Manufacturing Engineer – Fluid Power Engineer

Job Description

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid; employees are expected to live within a 50-mile radius of the home location and work in the office three days per week when not executing work in the field. The primary work location will be Warren, MI. This role may require travel to stamping and manufacturing facilities, supplier build shops, and project locations, up to 50%

Our Mission:

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale.

The Role:

As a Fluid Power Manufacturing Engineer, you will provide technical leadership for the design, development, installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of pneumatic, hydraulic, and related fluid-power systems used in press and automation equipment across GM manufacturing operations. You will work with plant personnel, manufacturing engineering, controls engineering, maintenance, suppliers, contractors, and other technical partners to develop reliable and safe fluid-power solutions.

The role will focus on applying engineering fundamentals and hands-on problem-solving to improve equipment safety, uptime, quality, maintainability, energy efficiency, and overall manufacturing performance. This position is well suited for an early-career or high-potential engineer who wants to build deep expertise in industrial fluid power while contributing to complex stamping and automation projects.

The successful candidate will demonstrate curiosity, initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to learn quickly in a plant environment.

What You’ll Do:

• Specify, design, procure, integrate, and validate pneumatic and hydraulic systems for press, die handling, material handling, automation, and supporting manufacturing equipment.
• Develop and review fluid-power architectures, schematics, bills of material, component specifications, calculations, and technical documentation.
• Select and size pumps, motors, cylinders, actuators, valves, manifolds, accumulators, filters, regulators, lubricators, tubing, hose assemblies, fittings, and other fluid-power components.
• Evaluate system pressure, flow, force, speed, response time, heat generation, contamination control, leakage, and energy consumption.
• Interface fluid-power systems with electrical controls, PLCs, sensors, safety systems, HMI applications, and machine sequencing.
• Support the design and validation of safety-related functions, including safe stopping, pressure isolation, stored-energy control, guarding interfaces, and lockout energy control.
• Perform hands-on troubleshooting of pneumatic and hydraulic equipment using schematics, measurement tools, diagnostic instruments, and structured problem-solving methods.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for equipment failures, leaks, pressure or flow instability, slow or inconsistent motion, overheating, contamination, premature component failure, and repeat downtime.
• Support equipment installation, supplier build reviews, runoffs, commissioning, debug, production launch, and final acceptance at supplier and plant locations.
• Analyze equipment performance and reliability data to identify opportunities to improve uptime, cycle time, quality, maintainability, and operating cost.
• Partner with maintenance and operations to develop preventive-maintenance, predictive-maintenance, inspection, spare-parts, and troubleshooting strategies.
• Review supplier designs and provide technical direction to suppliers, contractors, plant personnel, and engineering support resources.
• Identify and implement cost reductions, standardization opportunities, design improvements, and energy-efficiency initiatives.
• Support Management of Change activities and ensure engineering changes are documented, reviewed, tested, and implemented effectively.
• Maintain comprehensive records for designs, calculations, schematics, equipment changes, validation results, commissioning activities, and lessons learned.
• Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications): Bachelor of Science (Mechanical, Electrical and/or Computer, Manufacturing Systems Engineering, or Computer Science) or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of experience in developing and maintaining machinery and equipment in manufacturing, preferably with press and automation systems in stamping.
• Knowledge of engineering theory and principles of operation of mechanical/electrical mechanisms (mechanics, hydraulics, and pneumatics). Specific knowledge of engineering mechanics and manufacturing methods engineering.
• Experience in coordinating design & construction activities – preferably in automotive manufacturing facilities.
• Experience with project management methodologies to manage budget constraints, varying production schedules and OEM counterparts.
• Understanding of Microsoft software including MS Project.
• Ability to use CAD systems (ie. AutoCAD, Unigraphics, SOLIDWORKS, Teamcenter, Teamcenter Visualization, etc.).
• High level of integrity, ability to deal with ambiguity, take initiative/self-directed.
• Develop and deliver technical training for maintenance, production, and engineering personnel on fluid-power systems, operating principles, troubleshooting, and safe work practices.
• Provide work direction and technical guidance to engineering support personnel and project team members as assigned.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Electromechanical Engineering Technology, Fluid Power Engineering Technology, or a related engineering discipline; equivalent practical experience may be considered.

5+ years of experience in developing and maintaining machinery and equipment in manufacturing, preferably with press and automation systems in stamping.

3+ of experience supporting industrial equipment, manufacturing systems, machinery, or fluid-power applications.

Ability to read and interpret pneumatic and hydraulic schematics, mechanical drawings, electrical drawings, equipment manuals, and bills of material.

Ability to diagnose problems using engineering fundamentals, structured root-cause analysis, and hands-on measurement techniques.

Experience with proportional or servo-hydraulic systems, pressure-compensated pumps, hydraulic power units, high-pressure circuits, pneumatic motion-control systems, or vacuum applications.

Experience with fluid-power component selection, system sizing, pressure and flow calculations, and energy-efficiency improvements.

Familiarity with fluid-power standards and safe machinery-design practices, such as NFPA, ISO, SAE, OSHA, and applicable GM requirements, including the Global Design for Health and Safety Specification (G-DHS).

Experience supporting supplier design reviews, equipment runoffs, installation, commissioning, production launch, and plant acceptance.

·Experience using AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, Unigraphics/NX, Teamcenter, Teamcenter Visualization, or similar engineering and documentation tools.

Experience using Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, data-analysis tools, or computerized maintenance and asset-management systems.

Experience working with PLC-controlled machinery, HMIs, sensors, safety circuits, and industrial communication interfaces.

Formal training or certification in fluid power, hydraulics, pneumatics, machinery safety, reliability, or maintenance engineering.

Experience leading technical work at supplier build shops or manufacturing facilities.

Strong candidates with a two-year associate degree in Fluid Power Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Electromechanical Engineering Technology, or a related technical discipline, combined with extensive directly relevant industrial fluid-power experience, may also be considered.

Hybrid :

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week (or other frequency dictated by their manager).

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.