Project Engineering Manager

Combined Selection Group Ltd; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Combined Selection Group Ltd. is seeking an experienced Project Engineer to own capital projects from concept through commissioning for North American food, beverage and CPG plants.

You will manage scopes, equipment specs and vendor relationships while ensuring sanitary design, safety and regulatory compliance across multiple sites. The role requires hands-on engineering, strong project leadership and a willingness to travel heavily (about 75%).

Qualifications

• Several years of project engineering experience within food, beverage or CPG manufacturing.
• Proven track record delivering capital projects from start to completion.
• Strong grounding in processing and packaging equipment, utilities and plant infrastructure.
• Working knowledge of sanitary design principles and hygienic zoning.
• Experience managing contractors and enforcing schedule and specs with vendors.
• Comfort with heavy travel between plants and sites.
• Engineering degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical, industrial or manufacturing fields.
• Lean, Six Sigma, PMP or CAD capability is a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Own capital projects from concept through commissioning and handover to operations.
• Develop scopes, equipment specs and layouts with operations, quality, maintenance and food safety.
• Select and manage OEMs, contractors and integrators, including bid packages and FATs.
• Lead site installations, shutdown planning and phased startups.
• Drive commissioning, qualification and startup curves and support operations until stable.
• Manage schedule and risk across multiple concurrent projects at different plants.
• Ensure compliance with sanitary design, USDA, FDA, OSHA and local codes.
• Prepare as-builts, training and closeout documentation for operations.

Skills

Project engineering

Capital projects delivery

Vendor management

Sanitary design knowledge

Travel readiness

Education

Engineering degree (mechanical/electrical/chemical/industrial/manufacturing)

Tools

CAD capability

Lean Six Sigma

PMP certification

Job description

What the role typically involves

• Owning capital projects from concept and scoping through design, procurement, installation, commissioning, validation and handover to operations
• Building and defending capital appropriation requests, then managing the budget against them once approved
• Developing project scopes, equipment specifications and layouts in partnership with operations, quality, maintenance and food safety
• Selecting and managing OEMs, contractors and integrators, including bid packages, vendor evaluation and factory acceptance testing
• Running site installations, including shutdown planning, tie ins and phased startups that protect existing production
• Driving commissioning, qualification and startup curves, then supporting operations until the line hits sustained performance
• Managing schedule and risk across multiple concurrent projects at different plants
• Ensuring every project lands compliant with sanitary design, USDA and FDA requirements, OSHA, NFPA and local code
• Handling documentation, as builts, training and closeout so operations can actually run and maintain what you install

Scope and structure

• Multiple manufacturing sites across North America, with projects allocated by need rather than geography
• Travel in the region of 75 percent, typically Monday to Thursday on site with heavier stretches during installs and startups
• Project values commonly ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars up to multi million dollar line and facility investments
• Reporting into engineering or operations leadership, with visibility to plant managers and site directors
• Base location flexible for the right person given the travel profile

Background that fits

• Several years of project engineering experience within food, beverage or CPG manufacturing
• Demonstrable record of delivering capital projects start to completion, not just supporting someone else\'s
• Strong grounding in processing and packaging equipment, utilities, and plant infrastructure
• Working knowledge of sanitary design principles and hygienic zoning
• Confident managing contractors and holding vendors to schedule and spec
• Comfortable moving between plant floor, contractor trailer and boardroom in the same day
• Genuinely suited to a heavy travel role, not tolerating it for twelve months
• Degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical, industrial or manufacturing engineering, or equivalent hands on experience
• Lean, Six Sigma, PMP or CAD capability is a bonus rather than a requirement