Hiring Entry-Level Mechanical Designer in Louisville

Midwest Rail Infrastructure Solutions is a fast-growing specialty firm based in Louisville that designs, manufactures, and installs critical safety and signaling equipment for Class I and regional railroad operators across the eastern United States. For the past 12 years, we’ve supported more than 200 rail corridor upgrade projects, including the recent Louisville-to-Cincinnati double-track expansion, and we’re expanding our in-house design team to keep pace with upcoming federal rail safety mandate deadlines.
We are hiring an Entry-Level Mechanical Designer to join our 12-person Louisville design studio, supporting the development of control boxes, signal structures, and crossing hardware for active rail corridor projects. This is a 12-month contract role with the potential for extension or permanent placement based on project demand and performance, ideal for recent technical program graduates or early-career professionals looking to build specialized expertise in rail infrastructure design.
Key responsibilities for this role include:
1. Create and revise 2D production drawings and 3D CAD models for railroad crossing control boxes, cantilever signal structures, and wayside hardware assemblies using SolidWorks and AutoCAD, adhering to AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association) design standards and client-specific project specifications.
2. Update existing design libraries and BIM (Building Information Modeling) assets for standard rail components, reducing design iteration time by 15% for recurring project deliverables over the first 6 months of tenure.
3. Collaborate with senior design engineers, field installation teams, and client stakeholders to resolve design conflicts, incorporate field feedback, and ensure all deliverables meet structural load requirements and environmental durability standards for rail corridor use.
4. Perform basic tolerance analysis and GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) checks on all production drawings to reduce manufacturing rework rates by 10% for assigned project components.
5. Support the preparation of technical documentation, including bill of materials (BOMs), fabrication notes, and installation guides, for handoff to manufacturing and field operations teams.
6. Conduct design verification checks for small-scale component assemblies, documenting test results and coordinating with the quality assurance team to address non-conformance issues.
7. Participate in weekly design review meetings to present progress updates, flag potential schedule risks, and contribute to process improvement discussions for the design team.
8. Assist with as-built drawing updates for completed rail projects, ensuring all design records are accurate and aligned with final field installations for client archival and regulatory compliance.
Our Louisville studio operates with a flat, collaborative structure where junior team members are paired with a dedicated senior design mentor for the first 6 months of employment to support skill development and project onboarding. We prioritize work-life balance, with flexible core hours between 8am and 4pm to accommodate personal commitments, and no regular overtime outside of critical project milestone windows. Our team hosts monthly lunch-and-learns focused on rail industry innovations, and we sponsor annual attendance at the AREMA conference for high-performing team members. We also have a formal employee resource group for early-career professionals to network with peers across the rail infrastructure sector.
We are targeting candidates with 0-2 years of professional or academic experience using SolidWorks and AutoCAD for mechanical design, with a strong understanding of 2D/3D drafting best practices and technical drawing interpretation. Familiarity with AREMA or other rail industry design standards is a plus, but not required for entry-level applicants. You must be able to interpret basic engineering calculations, communicate design updates clearly to cross-functional teams, and manage multiple small project tasks simultaneously to meet tight deadlines tied to rail construction schedules. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and be able to travel to active rail job sites 1-2 times per quarter for design verification and field feedback collection (all travel expenses are covered by the company).
Required technical proficiencies include advanced competency in SolidWorks for 3D part and assembly modeling, and AutoCAD for 2D production drawing creation and revision. Familiarity with GD&T principles, bill of materials (BOM) management, and basic structural load calculations is preferred. Experience with BIM software such as Revit, or rail-specific design tools, is a plus but not mandatory for this role.
This contract role offers a competitive hourly rate of $24-$28 per hour, adjusted based on relevant academic coursework, internship experience, and technical skill proficiency. Full benefits are not included for this contract role, but all contracted employees receive a $150 monthly stipend for professional development courses, certification exam fee reimbursement for relevant industry credentials (such as Certified SolidWorks Associate or AREMA technical certifications), and access to our company’s shared tool library for personal project use. We also cover 100% of work-related travel costs, including mileage, lodging, and meals for site visits.
While this is a fixed-term contract role, 75% of our entry-level contracted designers are offered permanent full-time positions with our company or our rail industry partner firms upon successful completion of their initial contract, based on performance and project demand. Permanent team members receive full benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and annual performance bonuses tied to project delivery metrics. We also support long-term career path development, with clear progression tracks from Mechanical Designer to Senior Designer, Design Lead, and Project Engineering roles for high-performing team members.
The hiring process for this role consists of three steps: an initial 30-minute phone screen with our talent acquisition partner to review your background and answer questions about the role, a 60-minute technical interview with our lead design engineer to assess your SolidWorks and AutoCAD proficiency via a short practical drafting exercise, and a final 30-minute culture fit interview with the design studio manager to discuss team expectations and career goals. We aim to extend offers to qualified candidates within 10 business days of the final interview, with a target start date of October 16, 2024, for successful hires. To apply, send your resume and 1-2 examples of mechanical design work (academic or personal projects are acceptable for entry-level candidates) to [email protected] with the subject line “Entry-Level Mechanical Designer Application – [Your Full Name] – Louisville”. We will review all applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled, and will reach out to candidates whose qualifications match our requirements to schedule the initial phone screen.