Painesville
Job Description The Lead Engineer serves as the primary technical leader responsible for the end‑to‑end design, integration, and delivery of complex paper converter systems. This role has technical ownership for the mechanical, electrical, and software engineering aspect of the system to deliver reliability and innovation. The ideal candidate possesses deep system-level thinking, strong engineering fundamentals and the ability to guide cross‑functional teams through technical challenges without direct authority. The Lead Engineer will set the technical direction, ensure subsystem alignment, drive system architecture decisions, and mentor engineers across fields to execute successful New Product Introductions (NPI) and enhancements to legacy platforms. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Strategic Vision & Systems Leadership • Maintain a holistic, system‑level perspective on all engineering programs, pro-actively identifying integration points, dependencies, and risk areas across mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems., • Develop and maintain system architecture documents, interface definitions, and requirements flow‑down., • Serve as the technical lead on complex NPI programs, ensuring subsystem alignment and cohesive execution., • Own the full lifecycle of system design—from requirements gathering and concept development through detailed design, integration, validation, and release., • Translate market, customer, and product requirements into clear, actionable system and subsystem specifications., • Oversee mechanical design using SolidWorks (parts, assemblies, drawings, BOMs)., • Coordinate and review electrical schematics, controls architecture, wiring diagrams, and PLC/HMI design., • Take a “sleeves‑rolled‑up” approach to diagnose issues, support prototype builds, and lead system debugging efforts., • Oversee system‑level and subsystem‑level testing programs, ensuring requirements coverage, test plan completeness, and structured execution., • Create structured technical execution plans for entire systems, ensuring cross‑discipline alignment., • Track subsystem deliverables, integration milestones, and testing timelines to ensure on‑time, high‑quality product launches., • Provide expertise in mechanical design, material selection, manufacturing processes, and DFM., • Support software teams with system‑level insights into timing, performance constraints, and hardware interactions., • Work closely with Product Management, Quality, Purchasing, Assembly, Manufacturing Engineering, and Service teams to ensure system designs meet cost, quality, and manufacturability targets., • Participate in technical reviews, risk assessments, and cross‑functional alignment meetings., • Drive standardization efforts across engineering disciplines (CAD standards, electrical schematics, software documentation)., • Lead continuous improvement initiatives including root‑cause analysis on legacy systems and the introduction of improved architectures., • Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline., • Experience: 7–10 years of engineering experience in product development, system integration, R&D, or multidisciplinary engineering within a production environment., • Technical Skills:, • Proficiency with mechanical CAD modeling (SolidWorks required)., • Strong understanding of electrical and controls engineering principles., • Familiarity with software/firmware development processes, PLC logic, and system communication architectures., • Project Management: Proven ability to lead technical execution, orchestrate multidisciplinary teams, and manage engineering timelines., • Travel: Ability to travel domestically up to 10%., • Traits: Highly self‑driven, resilient, able to operate under pressure and work independently., • Communication: Strong interpersonal maturity; able to manage difficult conversations with professionalism and provide clarity to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Ranpak is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We celebrate the unique differences of our employees because that is what drives curiosity, innovation, and the success of our business. Ranpak does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including recruiting, hiring, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. Ranpak makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. For more information, we invite you to read our Code of Ethics.