Project Engineer

April Quest; Portsmouth; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexi start/finish times

9-day fortnight (optional)

Hybrid work 50/50 office/home

Holiday buying/selling

Parental leave 14 weeks

Training and professional development

Employee Bonus Scheme

Pension 10.5% employer contrib.

Share scheme

BUPA for eligible employees

Job summary

April Quest is seeking a Project Engineer to own automation projects from idea to handover in a manufacturing environment. You will identify improvements, build business cases, and manage suppliers for capital equipment introductions.

You will review designs, challenge external engineering specialists where needed, and ensure solutions meet intended requirements while delivering on time and within budget.

Qualifications

• Strong engineering background in manufacturing environments.
• Capital equipment project delivery from concept to handover.
• Experience reviewing designs and challenging external suppliers.
• Proven ability to manage budgets and ROI calculations.
• Stakeholder and supplier management skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify automation opportunities and capital investments in manufacturing.
• Create detailed business cases with volumes, labour, forecast demand, costs and ROI.
• Translate needs into technical specs and project plans.
• Lead projects through full lifecycle: concept, design, build, install, commission and handover.
• Manage scope, budgets, timelines, quality and risks, resolving issues and delays.

Job description

We are working with a well-established manufacturer that designs and builds highly reliable products for safety-critical applications.

This is a varied role offering full ownership of engineering projects from the initial idea through to installation and handover. Working within a small and trusted team, you will identify opportunities to improve and automate production, put together business cases, select and manage specialist suppliers, and introduce new equipment into the manufacturing environment.

Projects can range from smaller improvements worth around £80,000 to major automation programmes valued at £1m- £2m. This is more than a traditional project management role, you will also use your engineering knowledge to review and challenge designs, make key decisions and ensure each solution works as intended.

Benefits

• Flexi- start and finish times (1pm finish on a Friday available)
• Optional 9-day fortnight
• 50/50 office and home working
• Buying/selling holiday
• 14 weeks of paid parental leave (new parents) and phased return to work for those parents that take extended leave i.e. maternity, adoption leave
• Training and professional development
• Employee Bonus Scheme
• Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 10.5% (subject to conditions)
• Non-contributory Share Scheme (Company shares have shown sustained performance growth)
• BUPA for eligible employees

Info About What The Project Engineer Role Entails

• Identify manufacturing processes and operational areas that could be improved through automation, new equipment or other capital investment.
• Develop detailed business cases using production volumes, labour requirements, forecast demand, quality data, costs, risks and expected return on investment.
• Translate operational needs into clear project concepts, technical specifications, user requirements, project plans and measurable acceptance criteria.
• Manage engineering projects through the full lifecycle, from initial concept and design reviews through supplier build, testing, installation, commissioning and final handover.
• Control project scope, budgets, timescales, quality and risks, resolving technical challenges, supplier issues and delays throughout delivery.
• Build strong relationships with production, engineering, quality, product development, suppliers and senior leaders to gain approval, coordinate delivery and influence key decisions.

Essential Requirements Of The Project Engineer

• Strong engineering experience within a manufacturing environment, ideally involving electronics, electromechanical products or automated production equipment.
• Previous experience as a Project Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Production Engineer, Automation Engineer or in a similar technical, project-focused position.
• Proven experience delivering engineering or capital equipment projects from initial concept through design, installation, commissioning and final completion.
• Strong technical understanding of complex machinery and automation, with the confidence to review designs and challenge external engineering specialists when necessary.
• Good commercial awareness, including developing business cases, evaluating return on investment and managing significant project budgets.
• Strong stakeholder and supplier management skills, with the ability to build professional relationships with external automation teams, influence senior colleagues and work independently.

Desirable Experience For The Project Engineer

• Experience with industrial automation, robotics, machine vision, automated testing or bespoke production equipment.
• Experience within electronics manufacturing and a good understanding of the associated production processes.
• Experience managing contracts, suppliers or project budgets.
• Experience using AI or other emerging digital technologies within manufacturing or engineering.
• Experience transferring manufacturing processes or equipment between sites or countries.