Mechanical Design Engineer or Technologist

About Kinetic Custom Trailers 

At KINETIC, we don’t just build trailers, we engineer custom solutions that push the boundaries of design, functionality, and quality. As a leader in the custom trailer manufacturing industry, we take pride in creating smart, efficient designs that meet the unique needs of every client, no matter how complex or specialized. 

Backed by nearly a decade of proven success at our long-standing Canadian headquarters, we’ve brought that momentum to Waco—opening fresh opportunities for skilled, driven people to grow with us. Whether you’re on the shop floor, behind a CAD screen, or working with customers, you’ll be part of a company that values excellence, adaptability, and forward-thinking.

Kinetic Custom Trailers designs and manufactures custom heavy-duty trailers and mobile equipment chassis. Our Waco team works closely with customers and production to develop practical solutions for demanding applications.

We are looking for a mechanical designer, engineer or technologist with at least two years of professional mechanical design or drafting experience with manufactured products, gained after graduation. You should be comfortable developing parts and assemblies, preparing accurate drawings, and working with the people building your designs.

This role offers varied design work and direct involvement from concept through fabrication and assembly. You will contribute within the engineering team, with guidance and review appropriate to the work.

What You Will Do

•   Create and revise 3D parts, assemblies, fabrication drawings, assembly drawings and bills of material using SolidWorks.

•   Design and detail trailer components and assemblies, including machined pins and mating parts, mechanisms, formed plate, welded structures and equipment interfaces.

•   Apply practical knowledge of cutting, forming, machining, welding and assembly to produce designs that can be built efficiently.

•   Check dimensions, fits, tolerances, clearances, materials and drawing consistency before submitting work for review. Maintain accurate bills of material and revision records.

•   Work directly with production to resolve fit-up, fabrication and assembly issues and incorporate approved improvements.

•   Assist with weight distribution, axle loading, center-of-gravity and basic strength calculations. Support design validation and finite element analysis where applicable, with engineering guidance.

•   Support reviews against applicable FMVSS, CMVSS and transportation requirements as directed by the engineering team.

•   Coordinate with engineering, sales, purchasing and production to clarify requirements and carry design changes through to the build.

Required Qualifications

•   Relevant education and experience. Graduation from a mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, mechanical design and drafting, or closely related technical program, followed by a minimum of two years of full-time employment designing or drafting manufactured mechanical products.

•   Qualifying experience. The two-year minimum must include personally creating mechanical designs or production drawings. Academic projects, student placements and experience gained before graduation do not count. Fabrication, machining, maintenance or assembly experience alone does not meet this design experience requirement.

•   Mechanical CAD proficiency. Proficiency in parametric 3D mechanical CAD for parts, assemblies and detailed production drawings. SolidWorks is preferred; Creo, Onshape, Inventor or comparable mechanical CAD are acceptable. Candidates using another system must be willing and able to transition to SolidWorks.

•   Relevant CAD applications. Experience limited to structural steel detailing, architectural drafting, building information modeling or similar software does not satisfy the mechanical CAD requirement.

•   Manufacturing knowledge. Ability to prepare clear fabrication and assembly drawings, with a practical understanding of dimensions, fits, tolerances and relevant fabrication processes.

•   Accuracy and teamwork. A disciplined approach to checking work, documenting changes and raising uncertainties. Clear communication and willingness to work directly with production teams on-site.

Additional Experience We Value

•   Design experience with trailers, mobile equipment, machinery or other fabricated mechanical products.

•   Hands-on machining, fabrication or assembly experience that complements your design work.

•   Exposure to hydraulics, pneumatics, trailer systems, weight distribution, FEA or engineering document control.

How to Apply

Submit your resume and a brief summary of two manufactured components, assemblies or drawing packages you personally designed or drafted. Describe your contribution, CAD software, manufacturing processes and the result. Nonconfidential work samples are welcome.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.

Education & Experience

We are intentionally flexible on education and years of experience.

Possible backgrounds include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or another engineering discipline
• Diploma or certificate in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Engineering Design and Drafting, CAD, or a related technical field
• Equivalent hands-on design, drafting, fabrication, or manufacturing experience - previous mechanical design or manufacturing experience is preferred,

Why Kinetic?

At Kinetic Custom Trailers, you won’t spend your entire day designing the same component over and over. Our custom manufacturing environment gives you the opportunity to work on real products, unique engineering challenges, and designs you can see being built on the production floor.

If you enjoy CAD, manufacturing, problem-solving, and seeing your designs come to life, we’d like to talk to you.