Project Leader Engineering III

Vanderlande; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderlande seeks a Project Leader Engineer III to head a project team in designing, integrating, and delivering material handling systems. You will coordinate across disciplines, manage budgets, and ensure on-time delivery with a focus on safety and quality.

You will guide system design, manage documentation, and communicate with customers and internal stakeholders. A strong engineering background and leadership experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years of experience with large-scale material handling systems.
• Willingness to travel up to 80% or as needed by project requirements.
• Proactive and hands-on work ethic.
• Self-motivated with proven problem-solving abilities, even under stress.
• Pragmatic and capable of balancing quality, schedule, costs, scope and resources.
• Ability to lead a specialized team for complex projects.
• Motivator and trainer for team members.
• Knowledge of mechanical installation and design standards.
• Knowledge of controls engineering theories and principles.
• Knowledge of electrical installation and design standards.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite of Tools.

Responsibilities

• Execute projects from conception through customer handover, driving technical and financial success.
• Oversee system design: hardware, software (PLC/PC), electrical install, integration, commissioning, handover.
• Ensure system functionality and quality for material handling systems.
• Maintain on-site presence during commissioning, coordinating with installation and integration teams.
• Develop engineering project plans and schedules and monitor progress.
• Coordinate with Controls Lead, Area Leads, Project Manager, Site Manager, Integration Manager and subcontractors.
• Collaborate with value chain members to ensure planned execution.
• Document functional specs, interface specs and high-level test plans (FAT/SAT/CAT).
• Manage engineering project information and complete archiving.
• Report progress and risks to Project/Engineering managers.

Skills

Team leadership

Problem solving

Travel up to 80%

Hands-on

Communication

Self-motivated

MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLC

Siemens PLC

Job description

Job Title

Project Leader Engineering III

Job Description

Overview

The Project Leader Engineer III is responsible for leading a project team in organizing, optimizing, and realizing sold projects into a functional system design. Extensive planning and coordination with other disciplines are essential to ensure on-time, cost-effective, and efficient project execution. As the spearhead of the engineering team, the Project Leader Engineer III acts as a communication bridge between all parties, including customers, outside of engineering, and serves as the technical expert for the engineering team.

Responsibilities & Tasks

Project Execution:

• Execute projects from conception through customer handover, contributing positively to technical performance, financial results, and organizational success.
• Oversee the system design, including hardware, system and network design, software development (PLC and/or PC related systems), electrical installation, integration of components, system commissioning, and testing, leading to final handover to the customer.
• Ensure system functionality and maintain technical quality for material handling systems.
• Maintain on-site presence during commissioning effort coordinating closely with installation and integration teams.

Project Planning and Coordination:

• Develop engineering project plans and schedules for the project team, consistently monitoring and reporting progress.
• Coordinate and communicate activities with the Controls Lead, Area Leads, Project Manager, Site Manager, Integration Manager, and subcontractors as needed.
• Collaborate closely with all members of the value chain to ensure as planned execution.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Document functional system specifications, interface specifications, and (high-level) test plans (FAT, SAT, CAT), including validation.
• Manage all engineering project-related information, including complete project archiving.
• Report project progress and status to the Project Manager and Engineering Manager (Project Status Report with risks and opportunities).

Budget and Safety:

• Monitor and control project engineering budgets.
• Execute health and safety analysis and coordinate safety during the engineering phase.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working on large-scale material handling systems.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 80% or as required by project needs.
• Proactive and hands‑on work ethic.
• Self‑motivated with proven problem‑solving abilities, especially in stressful situations.
• Pragmatic and capable of balancing quality, schedule, costs, scope, and resources.
• Ability to lead a specialized team responsible for complex projects.
• Motivator and trainer for team members.
• Basic knowledge of mechanical installation and design standards.
• Knowledge of controls engineering theories and principles.
• Knowledge of electrical installation and design standards.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite of Tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management certification or experience.
• Technical knowledge/background in material handling processes and standards.
• In-depth knowledge of test approaches (Software).
• Knowledge of Allen-Bradley or Siemens PLC architecture.
• Leadership experience as a project team and people manager.