Project Engineer - Black Mountain, NC

Kearfott Corporation; Grovestone (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Tuition reimbursement

9/80 schedule with every other Friday

Job summary

Kearfott Corporation is seeking a Project Engineer to drive New Product Introduction programs from concept through production readiness, interfacing with sales, design engineering, and manufacturing. You will lead proposal development, cost estimation, and scheduling, coordinating cross-functional teams to translate concepts into actionable development plans.

Requires 3+ years in aerospace/defense and US citizenship, with strong MS Project and MIL-STD/AS9100 familiarity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 3+ years in a highly regulated aerospace/defense environment.
• 2+ years contributing to technical proposals, BOE generation, RFQ responses.
• Experience with enterprise PLM and ERP/MES systems.
• Proficiency in MS Project and scheduling tools.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD/AS9100 standards.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Lead New Product Introduction programs from concept to production readiness.
• Coordinate proposal development, technical narratives, and execution strategies.
• Define WBS and IMS schedules; manage resource constraints.
• Perform pre-bid analyses, risk assessments, and pricing considerations.
• Translate proposals into actionable development plans post-award.
• Track technical action items and maintain program milestones.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment across design, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.
• Lead gate reviews (PDR, CDR, MRR) and ensure milestone adherence.

Skills

NPI program management

Cross-functional communication

MS Project scheduling

Technical writing

Cost estimation

RFP/RFQ analysis

Problem solving

Manufacturing process know-how

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Industrial Engineering

Tools

Teamcenter/Windchill

ERP/MES software

MS Project

Job description

Kearfott Corporation is a global Aerospace and Defense supplier with a legacy of precision motion control and inertial navigation components.

Benefits include a 401(k), tuition reimbursement, and a 9/80 schedule with every other Friday off.

Position Description

The Project Engineer bridges the gap between sales, design engineering, and volume production. This role drives the successful execution of New Product Introduction (NPI) programs from concept and bid phases through production readiness, acting as the technical project coordinator and leading technical proposal development and transitions through design release to production implementation.

Bid & Proposal Development (Pre-Award)

• RFP/RFQ Evaluation: Analyze complex technical specifications, statements of work (SOW), and military/aerospace standards within Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
• Technical Writing: Draft comprehensive technical proposal narratives, executive summaries, compliance matrices, and engineering execution strategies.
• Cost & Labor Estimation: Establish Engineering Cost Estimates (ECEs) and Basis of Estimates (BOEs) for engineering labor hours, non-recurring engineering (NRE), and hardware development.
• WBS & Scheduling: Define the project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and author preliminary integrated master schedules (IMS) using Microsoft Project or Smartsheet to map resource constraints.
• Pricing: Conduct pre-bid risk assessments to identify technical roadblocks, manufacturing challenges, or long-lead material constraints, pricing these risks into the proposal contingency.

NPI Coordination & Technical Execution (Post-Award)

• Execution Strategy: Translate proposal concepts into actionable engineering development plans upon program award.
• Action Item Tracking: Maintain detailed technical action item lists, tracking engineering tasks to prevent schedule drift.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Facilitate technical alignment across Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Milestone Reviews: Lead and support critical program gateway reviews, including PDR (Preliminary Design Review), CDR (Critical Design Review), and MRR (Manufacturing Readiness Review).

Critical Competencies

• Advanced problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to dissect vague RFPs and build accurate, defensible cost and scope architectures.
• Strong communication skills to translate highly complex aerospace engineering concepts into plain language for customer evaluation teams.
• Strong working knowledge of manufacturing processes for complex mechanical or electromechanical assemblies.
• Proactive mindset to anticipate critical-path delays and execute mitigation strategies before milestones are missed (schedule ownership).

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 3+ years experience in a highly regulated industry (Aerospace, Defense, Space, or Automotive).
• 2+ years of direct experience contributing to technical proposals, BOE generation, and formal RFQ responses.
• Experience using enterprise PLM (Teamcenter, Windchill) and ERP/MES software.
• Advanced proficiency with scheduling software (MS Project).
• Strong familiarity with configuration management standards (MIL-STD/AS9100).
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Equal Opportunity Employer/including Disabled/Veterans.