Capital Engineering Manager

Recru; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Recru in Houston seeks an Engineering Manager to build and lead its capital-project and plant-engineering capability. The role translates business priorities into an actionable portfolio, establishes standards, and drives project execution from concept to commissioning.

You will manage a cross-disciplinary team, liaising with Operations, IT, and Finance, ensuring timely delivery and measurable business impact. 9+ years' experience required.

Qualifications

• At least 9 years of progressive industrial engineering, manufacturing, project, or plant experience, including leadership of significant capital projects.
• Experience with mechanical equipment, manufacturing processes, contractor management, commissioning, and plant-based problem-solving.
• Knowledge of electrical systems, automation, controls, utilities, and industrial codes.
• Ability to develop estimates, evaluate lifecycle economics, and communicate financial risk.
• Proven ability to recruit, coach, delegate, and develop project managers and engineers.

Responsibilities

• Build a high-performing capital-project and engineering team with clear standards and service orientation toward operating departments.
• Translate priorities into executable project scopes, schedules, budgets, and technical work programs.
• Own the project portfolio, including intake, development, prioritization, staffing, and closeout discipline.
• Establish and approve engineering and project-control standards across estimation, scheduling, drawing control, procurement, and commissioning.
• Lead capital projects from concept through commissioning and benefits verification.
• Coordinate with Operations, IT, Quality, Finance, Purchasing, Safety, and external resources as applicable.
• Develop engineering personnel through coaching, reviews, and formal training; increase decision authority.
• Present clear recommendations and status to business leadership; maintain disciplined project records.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Budgeting & cost control

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical judgment

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical or industrial engineering

Job description

Build and lead this company's capital-project and engineering capability. The Engineering Manager converts priorities established by the Director of Business Development into a controlled portfolio of capital, plant-engineering, and selected improvement projects; establishes technical and project-control standards; develops internal capability; and remains accountable for the quality of project development, execution, commissioning, and closeout.

Primary responsibilities

• Build a high-performing capital-project and engineering team with clear standards, disciplined methods, and a service orientation toward operating departments.
• Translate priorities established by the Director of Business Development into executable project scopes, schedules, budgets, resource plans, and technical work programs.
• Own the project portfolio, including intake, development stage, prioritization recommendations, staffing, workload control, reporting, risk escalation, and closeout discipline.
• Establish and approve engineering and project-control standards, including estimating, scheduling, design review, drawing control, procurement planning, construction readiness, commissioning, change control, and vendor-document requirements. Align capital governance, financial thresholds, and reporting requirements with the Director of Business Development.
• Lead or oversee capital and improvement projects from concept through commissioning, including estimates, design reviews, procurement, contractor management, field execution, acceptance, and benefit verification.
• Support Maintenance-led major maintenance work with engineering, estimating, vendor and contractor coordination, project controls, commissioning, and documentation when assigned. Maintenance retains ownership of the work and equipment.
• Direct and develop the onsite Project Manager, define delegated authority, review field reports, remove barriers, and intervene when scope, cost, schedule, safety, quality, or contractor performance is at risk.
• Provide senior technical judgment on complex mechanical, electrical, process, automation, and facility issues; retain qualified specialists where internal expertise is insufficient.
• Evaluate vendor proposals, technical alternatives, commercial terms, lifecycle costs, implementation risks, and expected economic returns.
• Coordinate with Operations, Maintenance, IT, Quality, Finance, Commercial, Safety, Purchasing, and external engineering resources as applicable.
• Develop project-management and engineering personnel through coaching, assignments, technical reviews, formal training, and increasing decision authority.
• Present clear recommendations, project status, financial exposure, tradeoffs, and required decisions to business leadership.
• Maintain disciplined project records and ensure the company receives complete as-built drawings, manuals, software, training, and spare-parts information.
• Set engineering standards, technical methods, review requirements, and documentation expectations.
• Assign engineering resources within the approved business-priority framework.
• Reject incomplete scopes, technically inadequate designs, unsupported assumptions, or deficient vendor deliverables.
• Recommend project priorities, capital requirements, vendor selections, outsourcing decisions, and staffing changes.
• Stop engineering or contractor work when technical, quality, safety, or scope conditions materially differ from the approved basis.

Working relationships

• Works directly with the Director of Business Development on strategy, capital allocation, priorities, product development, and major project decisions.
• Partners with plant leadership while preserving operations' ownership of daily performance and maintenance's ownership of routine equipment care.
• Coordinates with IT on architecture, networking, cybersecurity, databases, and connected-equipment requirements.
• Directly manages the Project Manager and future internal engineers and oversees external engineers, equipment suppliers, contractors, consultants, and technical service providers.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited program.
• At least 9 years of progressive industrial engineering, manufacturing, project, or plant experience, including leadership of significant capital projects.
• Demonstrated experience with mechanical equipment, manufacturing processes, contractor management, commissioning, and plant-based problem-solving.
• Working knowledge of electrical systems, automation, controls, utilities, civil/structural interfaces, and applicable industrial codes.
• Ability to develop estimates, evaluate lifecycle economics, understand cash flow and returns, assess vendor terms and change-order exposure, and communicate financial risk.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, coach, delegate, review technical work, and develop project managers and engineers into independent project leaders.
• Clear written and verbal communication with technical personnel, plant teams, executives, vendors, and contractors.

Preferred qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to identify work requiring licensed engineering review and manage qualified external Professional Engineers.
• Engineering background with broad working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, process, controls, civil, and structural interfaces.
• Lean or Six Sigma experience sufficient to evaluate business cases, operating constraints, and benefit-verification plans.