Project Engineer

Essentra; Erie (Erie County); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Essentra is hiring a Project Engineer for Erie, PA or Flippin, AR. This will be a hybrid job that requires working onsite 3 days per week.

The Project Engineer reports to the Custom Solutions Manager and oversees New Product Introduction (NPI) projects from quoting to tooling development, production launch, and close. The role emphasizes coordination of schedules, budgets, and technical risks, with strong communication to customers, suppliers, and internal teams.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years progressive related experience in plastics/injection molding
• English fluency with strong written and verbal communication
• Willingness to travel up to 10% in the U.S.
• Experience with design for manufacturability and tooling processes
• Experience with tooling quotes and project costing

Responsibilities

• Partner with Commercial team to develop part-costing for new solutions
• Prepare and review part, tooling, and engineering-change estimates
• Lead design for manufacturability reviews to identify requirements and risks
• Obtain tooling quotes to support supplier selection and budgets
• Coordinate tooling design and construction with project schedules and budgets
• Communicate project status, timing, costs, and risks to stakeholders
• Ensure ISO 9001 compliance in activities and documentation
• Coordinate production launch and project close, handing over to Operations
• Travel to support customers and suppliers (up to 10%)

Skills

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

CAD

Pro/E

Job description

Essentra is a leading provider of essential components and solutions. Every day we produce and distribute millions of small but essential products.

Our international network extends to 28 countries, with headquarters in the United Kingdom and includes 14 manufacturing facilities, 24 distribution centers and 33 sales & service centers.

At the center of everything is our purpose, to responsibly provide the products and services our customers need to succeed. Put simply, our purpose is why we exist as a company. Many companies claim to be changing the world; we don't. But we do make a powerful difference to our customers. We make it work. Every one of us. Every day.

Job Description Summary:

Essentra is hiring a Project Engineer for Erie, PA or Flippin, AR. This will be a hybrid job that requires working onsite 3 days per week. The Project Engineer reports to the Custom Solutions Manager and manages assigned New Product Introduction (NPI) projects from commercial quoting support through tooling development, production launch, and project close. The Project Engineer will prepare, coordinate, and monitor a project, from the initial conception to the schedule and final completion.

As tasks come in and new stages of the project are met, the project engineer will perform project tasks and ensure everything is completed on time. Communication is key to this role and includes letting the team know of any updates or problems, as well as providing assistance and support whenever necessary.

We will only consider candidates local to Erie, PA or Flippin, AR. We are not providing visa sponsorship or relocation assistance for this job.

Typical Accountabilities:

• Partner with the Commercial (Sales) team to develop and review part-costing details for quoting new custom solutions.
• Apply manufacturing costing experience to prepare and review part, tooling, and engineering-change estimates, including material, labor, machine time, and overhead costs, to support accurate quoting and project budgets.
• Lead Design for Manufacturability reviews to identify technical requirements, manufacturing constraints, and project risks.
• Obtain and review tooling quotes to support supplier selection, project costs, and timing.
• Meet or exceed customer expectations of tooling conception to production launch
• Coordinate tooling design and construction while managing project schedules, budgets, and technical risks.
• Communicate technical requirements, project status, timing, costs, and risks to customers, suppliers, and internal teams throughout the project.
• Continually stay abreast of all new technologies and methods of mold design and construction as they relate to company philosophies
• Ensure project activities and documentation follow ISO 9001 requirements and internal procedures.
• Coordinate production launch and project close, ensuring required deliverables are completed and the project is handed over to Operations.
• Travel as required to support and meet the needs of our customers and suppliers (up to 10%).
• Perform related job duties as assigned and required.

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years progressive related job experience, in plastic injection molding industry, including at least 2 years of Injection Mold tooling experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering is a plus but not required; will consider related experience in lieu of degree.
• Fluency in English language and strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% in the U.S..
• Experience using SolidWorks and CAD systems.
• Full understanding of drawing/drafting practices using CAD.
• Drawing interpretation, drafting practices, data analysis, project management, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with Pro/E is a plus.
• Experience at implementing continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, or other process improvement techniques.
• Experience in injection mold part & tooling design and construction techniques.
• Knowledge of injection molding processes and procedures.
• Project management skills - decisive and adept at spotting potential problems and finding appropriate solutions to keep productivity moving along.
• Strong time management skills - projects must adhere to tight deadlines to be completed on time.
• Ability to prioritize tasks to make sure all projects runs smoothly.
• Flexibility when unexpected issues arise. Must have flexibility to adapt to new systems and processes, finding ways to work around these problems.
• Exemplify dedication to Essentra's health, safety and employee engagement culture
• Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional teams.

What We Offer:

This position offers a competitive base salary, annual bonus incentive, full benefits package, and generous paid time off (including a paid day off for your birthday).