Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer

PCA•Lake Forest, IL

19d•$108,500 - $170,000•Remote

About The Position

As a Fortune 500 company, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) is an ideas and solutions company. Our corrugated packaging business seeks to be the leader in helping our customers — large and small — package, transport and display products of all kinds. Our white paper business delivers Paper With Purpose by providing the highest level of customer service and operational excellence. We have approximately 15,000 team members in more than 100 locations in the United States that strive to meet the local needs of our customers. Our mission is to serve the needs of our customers, today and tomorrow, with products and services that exceed expectations for performance and environmental responsibility. People • Customers • Trust Location: Flexible (Lower 48 States) | Travel: 80% | Relocation: Not Required Are you ready to take your engineering expertise on the road and make a real difference? As a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer at PCA, you’ll play a critical role in driving projects that shape the future of our manufacturing plants and papermills. This is a hands-on position where you’ll work side-by-side with leaders and skilled teams to bring innovative solutions to life. If you thrive on solving complex challenges, collaborating with the best in the industry, and seeing your work make an immediate impact, this is the opportunity for you.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related.
10+ years in industrial paper, corrugating, or design engineering environments.
Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence and collaborate.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and AutoCAD (or similar).
Ability to travel extensively (80%) – minimum 3 weeks per month.
Organized, self-driven, and capable of working independently or as part of a team.

Responsibilities

Develop, evaluate, and propose solutions, create project scopes and budgets, write vendor/contractor scopes and specifications, evaluate proposals and make recommendations.
Create project schedule, coordinate with the plant or papermill personnel, and supervise contractors.
Troubleshoot and solve equipment downtime and production issues.
Lead capital and maintenance projects from concept to completion—planning, design, budgeting, implementation, and troubleshooting.
Creating drawings, general arrangements, concept layout, piping schematic/iso, basic civil/structural construction drawings.
Develop actionable recommendations using sound engineering judgment.
Coordinate and supervise contractors and engineering teams on diverse projects.
Deliver projects on time and within budget while maintaining high-quality standards.
Prepare reports and presentations based on data analysis and project outcomes.