Project Engineer

Hiring: Project Engineer (Full Time - Direct Placement)
Job Description
The Project Engineer oversees the end-to-end delivery of complex capital equipment systems, from receipt of purchase order through configuration, manufacturing, testing, shipment, and on-site service support. This role integrates engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and logistics activities into a single, executable plan and serves as the primary point of contact for both internal stakeholders and external customers. The position offers the opportunity to work on multiple high-value semiconductor tools simultaneously and to build a broad understanding of semiconductor manufacturing operations in a rapidly growing industry.
Responsibilities

• Own the delivery timeline for each assigned system build from order receipt through configuration, manufacturing, test, and shipment, aligning engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and quality milestones into a single integrated schedule.
• Receive purchase orders, meet with marketing and engineering to confirm configuration and requirements, and translate those requirements into a detailed bill of materials consisting of approximately 3,000 to 5,000 parts.
• Create and maintain a comprehensive project schedule, conduct weekly project update meetings, and provide clear visibility into progress, risks, and dependencies for all stakeholders.
• Spend substantial time in the first six months working closely with supply chain and procurement to drive material availability, manage shortages, and ensure all required components are on hand to support build schedules.
• Coordinate and support the start of the system build, partnering with the factory team to ensure assembly activities follow the plan and that the build progresses according to schedule.
• Proactively remove obstacles and resolve issues that arise during assembly and integration, working across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to keep each tool on schedule.
• Work through assembly and integration issues on the factory floor, collaborating with mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers to resolve design or build conflicts.
• Oversee the transition of each system into test, support troubleshooting activities, and help drive resolution of bugs and performance issues to achieve full tool functionality.
• Serve as the primary project contact for external customers, providing regular status updates, managing expectations when schedules shift, and coordinating customer source inspections and ship-readiness reviews.
• Host and support customer visits to the site around the nine-month mark and beyond, ensuring tools meet acceptance criteria and that all issues identified during inspection are addressed prior to shipment.
• Coordinate with logistics to plan and execute shipment of tools, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and internal schedules, and support the handoff to the service engineering team for on-site installation.
• Manage multiple system builds in parallel, typically overseeing 8-10 tools at various stages of the lifecycle, while maintaining clear priorities and resource alignment.
• Identify and resolve risks across engineering, operations, and supply chain that threaten on-time delivery, escalating early with clear mitigation plans rather than waiting for issues to become critical.
• Conduct weekly Engineering Change Order (ECO) reviews with contract manufacturing partners, assessing the impact of design changes on active and upcoming builds and defining when and how each change is implemented in production.
• Track and coordinate engineering deliverables, both electrical and mechanical, against the project schedule, ensuring design milestones, documentation, and approvals are complete before dependent manufacturing activities begin.
• Prepare and deliver clear weekly status reports to operations leadership that summarize schedule performance, open risks, resource constraints, material issues, and any customer-facing concerns.
• Identify and implement process improvements that reduce cycle time, improve delivery predictability, and eliminate recurring blockers, and share these improvements with the broader project engineering team.
• Use project scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or equivalent to manage timelines, dependencies, and resource loading, and maintain accurate data in ERP systems such as SAP or similar tools.
• Collaborate with quality, manufacturing, and engineering teams on the manufacturing floor to ensure each system meets internal quality standards and customer specifications before shipment.
• Support international and domestic travel, as needed, to customer sites or manufacturing partners, including occasional trips to locations such as Boston or Asia, to facilitate inspections, resolve issues, and support installations.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or related discipline) or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and manufacturing project management experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in manufacturing operations, project engineering, or project management, preferably involving complex capital equipment or electromechanical systems.
• Experience managing the delivery of complex configured systems from sales order through shipment, including coordination with engineering, manufacturing operations, planning, quality, and logistics.
• Direct experience interfacing with external customers in a manufacturing or site-based delivery environment, including providing status updates and managing expectations.
• Proficiency with project scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or equivalent, with the ability to build and maintain integrated project schedules.
• Working understanding of SAP or a comparable enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for tracking orders, materials, and production status.
• Working knowledge of mechanical and electrical system design sufficient to read engineering drawings, interpret ECO impacts, and participate effectively in design reviews.
• Ability to lead through influence in a matrix organization, holding cross-functional teams accountable for deliverables without direct line authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise status reports for leadership and to communicate clearly with customers during live updates.
• Experience in manufacturing and/or design engineering, with familiarity with materials, fabrication, machining, and CNC processes relevant to complex hardware builds.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in prototype engineering and transitioning prototypes into formal projects or programs is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with SolidWorks or AutoCAD for reviewing mechanical and electrical drawings and understanding design intent.
• Exposure to fabricating and machining tools, CNC machines, and related manufacturing processes.
• Understanding of lead times, material planning, and how supply chain constraints impact project schedules.
• General familiarity with coding or data-driven tools that support project tracking and reporting is beneficial.
• Bilingual proficiency in Mandarin Chinese or Japanese is preferred, as it supports direct communication with contract manufacturing partners and customers in Asia.
• Demonstrated ability to identify process improvements that reduce cycle time and improve delivery predictability and to share best practices across project teams.
• Comfort managing multiple concurrent projects or system builds in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment.
• No specific certifications are required for this role.
• Open to candidates with more extensive experience, including those at an individual contributor level, where responsibilities may be scoped accordingly.

Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Franklin, NJ.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $93000.00 - $117992.00/yr.
We will consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors when determining your pay.Medical, Dental, and Vision Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) 401(k) with Company Match Holiday, Vacation, and Sick Time Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Commuter Benefits Life and Accident Insurance Disability Insurance Tuition Reimbursement Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Identity Theft Remediation Emergency Travel Assistance
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Franklin,NJ.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jun 26, 2026.
About Actalent


Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.


The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.


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San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.



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Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.