Senior Project Engineer

Senior Project Engineer – Automated Custom Machinery

Location: Milwaukee, WI

Position: Senior Project Engineer – Automated Custom Machinery

Department: Engineering

Raizan Solutions LLC is hiring for this opportunity on behalf of our client. Raizan Solutions LLC does not charge candidates any fee at any stage of the recruitment or hiring process.

Position Overview

The Senior Project Engineer is responsible for the mechanical design integrity, design approach, and profitability of custom machine design/build projects.

Working under the direction of a Project Manager, the Senior Project Engineer takes the mechanical design lead on assigned projects and is responsible for understanding all technical issues that may impact project success, including customer specifications, cycle times, pneumatics, hydraulics, and other engineering considerations.

The position requires continuous assessment of technical and project-related challenges, facilitation of corrective actions, maintenance of project budgets, and adherence to engineering design release schedules.

Required Qualifications and Experience

1. Education and Technical Background

• A four-year technical degree (BSME) or equivalent is required to be considered for this position.
• Candidates with 5–10 years of direct custom machine design, build, and implementation experience will also be considered.
• Other technical degrees, including BSEE, BSEET, or related disciplines, will be considered based on direct aptitude and experience with mechanical design and tooling design concepts for factory floor automation and production equipment.

1. Machine Design and Automation Experience

• 2–5 years of direct manufacturing engineering and/or machine design, build, implementation, and start-up automation experience.
• Hands-on experience with machine tools, robotics/vision systems, computer controls, and data acquisition is desirable.

1. Welding and Manufacturing Process Experience

• 3–5 years of experience with one or more of the following:
• Welding processes, including GMAW, GTAW, PAW, etc.
• Laser welding and cutting
• Plasma cutting
• Product assembly processes and procedures
• Familiarity with welding equipment, packaging equipment, and/or high-speed assembly equipment or systems is desirable.

1. CAD, Software, and Programming Skills

• Current experience with SolidWorks is a must.
• Experience with AutoCAD and 3D CAD.
• Familiarity with IBM-compatible computers and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with MS Project is a definite plus.
• Experience with industrial PC programming and robotics programming.
• Experience with one or more programming languages, including C, FORTRAN, Ladder Logic, etc., is desirable.

1. Project Management and Leadership

• Proven success managing, facilitating, or controlling groups of people or large projects to established timelines and schedules is desirable.
• Ability to coordinate design resources, manage project milestones, and oversee mechanical design activities.

1. Customer, Supplier, and Communication Skills

• Direct experience working with customers and suppliers is desirable.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills are extremely important to success in this position.
• The Project Engineer must be able to establish an appropriate balance when working with customers.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Design, Cost, and Schedule Management

• Achieve established project design-hour and delivery milestone objectives while designing reliable and efficient machinery at the lowest possible cost.
• Assist the Project Manager (PM) in design concept review meetings to evaluate customer-supplied machine specifications.
• Develop and discuss innovative, cost-effective, and time-saving machine design concepts that meet customer requirements.
• Break down large project design efforts into manageable design tasks.
• Establish clear design scopes, design-hour budgets, milestone schedules, and completion deadlines.
• Regularly monitor design progress to ensure project objectives are achieved.
• Submit a detailed mechanical design schedule to the Project Manager within one week of project kick-off.
• Ensure that the mechanical design schedule includes:
• All machine stations
• All design tasks
• Required design resources
• Information necessary to support the ACRO standard project schedule template

1. Mechanical Design Leadership and Coordination

• Coordinate with the Project Manager to assign mechanical designers to project design tasks.
• Work with and supervise mechanical designers to ensure design tasks are completed efficiently and in accordance with established project milestones.
• Oversee in-house ACRO designers and outside design houses as required.
• Ensure design activities remain aligned with the overall project schedule, budget, and technical requirements.

1. Hydraulic, Pneumatic, and Mechanical Systems Design

• Apply sound engineering design practices in developing hydraulic and pneumatic components that meet machine design requirements.
• Coordinate with the Lead Controls Engineer or Controls Project Engineer to ensure the appropriate electrical components and related equipment are ordered to satisfy mechanical engineering requirements.
• Coordinate component selection involving:
• Hydraulic cylinders and valves
• Pneumatic cylinders and valves
• Other related machine components
• Identify difficult-to-access machine areas and potential design problems involving:
• Accessibility for part-location proximity switches
• Safety pinch-point areas
• Other mechanical design and accessibility concerns

1. External Engineering and Supplier Coordination

• Coordinate engineering tasks assigned to qualified, ACRO-approved outside engineering design houses when necessary.
• Oversee outsourced engineering design activities.
• Ensure the following are established and agreed upon with the external design house before work begins:
• Written project scope
• Maximum project budget
• Agreement on the assigned engineering tasks

1. Project Communication and Progress Reporting

• Communicate and document project status regularly to the Project Manager and/or Engineering Manager.
• Provide updates on:
• Project status and design completion dates
• Design problems or technical challenges
• Customer approval requirements
• Cycle-time concerns
• Customer part issues or discrepancies
• Any other matters that may impact project success

Engineering Documentation and Reporting Responsibilities

The Senior Project Engineer is responsible for documenting and reporting the following information to the Director of Engineering and Project Manager

1. Cycle Time and Production Performance

• Cycle-time changes and operator load-time concerns related to designs.
• Weekly cycle-time performance throughout the debugging process.
• Fixture setup and part qualification based on PPK and CPK requirements.

1. Customer Parts and Technical Issues

• Customer part changes and related concerns.
• Discrepancies involving customer-supplied parts.
• Technical communications with customers.

1. Project Costs and Engineering Changes

• Costs resulting from missed components.
• Costs associated with concept changes.
• Overall project cost overruns.
• Proper selection of materials and components.

1. Design Reviews and Engineering Compliance

• Design review and meeting notes.
• Compliance with design checklists for ACRO specifications.
• Weekly acquisition of design/detail status reports from the Controls and Mechanical Engineering teams.
• Scheduling and conducting design review meetings according to the established project schedule.

Key Technical Requirements at a Glance

• SolidWorks: Current experience is mandatory.
• Custom Machinery: Direct experience in machine design, build, implementation, and factory floor automation.
• Mechanical Design: Strong understanding of mechanical systems, tooling concepts, hydraulic systems, and pneumatic systems.
• Manufacturing Processes: Experience with welding, laser welding/cutting, plasma cutting, and/or product assembly processes.
• Project Leadership: Ability to manage design tasks, budgets, resources, and project timelines.
• Engineering Coordination: Ability to work with mechanical designers, controls engineers, project managers, customers, and external suppliers.
• Documentation: Experience tracking engineering progress, design reviews, cycle times, and project costs.