Mechanical Engineer — Design Quick Connect Mounting Solution for Food-Grade Water Reservoir - Contract to Hire

We're a consumer electronics brand (SYPS Hydration) building compact hydration appliances. We need a mechanical engineer to design a mounting solution for a non-threaded quick connect fitting in a hard-walled water reservoir.
• *The Problem:**

We need to securely mount a non-threaded quick connect fitting into our hard reservoir using a solution that is watertight, food-safe, and optimized for fast assembly during production. We have existing grommets that may work as part of the solution, but we're open to the best approach.
• *Constraints & Requirements:**

- All materials must be food-grade / potable water safe (FDA compliant)

- Strongly prefer a solution using common, off-the-shelf hardware (bulkhead fittings, grommets, O-rings, retaining clips, etc.) to avoid custom tooling costs

- If custom hardware is required, that's acceptable — but please justify why off-the-shelf won't work

- Solution must be designed with assembly time in mind — we're building at 1,000+ unit volumes and need something a line worker can install quickly and consistently

- Must create a watertight seal under normal use conditions (low pressure, gravity or pump-fed)

- Must be compatible with the existing reservoir geometry and grommet (CAD files will be provided to selected candidates)
• *Deliverables:**

1. Final CAD files (SolidWorks or STEP) of the mounting solution integrated with the reservoir

2. Bill of Materials (BOM) with specific part numbers and sourcing links (McMaster-Carr, Amazon, Alibaba, etc.)

3. Assembly instructions — step-by-step with estimated assembly time per unit

4. Sourcing links for all hardware components

5. Brief design rationale explaining tradeoffs and why this approach was selected
• *What We'll Provide:**

- CAD files of the reservoir and existing grommet

- Quick connect fitting specs

- Context on the product and how the reservoir fits into the overall assembly

- Feedback and iteration as needed

- parts for prototyping (reservoir, quick connect, existing grommets)
• *Ideal Candidate:**

- Experience with product design for consumer hardware or appliances

- Familiar with food-grade material requirements and sealing solutions

- Practical DFM mindset — you think about assembly time, cost, and sourcing, not just geometry

- Comfortable working in SolidWorks (preferred) or can deliver clean STEP files

- Responsive communicator — this is a focused project, not a long engagement
• *Budget:** $200–$500 fixed price (scope-dependent — if your approach requires more, explain why in your proposal)
• *Timeline:** Looking to finalize within 1–2 weeks
• *To Apply:**

Please include in your proposal:

1. A brief description of how you'd approach this problem

2. 1–2 examples of similar mechanical design work (mounting, sealing, fluid-path, consumer hardware)

3. Your estimated timeline and fixed price

We'll share CAD files with shortlisted candidates before starting.

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