How To Become A Lead Mechanical Designer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead mechanical designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Abby Guido

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a lead mechanical designer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $46.19 an hour? That's $96,084 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a lead mechanical designer?

Abby Guido

Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University

We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.

Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.

ScoreLead Mechanical DesignerUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $96,084

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 10.30%

Black or African American 3.42%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.60%

White 72.19%

Gender

female 6.00%

male 94.00%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead mechanical designer

Explore lead mechanical designer education requirements

Most common lead mechanical designer degrees

Associate

44.5 %

Bachelor's

42.6 %

Master's

4.9 %

Start to develop specific lead mechanical designer skills

Skills	Percentages
CAD	19.93%
Mechanical Design	13.18%
Autocad	7.55%
Assembly Drawings	6.91%
GD	5.82%

Complete relevant lead mechanical designer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead mechanical designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead mechanical designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead mechanical designer resumes.

Research lead mechanical designer duties and responsibilities

Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
Create BOM and work closely with purchasing to procure parts.
Improve the quality of products, detailing and producing BOM's.
Design and automate electro-mechanical machinery to customer specifications.

Get lead mechanical designer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a lead mechanical designer. The most common roles before becoming a lead mechanical designer include mechanical designer, senior mechanical designer team lead and designer.

Prepare your lead mechanical designer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead mechanical designer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead mechanical designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead mechanical designer resume templates

Build a professional lead mechanical designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead mechanical designer resume.