Project Engineer

C-Axis Inc is hiring a Project Engineer to manage the technical execution of assigned customer projects from early quotation activities through validation readiness, validation support, and transfer into production. This onsite role in Maple Plain, MN focuses on driving CNC machined component technical reviews, shaping manufacturing processes, and keeping readiness, risks, and technical status aligned across cross-functional teams.

Role Overview

The Project Engineer manages customer project technical work starting after Sales completes initial intake for assigned RFQs. Responsibilities span verifying that quotation inputs are complete, leading engineering drawing and specification reviews for CNC machined components, defining and refining manufacturing processes, validating quotation cost inputs, and supporting technical planning for validation. The role also serves as the front-end Engineering technical lead as projects enter validation and coordinates the technical transfer into routine production.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage assigned RFQs after Sales intake completion, verifying required information such as quantities or volumes, drawings and CAD files when applicable, specifications and revisions, target timing, validation expectations, and special customer requirements.
• Lead or coordinate technical reviews of engineering drawings and specifications for CNC machined components, focusing on dimensions, tolerances, GD&T, materials, critical features, manufacturing and inspection requirements, raw-material needs, secondary operations, validation considerations, and technical risks.
• Define and develop the proposed manufacturing process from quoting through project execution, validation, and production transfer, including machine or process selection, operation sequence, tooling and fixtures, programming needs, secondary operations, inspection approach, quality requirements, and capacity assumptions.
• Develop and validate quotation cost inputs, including raw-material utilization, setup and cycle time, tooling, outside processing, inspection requirements, scrap or yield assumptions, supplier pricing, lead times, and capacity requirements.
• Perform and validate mathematical and dimensional calculations for quoting and project planning, including unit conversions, material utilization, measurements, percentages, quantities, and basic manufacturing geometry.
• Request, track, and compile technical and commercial inputs needed for quotation and project planning, including raw materials, tooling, outside-processing, supplier pricing, and lead times.
• Complete, verify, and reconcile quotation and project data across approved systems and communication channels (including Quote Entry Template, AMFG, JobBOSS, Quote Log, Teams channels, and project trackers), ensuring information is complete, accurate, current, and traceable.
• Coordinate cross-functional technical and commercial reviews with Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, Finance, Sales, Customer Success, and Program Management to resolve missing inputs and prepare approval and customer submission packages.
• Manage project commitments against established targets by prioritizing across concurrent projects, proactively identifying blockers, and escalating issues that affect technical feasibility, cost, capacity, validation readiness, production transfer, or customer commitments.
• Lead validation readiness by confirming the manufacturing process is sufficiently defined and that material, programming, tooling, fixtures, outside processing, inspection methods, quality and validation requirements, documentation, capacity, and scheduling needs are understood, including mitigation of technical risks.
• Track execution and technical status, including sample or build progress as applicable, inspection results, technical issues and deviations, engineering changes, customer feedback via Program Management, and required design or process changes, driving actions to closure.
• Maintain project engineering documentation and traceability, including drawings and revisions, technical review records, process assumptions, action logs, schedules, decision records, validation requirements, technical results, risks, and other project-specific information.
• Provide front-end Engineering technical leadership for projects entering validation, including inputs for validation planning and readiness reviews, process confirmation, inspection and correlation strategy, capability expectations, risk reviews, sample requirements, and technical issue resolution.
• Coordinate technical transfer from validation to routine production by confirming approved manufacturing process, drawings and revisions, tooling, fixtures, programming, inspection methods, quality documentation, process controls, capacity assumptions, training or handoff requirements, and remaining technical actions are complete or formally dispositioned before production release.
• Support project and quoting metrics, engineering and Commercial Operations process improvement, procedure documentation, system implementation, automation, data-quality initiatives, and other technical or cross-functional projects as assigned.
• Work closely with Program Management throughout the project lifecycle, providing technical status, risks, decisions, and timing inputs to support customer requirements and meeting cadence.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications for CNC machined components, including dimensions, tolerances, GD&T, materials, revisions, manufacturing notes, critical features, and inspection requirements.
• Working knowledge of CNC machining and manufacturing processes, including CNC Swiss turning and CNC milling, and related cost drivers such as raw material, setup time, cycle time, tooling, finishing, inspection, outside processing, and scrap or yield considerations.
• Ability to define and develop a manufacturing process from quotation through validation and production transfer, including process sequencing, machine selection, tooling and fixture needs, inspection strategy, secondary operations, capacity considerations, and technical risk identification.
• Demonstrated project-management capability to coordinate multiple technical projects, define milestones and owners, manage due dates and dependencies, prioritize competing commitments, track actions, and escalate schedule, capacity, or technical risks.
• Experience supporting new-product-introduction, project engineering, or manufacturing-transfer activities from technical review through validation readiness, validation support, issue resolution, and production handoff.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing validation readiness concepts such as process risk review, inspection method readiness, GR&R/correlation, capability requirements, control plans, validation samples, process documentation, and production-release requirements as applicable.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and Teams; experience with JobBOSS, AMFG, project-tracking tools, or similar ERP and quoting systems is preferred.
• Effective written and verbal communication to lead technical discussions, summarize risks and decisions, maintain clear project documentation, and provide concise technical status and inputs to Program Management and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple facilities and functions while maintaining standardized quoting, technical-review, project-execution, validation-readiness, and production-transfer processes.

Technologies

• Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams
• JobBOSS, AMFG

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Vision insurance

Location: Maple Plain, MN (onsite)
Compensation: USD 85,000 - 100,000 per year
Minimum Experience: 2 years
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Technology

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities.