Lead Project Engineer

Eaton; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Health and Welfare benefits

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Eaton’s Electrical division is looking for a Lead Project Engineer based in Santa Ana, CA. This position entails planning and executing critical business projects, optimizing manufacturing processes, and collaborating with teams.

The estimated annual salary ranges from $112,000 to $164,000, and requires a Bachelor's degree in engineering along with experience in process design and operations management. Relocation assistance is available.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of process design and improvement experience.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in manufacturing/operations.
• Minimum 2 years of managing large scale growth projects.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and optimize manufacturing processes to improve efficiency.
• Support the building of project controls capabilities.
• Conduct data-driven decision-making for operational excellence.
• Facilitate continuous improvement programs.

Skills

Process design

Manufacturing optimization

Project management

Statistical analysis

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Job description

Eaton’s Electrical division is currently seeking a Lead Project Engineer. This position is based at our Electrical Manufacturing facility in Santa Ana, CA. Relocation assistance available within the US.

This position is responsible for planning and executing a critical business project. As an Lead Project Engineer, you will analyze and optimize manufacturing and industrial processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs. This includes process designing, troubleshooting, process optimization, process analysis, process documentation, quality control, project management, process automation and quality assurance. You will also collaborate with cross‑functional teams, implement process improvement initiatives, and contribute to the overall success of our organization.

The expected annual salary range for this role is $112,000 - $164,000 a year.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

What You’ll Do

• Developing, optimizing, and improving manufacturing processes to enhance productivity, quality, and safety.
• Support the building of project controls capabilities including the creation of cost and schedule baselines, tracking, forecasting, and change management tools.
• Performing process capability studies, statistical analysis, and data‑driven decision‑making to achieve operational excellence and meet production targets.
• Conducting research to develop new and improved processes for manufacturing using lean tools.
• Work closely with division OPEX resources to drive continuous improvement (CI) programs, utilizing EBS resources (ProLaunch, OpA, BPI, etc.)
• Designing and planning equipment layout that maximizes production velocity and material flow.
• Implement process monitoring facilitate digital factory.
• Troubleshooting problems associated with manufacturing processes.
• Work with the division leadership, functional leaders, and site managers to align project management organizational resources and initiatives with key business objectives. Drive unified plans that support operations and division business, financial and employee engagement objectives.
• Facilitate a culture where best practices are shared across operations and the business and identify opportunities for synergy and integration between businesses as well as benchmark industry and local best practices to set stretch performance targets.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited educational institution
• Minimum 3 years of process design and improvement or operations management experience
• Minimum of one (1) year of experience in manufacturing/operations
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience with managing large scale growth projects

Additional Skills

• Prior experience in facility management and consolidation
• PMP certification
• Ability to communicate effectively and equally well within all levels of an organization.

Immigration & Sponsorship

• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

All positions may require participation in video and in‑person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job‑related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

The application window for this position is anticipated to close on June 29, 2026.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job‑related reasons regardless of an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability‑related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.