Lead Mechanical Engineer

About the role

Lead Mechanical Engineer - Mechanical Engineering Function & Manufacturing Systems

Salamander is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to provide technical leadership, governance, and oversight for mechanical engineering activities across the business. This role supports both product development and manufacturing systems, with a strong focus on roll-reduction mill operations and thermal-mechanical forming processes used in the production of advanced downhole heater systems. The position works closely with operations, quality, and engineering teams across Houston and Deeside to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing performance.

This position requires on-site presence.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

Mechanical Engineering Guidance and Oversight

• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and oversight for all mechanical engineering activities across product development, manufacturing equipment, and facility-related projects.
• Serve as the technical authority for mechanical engineering, reviewing and approving designs, calculations, specifications, drawings, and engineering changes.
• Establish, maintain, and enforce mechanical engineering standards, design practices, CAD conventions, and change control processes.
• Ensure projects are properly scoped, resourced, reviewed, and executed in alignment with business objectives, schedules, and budgets.
• Assess mechanical engineering resource requirements across concurrent projects and recommend staffing, contractor, or consultant support as needed.
• Mentor and provide technical direction to engineers, designers, and technicians across multiple projects and locations.
• Monitor engineering priorities, technical risks, and project interdependencies, communicating progress and recommendations to leadership.
• Promote collaboration and standardization between the Houston and Deeside facilities to drive consistency, knowledge sharing, and engineering excellence.

Roll Reduction Mill and Manufacturing Systems

• Lead the design, operation, optimization, and continuous improvement of manufacturing equipment and processes, including roll-reduction mill operations and thermal-mechanical forming systems.
• Design and develop tooling, fixtures, guides, dies, and related equipment to support manufacturing efficiency, product quality, and process capability.
• Perform mechanical and thermal engineering analyses to evaluate equipment performance, process parameters, and manufacturing improvements.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing documentation, including process specifications, work instructions, quality checkpoints, Bills of Materials (BOMs), and engineering records.
• Provide technical support for production operations, including troubleshooting, equipment optimization, maintenance activities, and process improvements.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions related to equipment failures, manufacturing issues, and product non-conformances.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, and Product Engineering teams to ensure products consistently meet mechanical, dimensional, metallurgical, and customer requirements.
• Support capital equipment projects through specification, procurement, installation, commissioning, and validation activities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, tooling performance, waste reduction, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry best practices to enhance manufacturing capabilities and support long-term business growth.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience, including significant experience leading or technically directing engineering work, teams, or multiple concurrent projects.
• Experience in energy, oilfield, or heavy manufacturing environments, preferably including metal forming, roll-reduction mills, rotary reducers, tube forming, or hot-work processes.

Core Competencies

• Strong project and technical risk management skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands across multiple projects.
• Ability to communicate technical issues clearly to executive leadership, vendors, and cross-functional teams.
• Hands-on experience supporting industrial mechanical equipment, including troubleshooting, setup, and operational optimization.
• Strong understanding of metallurgy, especially heat-affected behavior during mechanical forming of alloys used in high-temperature or downhole applications.
• Demonstrated experience designing tooling, rolls, or forming dies in CAD.
• Proficiency in generating mechanical drawings, tooling schematics, BOMs, and work instructions.
• Familiarity with Manufacturing Quality Systems, SPC, tolerance stack-ups, and dimensional control methods.
• Strong mechanical analysis skills, including stress, strain, thermal effects, and mechanical loading.
• Excellent collaboration and communication abilities across production, maintenance, engineering, and quality groups.
• High attention to detail and strong documentation discipline.

What We Offer

We are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment. Some of the exciting benefits we offer include:

• 401(k) plan with company match
• Employer-covered medical insurance options
• 100% employer-covered dental and vision plans
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid Time Off (PTO)