Principal Engineer

The Principal Engineer at R-V Industries, Inc., based onsite in Honey Brook, PA, serves as the principal technical voice for the autoclave product line. This individual-contributor role spans new product development and ongoing maintenance, with a clear path toward technical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical voice on the Beta Star team, establishing design quality standards and guiding mechanical and controls peers through complex problems.
• Maintain authoritative technical knowledge of the autoclave platform and act as the primary design resource across both mechanical and controls disciplines.
• Steer product development from concept through release, coordinating with mechanical and controls teams on design, prototyping, and validation.
• Lead lifecycle improvements by owning engineering change requests, addressing root-cause field issues, and enhancing cost, reliability, and manufacturability of current designs.
• Lead design reviews and mentor less-experienced engineers through pairing and coaching.
• Maintain the ASME Section VIII calculation set; perform, verify, and technically review peers' calculations.
• Collaborate with Sales, PM, Purchasing, Quality, Manufacturing, Testing, and Installation, and serve as the primary technical contact with customer engineering.
• Uphold configuration management and design control standards; manage engineering budgets and schedules on owned projects.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including design standards, reusable building blocks, tooling, and processes that increase team speed and consistency.

Requirements

• 8+ years of machine or product design experience, including several of the following areas: steam component selection, autoclaves or high-temperature/high-pressure vessels, pneumatic actuator design, stress and failure calculations, sensor selection and implementation, and P&ID creation.
• Proven ability as a senior technical voice, with a working understanding of controls engineering for autoclave systems (PLC/HMI, instrumentation, control valves, I/O) sufficient to integrate mechanical and controls design.
• 3+ years of SolidWorks experience (AutoCAD experience is a plus); proficiency with calculation tools and producing detailed drawings.
• Demonstrated track record of creating and upholding design standards across a product line.
• Ability to give and receive design feedback constructively in a peer-to-peer manner.

Technologies

• SolidWorks
• AutoCAD
• SolidWorks PDM

Benefits

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Willing to Train the Right Candidate

• SolidWorks PDM
• cGMP validation, design and documentation protocols
• AWS Welding Symbols and Geometric Tolerancing
• Deeper controls and PLC exposure for engineers with a mechanical background
• Active Pennsylvania Professional Engineer license in machine design is a plus

Educational and Physical Requirements

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent (Electrical/Controls Engineering considered with strong mechanical product experience).
• Must be able to perform all essential functions of the job with or without accommodation.

Education

• Bachelor's degree preferred

Application Questions

• What is your desired annual salary?
• Do you have 3+ years of experience with SolidWorks?
• Do you have prior experience with AutoCAD?
• Do you have 5+ years of progressive machine design experience including steam components, autoclaves or high-temperature/high-pressure vessels, pneumatic actuator design, stress/failure calculations, sensor selection and implementation, or P&ID creation?
• Do you have prior experience with AWS Welding Symbols and Geometric Tolerancing?