Photo courtesy of Randy Montoya | Sandia National Laboratories.
The job of lead mechanical engineer is an advanced position in bioenergy, in the engineering and manufacturing career sub-sector. Job seekers with engineering and manufacturing backgrounds or a career in engineering could consider this type of advanced bioenergy job.
Lead mechanical engineers provide design direction for present and future complex mechanical hardware including precision mechanisms and thermomechanical processing devices supporting advanced biorefinery or automotive technology. People in these positions may have careers in bioenergy mechanical engineering.
Lead Mechanical Engineer
| Alternate Title(s) | Lead Automotive Engineer; Lead Quality Engineer |
| Education & Training Level Description | Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering or be a licensed professional engineer. |
| Experience | 10+ years |
| Job Skills |
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| Job Profile | The bioenergy landscape of the future requires significant innovations in the field of engineering. These efforts include developing technologies for the cost-effective harvest, collection, preprocessing, storage, and transport of biomass, scaling up biochemical and thermochemical conversion pathways for full-scale commercialization, and ensuring next-generation advanced biofuels meet infrastructure compatibility. Due to their broad skill sets, mechanical engineers are uniquely qualified to address these needs and play a critical role in nearly all stages of the bioenergy supply chain. These specialists utilize their knowledge of materials, solid and fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, control, instrumentation, design, and manufacturing to develop robust commercially viable bioenergy systems. Mechanical engineers help design and develop the industrial equipment and systems used to process and convert biomass into electric power, fuels, and chemicals at the biorefinery as well as design automotive engines optimized to run more efficiently on affordable, scalable, and sustainable biofuels. At the senior or supervisory level, lead mechanical engineers provide design direction for present and future complex mechanical hardware including precision mechanisms and thermomechanical processing devices supporting advanced biorefinery or automotive technology. They would also oversee various performance testing activities ranging from development to final product qualification testing. A Ph.D. in mechanical engineering or a related field with a focus on mechanical design, manufacturing, combustion, ground vehicle systems, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, or energy systems is highly recommended. Significant experience in the field and professional licensure may substitute for additional education. Individuals at this level should have demonstrated experience producing efficient designs and accurate drawings for fabrication and assembly. A professional background in the bioenergy sector is highly preferable. |
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