Senior / Retired Manufacturing Engineers (Taxonomy & Decision-Logic Advisors)

Senior / Retired Manufacturing Engineers (Taxonomy & Decision-Logic Advisors) ## Job Description **We're building the engineering intelligence layer the industrial supplier directories never had — and we need the people who actually know the work to define it.** Design Engineering World (DEW) is a new platform for design and manufacturing engineers. Most supplier directories are just lists of companies. We're different: engineers research, compare, calculate, and decide *before* they ever contact a supplier — so we're building the decision tools, standards-normalized specifications, and selection logic that support that work, with supplier discovery coming last, not first. To do that credibly, we need real practitioners — not marketers, not generalist writers — to define **how an engineer actually selects equipment and tooling in a given category.** ### See what we're building (live now) This isn't a concept deck — the platform is live and growing. A few pages that show the approach: - **Engineering Advisory Board** — where your profile would live: https://www.designengineeringworld.com/engineering-advisory-board - **Machine Tools intelligence hub** — how a category comes together: https://www.designengineeringworld.com/dew-machine-tools - **Machining Decision Engine** — interactive selection logic in action: https://www.designengineeringworld.com/dew-machine-selector - **Machine Tools Engineering Guide** — sourced, confidence-rated decision rules and failure modes: https://www.designengineeringworld.com/machine-tools-engineering-guide - **Free machinist calculators** — feeds & speeds, tap drill, MRR, clamping force, and more: https://www.designengineeringworld.com/tools - **Supplier directory** — the suppliers come *last* in the funnel, by design: https://www.designengineeringworld.com/machine-tools-suppliers The decision rules, guides, and selection logic on those pages are exactly the kind of work we want senior practitioners to define and vet for their own categories. ### What you'd actually do For one or more categories you know deeply, you'd help us define: - **The attributes that matter** when selecting a product in that category (e.g., for cutting tools: insert grade, coating, geometry, work-material group, recommended speeds/feeds; for grinding machines: wheel type, spindle power, work envelope, achievable tolerances). - **Which of those attributes are decision-driving vs. nice-to-have** — the difference between a spec sheet and an actual selection decision. - **The standards that govern the category** (ANSI, ISO, ASTM, etc.) and how specs should be normalized so products can be compared apples-to-apples. - **The selection logic / rules of thumb** a veteran uses — the tacit knowledge that isn't written down anywhere but separates a good choice from an expensive mistake. - **Reviewing and sanity-checking** the decision tools and category data we build from your input. You will NOT be writing software, building databases, or doing data entry. We handle all of that. **You bring the engineering judgment; we build the platform around it.** ### Who we're looking for - 15+ years of hands-on experience in one or more manufacturing/industrial domains (machinists, tooling engineers, manufacturing engineers, applications engineers, plant engineers, metrologists, etc.). - **Retired engineers strongly encouraged** — deep experience matters more than current employment, and a flexible, low-hour commitment is perfectly fine. - Generalists with broad experience are especially valuable: if you've worked across several of the categories below, you may be able to advise on a cluster of them, not just one. - Able to explain *why*, not just *what* — we want the reasoning a junior engineer wouldn't know to ask about. ### Categories we're building (tell us which you can speak to) 🔵 = **immediate priority** — we have active client demand here and want to fill these advisory seats first. But we're building across all 15 verticals below, so tell us where *your* depth is regardless of the dots. **1. Machine Tools & Manufacturing Equipment** 🔵 CNC Machining Centers 🔵 · Cutting Tools · Turning Centers · Grinding · EDM · Toolholding · Workholding · Swiss Machines · Sawing · Laser Processing · Deburring & Finishing · Coolant Systems · Metalworking Fluids · Metal Fabrication · Machine Accessories · Manufacturing Systems · Production Equipment **2. Electrical & Electronics** Power Supplies 🔵 · Connectors · Circuit Protection · Electrical Enclosures · Embedded Systems · HMIs · Industrial Controls · Industrial PCs · Relays & Switches **3. Process Control & Instrumentation** Sensors 🔵 · PLCs · SCADA · Actuators · Control Valves · Data Acquisition · Data Loggers · Flow Measurement · Level Measurement · Pressure Measurement · Temperature Measurement · Signal Conditioners · Transmitters · Industrial Communications **4. Additive Manufacturing** Metal 3D Printing · Polymer 3D Printing · AM Materials · AM Inspection · Design for Additive · Hybrid Manufacturing · Post Processing **5. Automation & Robotics** Industrial Robots · Collaborative Robots · AGVs & AMRs · End-of-Arm Tooling · Machine Tending · Automated Assembly · Vision Systems · Safety Systems **6. Engineering Services** Mechanical Engineering · Electrical Engineering · Manufacturing Engineering · Product Design · Prototyping · Contract Manufacturing · System Integration · Compliance Consulting · Training Services **7. Facilities & Plant Operations** Air Compressors · HVAC · Energy Management · Facility Safety · Industrial Lighting · Maintenance Equipment · Material Storage · Waste Handling **8. Flow Control & Fluid Transfer** Pumps · Valves · Filtration · Fittings · Flow Meters · Fluid Handling Systems · Hoses & Tubing · Regulators · Seals & Gaskets **9. Fluid Power** Hydraulics · Pneumatics · Cylinders · Hydraulic Pumps · Hydraulic Motors · Hydraulic Valves · Hydraulic Power Units · Pneumatic Valves · Air Preparation · Fluid Power Accessories **10. Materials & Chemicals** Metals · Plastics · Composites · Ceramics · Elastomers · Adhesives · Coatings · Lubricants · Industrial Chemicals **11. Mechanical Components** Bearings · Gears · Gearboxes · Ball Screws · Linear Motion · Couplings · Clutches & Brakes · Fasteners · Shafts · Springs · Power Transmission Components **12. Motion Control & Drives** Servo Motors · Stepper Motors · Drives · Motion Controllers · Linear Actuators · Encoders · Positioning Systems · Robotics Motion Systems **13. Software & Simulation Tools** CAD · CAM · CAE · FEA · CFD · PLM · ERP · MES · Digital Twin · Industrial AI · Engineering AI & Copilots · Knowledge Management **14. Test, Measurement & Metrology** CMM · Metrology Equipment · Calibration · Optical Measurement · Surface Metrology · Hardness Testing · Force Measurement · Vibration Analysis · Vision Inspection · Environmental Testing **15. Industrial Computing & IIoT** IIoT Platforms · Edge Computing · Edge AI · Machine Monitoring · Predictive Maintenance · Remote Monitoring · Industrial Networking · Industrial Gateways · Cloud Connectivity · Cybersecurity **In your proposal, please list which categories — or clusters of related categories — you could credibly advise on.** You don't need to cover a whole vertical; even one or two sub-categories where you have deep experience is valuable. ### What you get — Engineering Advisory Board Selected experts join the **DEW Engineering Advisory Board** for their category. The core of the arrangement is visibility and the business it can bring you: - **Your profile and photo featured on the category page** as the practitioner who vets that category's decision logic — public recognition as the named authority behind it, in front of the engineers and suppliers researching that space. - **A direct line that can turn into work.** Suppliers and fellow engineers who find you on the category page will be able to reach you for questions, consulting, advisory roles, or paid engagements. The aim is for this to become a source of inbound opportunities, not just exposure — you keep those relationships; DEW makes the introduction. - **A reference library that builds your name.** The best questions and your answers become a growing, credited Q&A resource in each category — your expertise compounding into something the whole community reads, with your name on it. - **Influence** over how an emerging platform represents your field. This is a chance to put decades of hard-won knowledge somewhere visible, credited, and working for you — not buried in a manual nobody reads. *See where your profile would live: [our Engineering Advisory Board page](https://www.designengineeringworld.com/engineering-advisory-board) shows the card layout — photo, name, category, short bio, and contact button.* *A note on timing: the advisory board page and profiles are live now. The direct-contact and community Q&A/forum features are rolling out over the coming months — early advisors get first placement and help shape how they work.* **On compensation:** the advisory-board role is built around visibility and the direct-hire opportunities it generates rather than a fixed salary. That said, we're open to discussing paid arrangements for the taxonomy-definition work itself, depending on scope and the depth of involvement — happy to talk specifics once we've connected.