Design Engineer

Katalyst CRO; City of Rensselaer (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Katalyst CRO is seeking a Project/Design Engineer to work onsite in Rensselaer, supporting a major pharmaceutical client. You will contribute to design, installation, and commissioning across pharma manufacturing, working with engineering and automation teams in a regulated life sciences setting.

The role requires a strong background in pharma manufacturing, hands-on chromatography SKID experience, and the ability to manage multiple priorities on large capital projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (mandatory).
• Minimum 5+ years pharma or life sciences engineering experience.
• Hands-on chromatography SKID installation/qualification.
• Experience with large-scale capital projects in manufacturing.
• Ability to work independently with multiple changing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Support engineering and design activities for new and existing pharmaceutical manufacturing process areas.
• Assist in installation, commissioning, and qualification of chromatography SKIDs (critical requirement).
• Work on capital projects involving large-scale pharma manufacturing systems.
• Support instrumentation work, bioreactor suites, and process utilities (e.g., WFI systems, alarms, automation systems).
• Assist in detailed design phase activities, including reviewing engineering documentation and process layouts.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including manufacturing, process engineering, and automation.
• Troubleshoot and support day-to-day engineering challenges in production environments.
• Work independently with minimal supervision while managing multiple priorities.
• Identify gaps proactively and support project execution from design through startup.

Skills

Pharma manufacturing

Capital projects

Process automation

Cross-functional

Troubleshooting

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's in Engineering

Chemical Engineering (preferred)

Biomedical / Biopharma / Medical Eng

Tools

Chromatography SKID

Job description

Job Summary

Project/Design Engineer role onsite 5x/week in Rensselaer supporting a major pharmaceutical manufacturing client. The position sits within Engineering and Automation teams and focuses on supporting design, installation, and commissioning activities for new and existing process areas. The role involves working on large-scale capital projects, assisting in bringing new manufacturing systems online, and supporting cross-functional engineering and production teams in a highly regulated pharma/life sciences environment.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Support engineering and design activities for new and existing pharmaceutical manufacturing process areas
• Assist in installation, commissioning, and qualification of chromatography SKIDs (critical requirement)
• Work on capital projects involving large-scale pharma manufacturing systems
• Support instrumentation work, bioreactor suites, and process utilities (e.g., WFI systems, alarms, automation systems)
• Assist in detailed design phase activities, including reviewing engineering documentation and process layouts
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including manufacturing, process engineering, and automation
• Troubleshoot and support day-to-day engineering challenges in production environments
• Work independently with minimal supervision while managing multiple priorities
• Identify gaps proactively and support project execution from design through startup

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in an Engineering discipline (mandatory), preferably:
  • Chemical Engineering (preferred)
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Biomedical / Biopharma / Medical Engineering
• Minimum 5+ years of pharmaceutical or life sciences engineering experience
• Strong background in pharma manufacturing or regulated life sciences environments
• Hands-on experience with:
  • Chromatography SKID installation, commissioning, and qualification (must-have)
• Experience working on large-scale capital projects in manufacturing settings
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple changing priorities
• Familiarity with:
  • Bioreactors
  • WFI (Water for Injection) systems
  • Process instrumentation and automation systems
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills across engineering and manufacturing teams
• Self-driven, proactive mindset with strong problem-solving ability
• Must be a third-party candidate only (no direct/internal applicants)