Chief Engineer - Active Magnetic Bearings

Waukesha Bearings Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of Active Magnetic Bearing products. The Chief Engineer will be responsible for ensuring the technical integrity and performance of these products while leading strategic innovation and mentoring the engineering team.

Responsibilities:

• Act as the final technical authority for product designs, analyses, and critical engineering decisions
• Define, maintain, and enforce engineering standards, design rules, and industry best practices across the department
• Lead and approve critical design reviews and failure investigations to ensure products meet performance, safety, and reliability requirements
• Perform and guide sophisticated engineering analyses, including rotor dynamics, stress analysis, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• Identify and lead strategic initiatives that sustain best-in-class product leadership and align with corporate growth objectives
• Direct the implementation of new technologies and software, ensuring they are commercially viable and technically robust
• Provide high-level technical input for bids and proposals, identifying advanced applications that create new market opportunities
• Partner with manufacturing and quality teams to ensure all designs are robust and highly producible
• Mentor the engineering team by identifying skill gaps and executing development plans to build future technical leaders
• Support senior-level customer engagements and represent the company’s interests within global industrial and standards organisations
• Stay at the forefront of industry trends; author technical papers and present at key conferences to reinforce the company’s technical standing

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related subject (Essential)
• Significant experience in the design and manufacture of Active Magnetic Bearing systems – (Essential). This must be from either working directly with an AMB manufacturer, or an OEM that integrates them
• Minimum of 15 years' experience in the design and analysis of rotating equipment (or critical components such as bearings and seals), including 10+ years in Senior or Principal Engineer roles
• Strong application of engineering principles and robust design practices
• Recognised technical expert with a deep understanding of product failure modes and proven problem-solving skills
• Comprehensive understanding of relevant industry standards and their specific application to the product
• Active experience participating in industry standards committees and technical working groups
• Advanced Engineering Analysis & Software: Proven expertise in vibration analysis, FEA stress analysis, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), complemented by advanced scientific programming skills and a working knowledge of 2D/3D CAD
• Mathematical & Theoretical Foundation: Ability to apply complex mathematical concepts, including probability and statistical inference, structural and fluid dynamics, and the fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry
• Technical Judgment & Problem Solving: Authoritative decision-making with the ability to challenge designs constructively. Skilled at solving practical problems with complex variables in non-standardized environments, including interpreting instructions from oral, written, diagrammatic, or schedule-based sources
• Research, Compliance & Communication: Expert ability to analyze professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations. Capable of translating technical data (drawings, graphs, tables) into manual and final reports, with the communication skills to persuade leadership and present effectively to diverse technical and management groups
• PhD – (Preferred)