Project Engineer – Fluid Systems & P&ID Design

Engtal; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Dayton, OH area company is seeking a Project Engineer to join its engineering team. This hands-on role focuses on fluid-handling, piping, and instrumentation within custom industrial equipment. You will own P&ID and fluid-system design from design through build and commissioning.

Open to early-career engineers or experienced candidates, with compensation based on experience. Travel is limited, and collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Experience with or knowledge of mechanical, piping, plumbing, process, instrumentation, or fluid-handling systems.
• Ability to read and create engineering drawings and schematics.
• Familiarity with pumps, valves, fittings, regulators, piping, tubing, and instrumentation is preferred.
• Experience with P&ID design and fluid-system considerations is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop P&IDs and detailed plumbing/fluid schematics for custom equipment.
• Design water, compressed air, nitrogen, refrigerants, hydraulic fluids, fuels, oils, vacuum, and other process-fluid systems.
• Specify pumps, valves, meters, regulators, filters, piping, tubing, fittings, instrumentation, and safety devices.
• Determine instrument locations, connections, isolation points, drains, vents, and other components.
• Perform flow, pressure drop, pipe sizing, valve sizing, pump, and vacuum calculations.
• Create bills of materials, specifications, and engineering documents.
• Collaborate with Controls, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and Service during build.
• Support checkout and commissioning, including tests for pressure, leaks, flow, vacuum, temp, and instrumentation.
• Troubleshoot fluid-system and instrumentation issues during build and startup.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

DraftSight

SolidWorks

Job description

We're working with an established custom equipment manufacturer in the Dayton area that is looking to add a Project Engineer to its engineering team.

This is a hands-on engineering and design position focused on the fluid-handling, plumbing, and instrumentation systems used within custom industrial equipment. The engineer will own the P&ID and fluid-system design portion of assigned projects, working alongside mechanical, electrical, controls, and manufacturing teams from initial design through equipment build and commissioning.

The team is open to both early-career engineers and more experienced candidates. Recent engineering graduates with a strong technical foundation can be trained into the role, while candidates with direct P&ID, process, or fluid-system design experience can come in at a more experienced level. Compensation will be based on experience and technical background.

Travel is very limited at less than 10%.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

• Develop P&IDs and detailed plumbing/fluid schematics for custom manufacturing equipment
• Design systems involving water, compressed air, nitrogen, refrigerants, hydraulic fluids, fuels, oils, vacuum, and other process fluids
• Specify pumps, valves, flow meters, regulators, filters, piping, tubing, fittings, instrumentation, and safety devices
• Determine instrument locations, process connections, isolation points, drains, vents, and other system components
• Perform calculations related to flow, pressure drop, pipe sizing, valve sizing, pumps, and vacuum systems
• Create bills of materials, component specifications, and supporting engineering documentation
• Work closely with Controls, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and Service throughout the equipment build
• Support equipment checkout and commissioning, including pressure, leak, flow, vacuum, temperature, and instrumentation testing
• Troubleshoot fluid-system and instrumentation issues during build and startup

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• Experience with or a strong foundation in mechanical, piping, plumbing, process, instrumentation, or fluid-handling systems
• Ability to read and create engineering drawings and schematics
• Understanding of components such as pumps, valves, fittings, regulators, piping/tubing, and instrumentation
• CAD experience with AutoCAD, DraftSight, SolidWorks, or similar software
• Strong technical problem-solving skills and willingness to learn a specialized equipment environment
• Experience creating P&IDs, designing industrial fluid systems, working with custom machinery, or supporting equipment commissioning is highly valued but not required for an early-career candidate. Familiarity with PLC I/O, instrumentation, alarms, and interlocks is also beneficial.

EXPERIENCE LEVEL

The team is flexible on experience and is considering candidates ranging from recent engineering graduates and early-career engineers through more experienced professionals.

For an early-career hire, the focus will be on a strong engineering foundation, technical aptitude, and the ability to learn the company's specialized fluid-system applications.

More experienced candidates with direct Project Engineering, P&ID, process, or fluid-system design experience are also strongly encouraged to apply and can be considered at a higher compensation level based on their experience.

WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY?

This is a strong opportunity for an engineer who enjoys the technical design side of projects without wanting a position centered around project schedules or constant customer management. You'll have ownership of your engineering work while collaborating closely with several other engineering disciplines.

The position offers very limited travel, exposure to a variety of custom industrial equipment, and potential opportunities to grow into technical leadership as the engineering organization continues to develop.