Project Engineer

The role

The Project Engineer manages capital projects for Dairy, Food & Bev, biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing clients. This person acts as both a hands-on design engineer and technical project manager from concept through commissioning.

What you will do

• Lead projects from kickoff through closeout.
• Manage 3 to 5 concurrent projects, tracking progress and cost forecasts.
• Plan and allocate resources across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Control scope changes, change orders and project risks.
• Serve as the primary client contact.
• Communicate with clients, contractors and internal teams.
• Oversee procurement and vendor and contractor management.
• Lead construction-phase coordination including submittal review, RFI responses, field walks, FAT/SAT and commissioning.
• Partner with Operations, Finance, Environment, Health & Safety, and Research, Quality & Innovation teams.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, federal, and international regulations.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Biochemical, Food or Process Engineering.
• 5 to 10 years of process or project engineering experience in a consulting engineering firm or an owner's engineering group.
• Experience designing, modifying or supporting facilities in hygienic or regulated process environments such as pharmaceutical, biotech, dairy, food or beverage.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams on capital projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel up to 20% to client sites in California and across the West Coast.
• Site work involves prolonged walking or standing, climbing ladders and stairs, and following client PPE, safety, gowning and GMP procedures.

Nice to have

• Experience in dairy, food and beverage, infant formula, bio-industrial facilities, with familiarity with 3-A, EHEDG, ASME BPE, ISPE Baseline Guides, FDA and USDA requirements.
• Experience with California project requirements such as Title 24, Cal/OSHA and CDFA dairy regulations.
• Experience in packaging design and project implementation.
• Background in clean utilities (purified water, clean steam), CIP/SIP systems.
• Experience with MS Project, Primavera P6 and Bluebeam.
• PMP or other project management certification.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits
• Compensatory paid time off (PTO)
• Flexible work environment
• Opportunities for professional growth and collaboration

About the company

Founded in 1999, LAPORTE is a consulting engineering firm serving pharmaceutical, biotech, food & beverage, and industrial manufacturing clients across North America and Europe. LAPORTE Consultants Corp. is the U.S. subsidiary.