Mi-Jack Products- Lead Project Engineer

Lanco•Hazel Crest, IL

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Project Engineer (ME4) is responsible for the overall planning, execution, coordination, tracking, and successful delivery of complex engineering projects and product development initiatives. This position serves as the primary technical project leader, providing oversight of project scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks, and deliverables while coordinating activities across engineering, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, service, and commercial teams. Based on the leadership and technical scope established in senior engineering roles, this position emphasizes project execution, cross-functional alignment, and business outcomes in addition to technical oversight. The Lead Project Engineer ensures that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in accordance with technical, quality, safety, and customer requirements. The role requires strong technical knowledge, project management expertise, leadership skills, and the ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in applicable engineering discipline from an accredited institution.
Strong understanding of product development processes, engineering change management, testing, and production launch activities.
7+ years' experience in the following: Engineering, product development, or technical project leadership experience.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional engineering projects from initiation through implementation.
Experience with engineering project planning, scheduling, resource management, and executive reporting.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Project.
Experience with project management software and reporting tools.
Working knowledge of CAD systems, ERP platforms, PLM/PDM systems, and engineering change management processes.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or Business Administration.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Experience in material handling equipment, cranes, industrial machinery, heavy equipment, manufacturing, or related industries.
Experience managing new product development programs and capital projects.
Experience leading geographically dispersed or multifunctional project teams.

Responsibilities

Lead multiple engineering projects and product development programs from concept through implementation and production release.
Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, resource requirements, and project deliverables.
Establish project scope, objectives, timelines, budgets, and success criteria in collaboration with stakeholders.
Coordinate activities across engineering, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, service, operations, and commercial teams.
Monitor project progress and proactively identify schedule, resource, technical, and business risks.
Lead project review meetings and communicate project status to engineering leadership and executive management.
Drive accountability for project deliverables, action items, and milestone achievement.
Facilitate technical discussions and decision-making to ensure project objectives are achieved.
Track engineering releases, engineering change notices (ECNs), testing activities, validation programs, and production readiness milestones.
Manage project issue logs, risk registers, mitigation plans, and escalation activities.
Support cost management activities including project budgets, engineering labor estimates, and capital expenditures.
Ensure project compliance with engineering standards, regulatory requirements, safety objectives, and company policies.
Coordinate prototype builds, testing activities, validation programs, and product launch activities.
Lead root-cause investigations and corrective action activities affecting project deliverables.
Support customer meetings, supplier reviews, and cross-functional program reviews as required.
Develop and present executive-level project reporting, dashboards, and performance metrics.
Identify opportunities for process improvement, standardization, and project execution efficiency.
Mentor project engineers and team members in project planning, execution, and reporting methodologies.
Protect organizational value by maintaining confidentiality of proprietary information.
Ensure compliance with all safety, health, and environmental regulations, policies, and procedures with a goal of zero incidents and injuries.
Perform special projects and other duties as assigned.