Hiring Entry-Level Mechanical Designer in Louisville

Midwest Rail Infrastructure Solutions is a fast-growing Louisville-based firm that designs, manufactures, and installs safety-critical components for Class I railroad networks operating across 12 U.S. states. With a 30% year-over-year increase in project volume for railroad crossing safety systems, we are expanding our 12-person in-house design team to support new contracts for signal infrastructure and control box deployments. Our team has contributed to over 200 rail crossing safety upgrades in the past 3 years, reducing crossing incident rates by an average of 22% in the communities we serve.

We are hiring an Entry-Level Mechanical Designer to join our on-site Louisville team, working directly with senior design engineers, manufacturing specialists, and field service teams to deliver production-ready designs for railroad crossing control enclosures, signal mast arms, and associated mounting hardware. This contract role is designed as a direct pipeline to permanent full-time design positions for high-performing team members, with structured mentorship and on-the-job training provided for all new hires to build expertise in rail-specific design standards.

Your core responsibilities will include:
1. Create and revise 2D production drawings and 3D CAD models for railroad crossing control enclosures, signal support structures, and custom mounting brackets using SolidWorks 2023+ and AutoCAD 2024, adhering to AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association) design standards and customer-specific project requirements.
2. Update the company’s centralized design library to incorporate field feedback from installed rail infrastructure, with a target of reducing design rework requests by 15% over your first 6 months of tenure.
3. Generate accurate, production-ready bills of materials (BOMs) for all design releases, cross-referencing part numbers with our inventory management system to eliminate duplicate entries and reduce procurement lead times by an estimated 10%.
4. Collaborate with senior design engineers to conduct design verification testing for new control box configurations, documenting test results and implementing design adjustments to meet IP65 ingress protection ratings for outdoor, all-weather rail use.
5. Maintain strict version control for all design files in our SolidWorks PDM (Product Data Management) system, ensuring all cross-functional teams access the most up-to-date design revisions to avoid production errors.
6. Prepare detailed technical documentation for manufacturing teams, including precise dimension callouts, GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) annotations, and material specifications to reduce production defect rates.
7. Support field service teams by creating as-built design revisions for installed rail infrastructure, resolving all design-related field tickets within 48 business hours of submission to minimize downtime for railroad operators.
8. Participate in weekly cross-functional design review meetings to present progress on active projects, incorporating feedback from stakeholders to meet strict project delivery deadlines aligned with railroad construction timelines.

Our Louisville team operates in an open, collaborative office space in the city’s Portland neighborhood, with flexible core hours that allow for 8am-10am arrival times to accommodate different commutes. We prioritize continuous learning, with weekly lunch-and-learn sessions hosted by senior rail engineering experts, access to on-site SolidWorks certification training, and an annual stipend for rail industry conference attendance. New hires are paired with a senior design mentor for the first 6 months of their tenure to support skill development and familiarity with rail-specific design requirements. Our team also hosts regular social events, including quarterly group outings and an annual holiday celebration, to foster a supportive, low-turnover work environment.

To qualify for this role, you will need: an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Design Technology, or a related field; 0-2 years of professional mechanical design experience (internships, co-ops, and academic capstone projects will be considered in lieu of professional experience); proficiency in SolidWorks and AutoCAD for 2D drafting and 3D modeling; a foundational understanding of GD&T principles and ASME Y14.5 standards; the ability to read and interpret complex technical blueprints and design specifications; strong attention to detail and ability to meet strict project deadlines; and strong cross-functional communication skills to collaborate with manufacturing, field service, and engineering teams. Prior experience with AREMA rail design standards is a plus but not required for entry-level candidates.

You will regularly use the following tools in this role: SolidWorks 2023 and newer, AutoCAD 2024, SolidWorks PDM or similar product data management systems, Microsoft Excel for BOM tracking and data analysis, Microsoft PowerPoint for design review presentations, and AREMA design standards (full training will be provided for candidates without prior rail industry experience).

This contract role offers a competitive hourly rate of $28 to $34 per hour, adjusted based on your relevant experience, portfolio quality, and technical assessment performance. Contract employees receive 10 paid company holidays, 5 days of paid time off per quarter, access to our 401(k) plan with a 3% employer match after 90 days of tenure, full reimbursement for SolidWorks certification exam fees, free on-site parking, and access to our employee assistance program that covers mental health support and professional development resources.

This role is explicitly designed as a talent pipeline for permanent full-time positions within our design team. Top-performing contract employees are given priority consideration for open permanent roles, with opportunities to advance to Senior Mechanical Designer, Design Lead, or Project Engineer within 2-3 years of consistent high performance. You will build a portfolio of completed, real-world rail infrastructure projects to support your long-term career growth, and the company covers 100% of tuition costs for relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree programs in engineering or design for employees who transition to permanent full-time roles.

To be considered for this role, submit your resume and a portfolio of 2-3 relevant design projects (academic, internship, or personal work is acceptable for entry-level candidates) to [email protected] by October 15, 2024. All applicants will receive a response regarding their application status within 5 business days of submission. Selected candidates will complete a 30-minute initial phone screen with our talent acquisition team to discuss your experience and fit for the role, followed by a 1-hour technical interview with the senior design team that includes a short, practical SolidWorks modeling exercise to demonstrate your core design skills. The final step is a 30-minute culture fit interview with the design department manager. We aim to extend formal offers to selected candidates by October 25, 2024, with a target start date of November 4, 2024 for all new hires.