How to hire a products mechanical design engineer

How to hire a products mechanical design engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step products mechanical design engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a products mechanical design engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new products mechanical design engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The products mechanical design engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A products mechanical design engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, products mechanical design engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of products mechanical design engineers.

   Type of Products Mechanical Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Products Mechanical Design Engineer	Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines.	$28-45
   Lead Engineer	A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly... Show more	$28-57
   Staff Engineer	Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations... Show more	$33-80

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GD
   • Mechanical Design
   • Industrial Design
   • FEA
   • Prototyping
   • Design Reviews
   • Design Validation
   • DFM
   • Manufacturing Support
   • Creo
   • CNC
   • Circuit Boards
   • Sigma
   • Product Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead projects to achieve and maintain UL recognition on battery designs.
   • Manage prototyping and procurement for new production models, including sourcing from international vendors.
   • Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
   • Confirm the design by FEA in thermal and magnetics with ANSYS.
   • Create parts and fixtures with in-house machine shop, including CNC milling machine.
   • Scale mock-up, BOM creation, sheet metal chassis using ProSheetmetal, and part analysis.

   More products mechanical design engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your products mechanical design engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A products mechanical design engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, products mechanical design engineers' average salary in arkansas is 50% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level products mechanical design engineers earn 38% less than senior-level products mechanical design engineers.
   • Certifications. A products mechanical design engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a products mechanical design engineer's salary.

   Average products mechanical design engineer salary

   $75,238yearly

   $36.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level products mechanical design engineer salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average products mechanical design engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$111,529	$54
   2	Massachusetts	$86,012	$41
   3	Washington	$84,383	$41
   4	Illinois	$78,161	$38
   5	Oregon	$77,652	$37
   6	Texas	$74,472	$36
   7	Michigan	$74,225	$36
   8	Colorado	$73,005	$35
   9	Georgia	$66,416	$32
   10	Ohio	$65,365	$31
   11	Delaware	$65,282	$31
   12	North Carolina	$62,873	$30

   Average products mechanical design engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$133,284	$64.08	122
   2	Apple	$129,590	$62.30	561
   3	Tesla	$93,486	$44.95	251
   4	Delta Air Lines	$91,837	$44.15	13
   5	Daimler Trucks North America	$87,891	$42.26	6
   6	General Electric	$82,284	$39.56	153
   7	Cooper Lighting LLC	$81,050	$38.97
   8	Boston Dynamics	$80,052	$38.49	9
   9	PACCAR	$80,042	$38.48	6
   10	CSW Industrials	$74,444	$35.79
   11	Globe Machine Manufacturing	$74,393	$35.77	2
   12	Forward	$74,367	$35.75
   13	RectorSeal	$71,079	$34.17
   14	Dynapar	$69,052	$33.20

4. Writing a products mechanical design engineer job description

   A job description for a products mechanical design engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a products mechanical design engineer job description:

   Products mechanical design engineer job description example

   The Next General Products (NGP) organization is responsible for the design, analysis, integration, and support of future military engine products. The NGP - Engineer will own the design, development, & qualification of advanced military products, specifically hot structural components. The engineer will be responsible for executing technical design tasks including analysis & manufacturing support of assigned hardware in addition to program management of hardware cost, weight, & schedule deliverables. This position reports to an engineering manager in Evendale, OH with the opportunity to integrate with various internal & external engineering disciplines.
   
   Teams in the Next Generation Products space are energized with a passion for the aerospace industry and are devoted to supporting our military customers. We develop breakthrough technologies to create the future of military propulsion, continuing GE's long history of engineering excellence. This role is 100% on-site/in-person.
   Job Description
   
   Roles and Responsibilities
   
   * Execute the design, analysis, and evaluation of assigned components for advanced military products.
   * Adhere to business standards, practices, procedures, & product requirements.
   * Leverage prior mechanical design experience and broaden knowledge of one's own technical discipline to meet product deliverables within schedule & budget constraints.
   * Demonstrate systems thinking mentality to understand how work of one's team integrates with others to achieve product requirements.
   * Exhibit autonomy to make decisions within a defined requirements framework while resolving design challenges in situations which require technical knowledge & judgment.
   * Reviews designs & consults with senior technical leaders for evaluation of work.
   * This role will require sound interpersonal skills to develop strong internal and external customer relationships by serving as an interface point within GE.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   * Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or aeronautical engineering from an accredited university.
   * Must have or have the ability to obtain a US Government Security Clearance at the Secret level.
   
   Desired Characteristics
   
   * Highly motivated, passionate, and exceptional communication skills.
   * Demonstrated ability to analyze & solve technical design challenges with sound documentation, planning, & program management skills.
   * Experience with finite element analysis software such as ANSYS and 3D modelling software such as NX Unigraphics.
   * Experience with structural component design.
   * Holding an existing US Government Security Clearance
   
   This role is restricted to U.S. persons (i.e., U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and other protected individuals under the Immigration and Naturalization Act, 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) due to access to export-controlled technology. GE will require proof of status prior to employment.
   
   Additional Information
   
   GE offers a great work environment, professional development, challenging careers, and competitive compensation. GE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
   
   GE will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable).
   
   As a federal government contractor, GE may in the future be required to have U.S. employees fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Some GE customers currently have vaccination mandates that may apply to GE employees.
   
   Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right products mechanical design engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your products mechanical design engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit products mechanical design engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting products mechanical design engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new products mechanical design engineer

   Once you've found the products mechanical design engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new products mechanical design engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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