Project Engineer

Actalent; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 66,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Project Engineer in Cleveland, OH, to lead capital equipment and manufacturing improvement projects from concept through production. The role focuses on project management, equipment procurement, layout optimization, and launch readiness, with 8:00 AM–5:00 PM hours and onsite work in Cleveland.

The Engineer will coordinate with multiple functions and external suppliers to ensure production-ready equipment and processes, manage budgets and schedules, and support new product

Qualifications

• 3+ years of manufacturing engineering experience.
• Strong project management experience across manufacturing projects.
• Hands‑on CAPEX project experience from justification to implementation.
• Experience optimizing plant layouts for efficient flow and capacity expansion.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings and equipment specifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital equipment projects from concept to full production, including scoping, specs, RFQs, and approvals.
• Develop budgets, schedules, risk registers, and action plans to meet cost, quality, and timing goals.
• Manage suppliers, integrators, and contractors with design reviews and commissioning coordination.
• Evaluate equipment and process solutions to improve capacity, productivity, and safety.
• Perform capacity analyses, time studies, and resource planning for current and future needs.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams and report status to drive timely completion.
• Troubleshoot floor issues and provide technical support for successful implementation.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering experience

Project management

CAPEX project experience

Plant layout optimization

Technical drawing interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Project

Gantt charts

Job description

Job Title

Project Engineer

Job Description

The Project Engineer manages and executes capital equipment and manufacturing improvement projects that support significant new product growth and increased production capacity. This role focuses on capital project management, equipment procurement, manufacturing process development, plant layout optimization, and production launch readiness. The engineer independently leads projects from initial concept and justification through equipment specification, vendor selection, installation, validation, and final handoff to production.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital equipment projects from concept through full production, including developing project scope, defining equipment specifications, preparing RFQs, creating capital justifications, overseeing procurement, and managing installation, commissioning, and final acceptance.
• Develop and manage detailed project budgets, schedules, milestones, risk registers, and action plans to ensure projects meet cost, quality, and timing requirements.
• Manage equipment suppliers, integrators, and contractors by conducting design reviews, approving drawings, overseeing equipment runoffs, and coordinating installation and commissioning activities.
• Assess and evaluate manufacturing equipment and process solutions to improve capacity, productivity, quality, safety, and overall manufacturing cost.
• Perform capacity analyses, time studies, and process evaluations to determine equipment, labor, floor-space, and process requirements for current and future production needs.
• Develop and maintain plant and equipment layouts that support new equipment installations, efficient material flow, appropriate inventory levels, and future capacity expansion.
• Prepare capital expenditure justifications that clearly document capacity needs, labor savings, cost reductions, outsourcing avoidance, safety improvements, and project payback.
• Support new product launches and capacity expansion by ensuring equipment, tooling, utilities, processes, layouts, and documentation are fully production‑ready.
• Coordinate projects across Manufacturing, Quality, Maintenance, Tooling, Production, Engineering, and external suppliers, providing clear status updates and driving open actions to timely completion.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects, typically handling 2 to 6 initiatives at a time, while maintaining strong communication and documentation throughout the project lifecycle.
• Troubleshoot issues on the production floor and provide technical support to ensure successful implementation and sustained performance of new equipment and processes.

Essential Skills

• At least 3 years of manufacturing engineering experience.
• Strong project management experience, including planning, execution, and delivery of manufacturing-related projects.
• Hands‑on experience with capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects, including justification, procurement, and implementation.
• Experience developing and optimizing plant layouts to support efficient material flow and capacity expansion.
• Ability to perform capacity analyses, time studies, and process evaluations.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Engineering is preferred.
• Experience using Gantt charts and project management tools such as Microsoft Project.
• Programming skills or experience with automation‑related programming are preferred.
• Familiarity with manufacturing engineering disciplines such as process improvement and equipment design.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings and specifications for equipment and plant layouts.
• Experience working in environments that involve airflow performance testing, structural resonance testing, sound testing, or dynamic strain‑gage testing is beneficial.
• Interest in gaining hands‑on experience managing major facility upgrade projects.

Work Environment

Approximately 80% of the work involves desk‑based project activities such as planning, design, documentation, and coordination, while about 20% of the time is spent on the production floor troubleshooting issues and supporting project implementation. The typical schedule is 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 1‑hour lunch break.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Cleveland, OH.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $48.00 - $55.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Cleveland,OH.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 18, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News‑Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.