Engineering Project Manager

Description

 Position Summary

The Engineering Project Manager is responsible for managing capital equipment projects from initial customer engagement and project definition through engineering, fabrication, assembly, testing, and final delivery. This position requires a strong mechanical engineering foundation, proven project management capabilities, and the ability to work directly with customers in a fabrication and manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate combines technical mechanical aptitude with practical manufacturing experience, effective communication skills, and the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time, within budget, and in accordance with customer specifications and quality expectations.

This is a customer-facing role requiring regular interaction with customers, engineering personnel, fabrication teams, suppliers, and company leadership. The successful candidate must be comfortable translating customer requirements into actionable engineering and manufacturing plans while identifying technical challenges, managing project risks, and ensuring successful project execution. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Project Management and Execution

• Manage multiple capital equipment projects simultaneously, from initial scope development through fabrication, assembly, testing, and shipment.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, budgets, milestones, resource plans, and deliverables.
• Monitor project progress, identify potential delays or cost overruns, and implement corrective actions.
• Coordinate engineering, procurement, fabrication, assembly, quality, and other departments to maintain project alignment.
• Manage project changes, scope revisions, customer requests, and associated cost or schedule impacts.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, status reports, action items, and customer communications.
• Lead project meetings and provide regular updates to internal stakeholders and customers.

2. Customer Relationship Management

• Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned customers throughout the project lifecycle.
• Participate in customer meetings to define project requirements, technical expectations, schedules, and deliverables.
• Communicate complex technical information clearly to customers, internal teams, and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Manage customer expectations regarding project scope, design limitations, fabrication constraints, costs, and delivery commitments.
• Resolve project-related concerns professionally while maintaining strong customer relationships.
• Identify opportunities for improvements, additional capabilities, and solutions that meet customer needs.

3. Mechanical Engineering and Technical Oversight

• Apply a strong understanding of mechanical engineering principles to evaluate equipment designs, fabrication methods, mechanical assemblies, and system functionality.
• Review engineering drawings, bills of materials, specifications, and equipment layouts for technical feasibility and manufacturability.
• Interpret customer requirements and translate them into practical engineering and fabrication deliverables.
• Work closely with design engineers and other technical personnel to resolve design issues and ensure project requirements are met.
• Identify potential mechanical, operational, safety, and manufacturing concerns before they affect project execution.
• Support design reviews, engineering changes, troubleshooting, and equipment performance evaluations.
• Ensure technical requirements are communicated effectively between engineering and shop-floor personnel.

4. Fabrication and Manufacturing Coordination

• Work directly with fabrication, welding, machining, assembly, and production personnel to coordinate project execution.
• Understand fabrication processes, material selection, manufacturing tolerances, mechanical fit-up, and assembly requirements.
• Evaluate design and fabrication constraints that may affect project cost, quality, or delivery schedules.
• Monitor fabrication and assembly progress against established project milestones.
• Coordinate material availability, purchasing requirements, subcontractor activities, and supplier deliverables.
• Collaborate with quality personnel to address nonconformances, inspection findings, and corrective actions.
• Participate in factory acceptance testing, equipment inspections, commissioning activities, and customer witness testing as required.

5. Cost, Schedule, and Risk Management

• Establish and maintain project budgets, cost forecasts, and schedule projections.
• Monitor labor, material, subcontractor, and other project-related costs.
• Identify technical, commercial, supply chain, and execution risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Evaluate the impact of customer-requested changes and support the preparation of change orders and revised project estimates.
• Escalate critical issues promptly and communicate their potential impact on project commitments.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that improve project execution, manufacturing efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing projects involving capital equipment manufacturing, industrial machinery, engineered-to-order equipment, or comparable mechanical systems.
• Proven ability to coordinate projects across engineering, fabrication, production, procurement, and quality functions.
• Strong understanding of mechanical engineering principles, mechanical assemblies, equipment design, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience working directly with customers in a technical, industrial, fabrication, or manufacturing setting.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications, bills of materials, and project documentation.
• Strong organizational, planning, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical information effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, changing priorities, deadlines, and competing requirements.
• Ability to work collaboratively with engineers, fabricators, production personnel, vendors, customers, and company leadership.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project scheduling or project management software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four-year degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Experience in a fabrication environment involving welded assemblies, machined components, industrial equipment, or custom-built machinery.
• Experience with engineered-to-order (ETO) or configure-to-order (CTO) capital equipment.
• Familiarity with CAD drawings, mechanical design reviews, manufacturing documentation, and engineering change management.
• Experience with project budgets, cost estimation, resource planning, and schedule management.
• Experience coordinating factory acceptance testing, equipment installation, commissioning, or customer inspections.
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems, procurement processes, and manufacturing production planning.

Important: A four-year mechanical engineering degree is preferred but not mandatory. A strong, practical understanding of mechanical engineering is a requirement. Candidates with substantial relevant experience in mechanical equipment manufacturing, fabrication, and technical project management may be considered in lieu of a formal engineering degree.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Technical aptitude: Ability to understand mechanical systems, recognize engineering challenges, and make sound technical judgments.
• Project ownership: Accountability for project scope, schedule, cost, quality, and overall execution.
• Customer-facing professionalism: Confidence in leading technical discussions, managing expectations, and resolving customer concerns.
• Manufacturing awareness: Practical understanding of how engineering decisions affect fabrication, assembly, cost, and delivery.
• Communication: Ability to coordinate effectively across technical and nontechnical teams.
• Problem-solving: Ability to identify root causes, evaluate alternatives, and implement practical solutions.
• Adaptability: Ability to operate effectively in a dynamic manufacturing environment where priorities and project requirements may change.
• Leadership: Ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional teams without necessarily having direct supervisory authority.

Performance Expectations

Performance in this role will be evaluated based on the candidate's ability to:

• Deliver projects in accordance with established schedules and approved budgets.
• Meet customer specifications, quality requirements, and contractual deliverables.
• Maintain clear and consistent customer communication throughout the project lifecycle.
• Effectively coordinate engineering, fabrication, procurement, and assembly activities.
• Identify and address technical and project risks before they result in significant cost or schedule impacts.
• Maintain accurate project records, forecasts, schedules, and status reporting.
• Support continuous improvement in project execution and customer satisfaction.

Work Environment

This position operates in both an office and manufacturing environment. The Engineering Project Manager must be comfortable transitioning between customer meetings, engineering reviews, project planning activities, and the fabrication shop floor. Periodic travel to customer facilities, supplier locations, or installation sites may be required.

Summary of the Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a technically capable, customer-oriented project manager who understands how mechanical equipment is designed, fabricated, assembled, and delivered. They can communicate confidently with customers, work collaboratively with engineering and shop-floor teams, and take ownership of complex capital equipment projects from concept through completion.

The position is best suited for an individual who combines practical mechanical engineering knowledge, capital equipment manufacturing experience, strong project management discipline, and exceptional customer-facing communication skills.