Hands-On Packaging & Manufacturing Project Engineer

Sterling Engineering, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 69,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Medical plans (3)

Dental & vision

401(k)

Employee Stock Ownership (ESOP)

Job summary

Sterling Engineering, Inc. seeks a hands-on Packaging / Manufacturing Project Engineer to support trials, changes, and equipment initiatives on a high-volume production floor.

You’ll collaborate with Engineering, Production, Quality, Maintenance, and Procurement to coordinate data, samples, and trials, while updating documentation.

Ideal: bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, 2–7 years’ manufacturing or packaging experience, and strong Excel/project-coordination skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Packaging, Manufacturing Technology, or related field.
• 2–7 years of experience in manufacturing, packaging, project, process, or plant engineering preferred.
• Experience in a manufacturing or production environment; packaging experience strongly preferred.
• Comfortable working extensively on the manufacturing floor.
• Strong project coordination, organization, documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to analyze production data and manage multiple priorities independently.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, or other high-volume manufacturing experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and support packaging trials, production runs, changeovers, and equipment initiatives.
• Provide hands-on production-floor support, working directly with operators and plant teams.
• Coordinate materials, samples, equipment support, vendors, and other trial requirements.
• Collect and ship production and trial samples while maintaining accurate documentation.
• Review production and trial data to evaluate performance and identify issues.
• Coordinate activities across Engineering, Production, Quality, Maintenance, Procurement, and Logistics.
• Track project schedules, requirements, action items, and follow-ups.
• Update engineering documentation, standard operating procedures, Bills of Materials, and equipment records.
• Support packaging equipment, labeling, vision-system, troubleshooting, and equipment improvement activities.

Skills

Engineering degree

2+ years experience

Hands-on packaging

Project coordination

Excel skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

Excel

Job description

Sterling Engineering, Inc. seeks a hands-on Packaging / Manufacturing Project Engineer to support trials, changes, and equipment initiatives on a high-volume production floor.

You’ll collaborate with Engineering, Production, Quality, Maintenance, and Procurement to coordinate data, samples, and trials, while updating documentation.

Ideal: bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, 2–7 years’ manufacturing or packaging experience, and strong Excel/project-coordination skills.