Project Engineer

Join Avantor as a Project Engineer and help drive engineering projects from concept through completion with a focus on safe, on-schedule, on-budget delivery and quality and regulatory compliance. This full-time, onsite role is based in Carpinteria, CA, with work tied to complex project execution across engineering, operations, and stakeholder teams.

The Senior Project Engineer role combines technical ownership with project leadership. You will coordinate project phases, review engineering deliverables for accuracy and standards compliance, support risk and compliance activities, and communicate status, analyses, and recommendations to leadership and cross-functional partners.

What you’ll do

• Coordinate and drive engineering projects and major phases to align with objectives, schedules, budgets, and quality expectations.
• Manage multiple project assignments at once, balancing technical, operational, and business needs.
• Analyze engineering challenges, evaluate alternatives, and recommend practical, cost-effective solutions.
• Support project budgeting, cost evaluations, forecasting, and financial tracking against approved funding levels.
• Monitor project progress, identify potential issues, and recommend corrective actions to protect schedule, cost, quality, and technical outcomes.
• Act as a technical resource and subject matter expert for assigned areas, providing guidance to project teams and stakeholders.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, contractors, vendors, consultants, and subcontractors to support execution and alignment.
• Review engineering designs, calculations, specifications, and drawings to support technical accuracy and standards compliance.
• Participate in risk identification, mitigation planning, and issue resolution across the project lifecycle.
• Support safety policies, environmental regulations, quality standards, and industry best practices.
• Prepare and communicate project updates, technical analyses, schedules, and recommendations to leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Support contractor management activities, including invoice review, verifying work completion, and supporting expenditure approvals.
• Provide technical guidance during planning, construction, startup, commissioning, and validation activities.
• Perform engineering calculations, including static and dynamic load analyses, energy balances, and process evaluations as required.
• Develop and maintain Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) for new and existing systems using AutoCAD.
• Create and review site layouts, equipment layouts, and construction drawings using AutoCAD.
• Develop and maintain 3D models and equipment designs using SOLIDWORKS, and produce detailed 2D and 3D drawings for fabrication, installation, and construction.
• Develop and maintain project schedules using Microsoft Project and provide completion forecasts and status updates.
• Share technical knowledge and project experience with Project Engineers and other team members to support skill development and team effectiveness.
• Contribute to improving project management and engineering processes to enhance project execution and operational efficiency.
• Build collaborative relationships across functions to facilitate alignment and support project and business objectives.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on engineering excellence, project delivery, and operational performance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline (preferred).
• 5–8+ years of engineering and project management experience in a manufacturing, industrial, pharmaceutical, food processing, or related environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing engineering projects from conception through completion.
• Experience working with contractors, vendors, and cross-functional teams.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification (preferred).
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification (preferred).
• Experience with capital projects, facility improvements, process systems, and equipment installations.
• Experience in regulated manufacturing environments.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving abilities, with strong technical engineering knowledge.
• Excellent project planning, budgeting, and organizational skills.
• Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across multiple functional areas.
• Strong decision-making and risk assessment skills.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of applicable safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.

Compensation

Expected pre-tax pay: $78,000.00 - $125,350.00 per year.

Note: Actual pay may differ based on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.

Technologies: AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Office