Senior Engineering Project Manager

Henkel; Bowling Green (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Work-life balance

401k & bonus

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Henkel, based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is seeking an experienced Engineering leader to drive end-to-end capital projects in our Consumer Brands unit. You’ll guide scope, design, execution, startup and handoff, coordinating with Operations, Engineering, Quality and Finance.

Ideal candidate has 10+ years in engineering/manufacturing and proven CAPEX delivery in a high‑volume environment, strong communication, risk management, and familiarity with PSM and GMP. Competitive pay and benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in engineering, manufacturing, capital project management.
• Experience leading capital projects in a consumer packaged goods (CPG) or manufacturing environment.
• Strong skills in project planning, execution, capital management, budgeting and risk management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management across levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital projects end-to-end from scope through design, execution, startup and handoff.
• Serve as overall project leader balancing technical, operational, financial and execution priorities.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, resources and project controls for CAPEX delivery.
• Drive capital management activities: forecasting, spend tracking, cost control and change management.
• Own project risk management, identifying, mitigating and escalating risks.
• Communicate project status, risks and outcomes to site leadership and cross-functional teams.

Skills

Project leadership

Capital project management

Stakeholder management

Vendor/contractor management

Process safety knowledge

Automation & manufacturing tech

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Job description

About this Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting‑edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow.

This position is with our Consumer Brands business unit – where we empower our employees to bring the best Laundry & Home Care and Hair products to people around the world.

Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

What You’ll Do

• Lead capital projects end‑to‑end, from scope development through design, execution, startup, and operational handoff.
• Serve as the overall project leader, balancing technical, operational, financial, and execution priorities.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, resources, and project controls to ensure successful delivery of capital investment projects (CAPEX).
• Drive capital management activities, including forecasting, spend tracking, cost control, and change management.
• Own project risk management, proactively identifying, mitigating, and escalating risks and issues.
• Communicate project status, risks, and outcomes effectively to stakeholders at all levels, including site leadership, Regional and Global Engineering, R&D, Quality, and Hygiene teams.
• Manage external contractors, vendors, and equipment suppliers to ensure quality, performance, and timely execution.
• Maintain project governance, tracking, reporting, and documentation in accordance with Henkel standards.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Finance, Purchasing, R&D, SHE, and other stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Ensure projects meet safety, quality, regulatory, compliance, and performance requirements.
• Support and participate in Pre‑Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR), Process Safety initiatives, Design Reviews, Constructability Reviews, and Management of Change (MOC) processes.
• Apply Henkel Production Systems and Vertical Startup (VSU) methodologies in partnership with the VSU leader to support successful commissioning and startup.
• Demonstrate organizational agility and adaptability in response to changing business priorities and project demands.

What makes you a good fit

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in engineering, manufacturing, capital project management, or a related industry.
• Proven experience leading capital projects within a consumer packaged goods (CPG), manufacturing, industrial, or other technical production environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in project planning, execution, capital management, budgeting, and risk management.
• Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to effectively engage at all levels of the organization.
• Working knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and hygiene standards.
• Experience collaborating with vendors, contractors, and cross‑functionally teams across local, regional, and global organizations.
• Experience in a high‑volume, highly automated CPG manufacturing environment or a similar industry.
• Background supporting processes/manufacturing systems and/or packaging operations.
• Experience implementing automation, manufacturing technologies, digital solutions, or equipment integration projects.
• Demonstrated success managing medium- to large-scale capital projects from concept through startup and operational handoff.
• Familiarity with equipment startup, commissioning, qualification, and operational handoff processes.

Some benefits of joining Henkel

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work‑Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12‑week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

The salary range for this role is $120,000.00 and $165,000.00. This range represents the good‑faith minimum and maximum wages the Company reasonably expects to offer for this role at the time of posting. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for incentive pay or other forms of compensation, as applicable. The Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package as described above. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, experience, education, training, and work location. This posting is intended to comply with all applicable state and local pay transparency laws.

Henkel does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Henkel property and therefore, Henkel will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral.

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.