, Aspen, or similar programs.
• Familiarity with ASME, API, AWS, NFPA, or other applicable engineering and fabrication codes.
• Exposure to reliability methods such as RCM, FMEA, vibration analysis, or equipment criticality assessments.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience reading PLC/DCS trend data or working with controls and instrumentation personnel.
• EIT/FE certification or intent to pursue EIT/PE licensure.
• Project management coursework, certification, or demonstrated project ownership.
• Experience developing equipment specifications, capital project scopes, cost estimates, or engineering calculations.