Senior Process/Project Engineer – Cincinnati, OH
The Opportunity A growing Cincinnati manufacturing plant is pivoting fast — moving from small-container retail products (1 & 5-gallon jugs) to high-volume bulk supply for major automotive OEMs, including EV coolant for a brand-new electric vehicle assembly line. Future innovations abound, and the canvas is virtually blank.
They need one senior engineer who will own $250K–$500K CAPEX projects from concept to commissioning — no other engineers on site, no one else to blame.
Your first big win: decommission and relocate an entire filling/packaging line to Chicago, then design and install a brand-new, state-of-the-art line in its place. After that, the plant is yours to optimize.
Why This Role Stands Out
- True cradle-to-grave ownership: you scope it, cost it, justify it, select vendors, negotiate, install, and start it up
- Plant Manager who hands you the rope and steps back — he hates micromanaging and measures success in real results (EBITDA lift, OEE gains, cost-take-out)
- Bonus tied directly to plant performance and your project ROI — not just showing up
- Small, stable leadership team and 89-person plant running 9 filling lines on a 24/5 schedule
- Highly open to bold, money-making ideas — rated 10/10 for welcoming fresh thinking from an experienced outsider
- Operators have decades of tribal knowledge; your job is to listen first, then fix
- Local travel only (~10%), mostly short trips to other North American sites
Key Responsibilities
- Determine project specs by studying product design, customer requirements, and performance standards; complete technical studies and prepare cost estimates
- Justify and secure capital requests, then execute on time and on budget
- Research, negotiate with vendors, and present multi-quote options to stakeholders
- Plan and execute plant layout, process flow, and machine capability improvements
- Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) to balance lines and minimize operator interaction
- Drive yield improvements, equipment availability, and throughput gains through disciplined change management
- Lead subcontractors and run project update meetings with full stakeholder engagement
- KPIs: ROI, project timeline/budget adherence, cost-take-out $, revenue impacted $, OEE
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical Engineering (other disciplines considered)
- 5+ years of project engineering or project management experience (will flex below the 10-year mark for the right person with strong filling-line installs)
- Hands-on experience in consumer packaged goods, filling, or high-volume packaging environments
- Proven capital project ownership (equipment specification, design, vendor negotiation)
- Packaging/filling process and equipment knowledge is critical
- Proficient with AutoCAD (or similar), Smartsheet (or similar PM tools), and full Microsoft Office suite
- Strong mechanical, electrical, and controls troubleshooting skills
- Comfortable with data-driven decisions and design of experiments
- Self-motivated, detail-oriented, high sense of urgency, and results-focused
- Team player who builds relationships with operators, maintenance, and leadership
- Able to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a changing environment
What Success Looks Like Year 1: Deliver the line relocation and new install on time/under budget, plus 2–3 additional improvement projects that move the needle on cost and throughput. Top performers are recognized, rewarded, and quickly given even bigger scope.
If you’re a process/project engineer who’s tired of being one cog in a huge corporate machine and wants full ownership in a plant that’s genuinely transforming… this is it.
How to Apply Send your resume to Ben Bachman at Professions, Inc. ?? benb@professionsinc.com ?? 513-619-5114 (call or text)
Confidentiality assured — we will not contact your current employer without your permission. Local candidates preferred; relocation discussion available for the right person.