Manufacturing Process Engineer

FitzDrake Search; South Boston (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Relocation assistance

Premium benefits (95% covered)

Job summary

FitzDrake Search is seeking a Process Engineer for our Southern Virginia manufacturing campus to join during a critical scale-up. This hands-on, plant-based role focuses on developing, commissioning, and optimizing processes to improve safety, quality, and efficiency.

You will own processing areas, participate in equipment readiness for production, and collaborate across engineering, operations, maintenance and quality to deliver continuous improvement and scalable manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, or Materials Science.
• Experience in manufacturing or heavy industry.
• Ability to solve complex problems using data and root-cause analysis.
• Familiarity with quality and process safety concepts preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned processing areas with focus on safety, quality, operability, and continuous improvement.
• Support on-site commissioning for titanium powder processing equipment.
• Use data analysis and SPC to improve manufacturing performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve process capability and throughput.
• Work with QA, maintenance, and design reviews to implement improvements.
• Contribute to PHA’s, design reviews, and engineering documentation refinement.
• Lead continuous improvement projects using Lean and Six Sigma methods.

Skills

Data analysis

Root cause analysis

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Statistical analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Python

SQL

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Materials Science, or another relevant engineering discipline

Tools

Python

SQL

CAD

Job description

We are seeking a Process Engineer to join the team at our manufacturing campus in southern Virginia. The Process Engineer will support the development, commissioning and optimization of manufacturing processes, with a focus on improving production efficiency, process reliability, product quality and safety.

This Process Engineer role is an opportunity to join during a critical scale-up stage. The work is not theoretical, remote, or confined to a desk - it is hands-on, plant-based engineering, focused on helping a new manufacturing process become safe, reliable, repeatable and commercially scalable.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical ownership of assigned processing areas with a focus on safety, quality, operability, process understanding, and continuous improvement.
• Support on-site commissioning efforts for titanium powder processing equipment, including heat-treating ovens, and help ensure equipment readiness for production.
• Leverage data analysis, statistical methods, root cause analysis, and direct process observation to solve complex technical problems and improve manufacturing performance.
• Actively support production initiatives by collaborating with cross-functional teams to improve process capability, throughput, equipment reliability and operational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, production, maintenance and quality teams to develop and implement process improvements.
• Participate in plant process design, design reviews, process hazard analyses (PHA’s), hazard mitigation, and engineering documentation refinement.
• Support quality initiatives related to QMS implementation, statistical process control (SPC), process controls and variability reduction.
• Scope, manage and execute continuous improvement projects, applying Lean Manufacturing and other problem-solving methodologies to improve performance and track actual savings.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Materials Science, or another relevant engineering discipline.
• Experience in manufacturing, heavy industry, process engineering, plant engineering, heat-treating, or a related industrial environment
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems using data, root cause analysis, and structured problem-solving methods.
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, apply curiosity, and develop a strong understanding of manufacturing processes and equipment.
• Experience with process safety management, process hazard analysis, equipment commissioning, or engineering design reviews preferred.
• Experience with quality management systems, statistical process control (SPC), process capability, or variability reduction preferred.
• Experience with statistical tools, Python, SQL, or CAD software preferred.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing methodology; experience with Six Sigma or statistical analysis preferred.
• Experience with heat-treating ovens or other thermal processing equipment is highly desirable but not required.

This is onsite position at the South Boston, VA manufacturing campus. The role includes a highly competitive base salary, annual bonus and a great benefits package with premiums covered at 95% by the company. In addition, the company will provide financial assistance if you require relocation.