Senior Mechanical Engineer - Controlled Environments

Company: Progressive Companies
Location: Detroit
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Deliver Results Lead mechanical engineering design for complex projects with advanced environmental control needs, including cGMP-regulated facilities and ISO-certified spaces. Develop custom mechanical and utility systems leveraging expertise in psychrometrics, temperature/pressure/humidity control, dehumidification, high-efficiency filtration, and specialty gas/water/process piping. Oversee conceptualization and development of cutting-edge HVAC, energy, and mechanical systems, incorporating emerging technologies and smart controls. Conduct comprehensive energy modeling and performance simulations to guide design decisions and promote energy efficiency and regenerative principles. Write detailed control sequences, control diagrams, system scopes, custom specifications, and performance-based design objectives. Guide Revit modeling best practices, including sloped sanitary/process piping design, elevation coordination, branch tie-ins, and inheritance functions for accurate modeling. Coordinate with clients, contractors, cross-functional teams, and stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle to ensure design goals are met, risks are minimized, and innovative strategies are translated effectively. Mentor junior staff, lead technical reviews of critical deliverables for accuracy and compliance, and provide expert feedback that adds value. Serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) in controlled environments, for highly complex and innovative designs. Facilitate field inspections of major projects and lead "Lessons Learned" sessions to align construction with design intent and enhance team skills and project outcomes. Contribute to firm-wide innovation by evaluating new technologies, sharing knowledge, and recommending improvements based on field and industry experience. Specialized Engineering Knowledge Extensive knowledge of mechanical system technologies, including current and anticipated future advances in controlled environments. Deep understanding and application of psychrometric charts for humidity/dewpoint control and dehumidification system sizing. Practical sizing criteria for ductwork and piping (e.g., pressure drop and velocity guidelines) based on experience rather than software defaults. Design for redundancy, mission-critical reliability, and high-performance filtration/utility systems. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related field). Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.). Approximately 10 or more years of post-graduation professional engineering experience. Ability to navigate in Revit and AutoCAD for advanced modeling and documentation standards. Demonstrated experience with psychrometric analysis, dehumidification control, redundancy planning, and mechanical systems in mission-critical or regulated facilities. Preferred Qualifications Direct design experience in controlled environments such as biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medtech (medical devices), sterile manufacturing, semiconductor, battery, aerospace, or mission-critical/data centers (strongly preferred). Experience writing design fee estimates, technical specifications, and control diagrams. Familiarity with pressure drop/velocity criteria for duct/piping sizing and sanitary piping modeling challenges (e.g., sloping and branch integration). Client-facing experience translating requirements into project plans and fostering strong relationships.

Keywords: Progressive Companies, Elyria , Senior Mechanical Engineer - Controlled Environments, Engineering , Detroit, Ohio