Manufacturing Execution System Project Engineer

The Limited Duration MES Project Engineer is a 30-month fixed-term, on-site position based in Corvallis, Oregon. Reporting to the IT Site Manager, this role will lead the design, configuration, integration, testing, validation, and handover of a Manufacturing Execution System (Ignition and Sepasoft) integrated with Business Central (ERP) and Lab Ware (LIMS). The position will drive delivery from foundation and pilot through full value-stream rollout, coordinate Manufacturing, Quality, IT, Controls, and external partners, and ensure the MES supports batch genealogy, critical-to-quality data capture, statistical process control, overall equipment effectiveness, and closed-loop ERP/LIMS processes.

This is a hands-on role that requires regular shop-floor presence for equipment integration, commissioning, pilot runs, troubleshooting, and validation.

• Project leadership and delivery: Own the MES implementation plan, schedule, milestones, risk register, and status reporting; manage scope, change control, deliverables, and acceptance criteria.
• Solution design: Translate value-stream maps and batch-process requirements into Ignition and Sepasoft models, workflows, and operator screens. Define master-data conventions and governance for items, equipment, locations, and lot numbering.
• Systems integration: Design and implement interfaces among Ignition/Sepasoft, Business Central, and Lab Ware; define data mappings, message patterns, reconciliation rules, and closed-loop ERP/LIMS processes.
• Shop-floor integration: Lead equipment connectivity using PLCs and industrial protocols, including OPC UA and Ether Net/IP; coordinate vendor-tool ingestion through file drops and APIs; and implement edge and store-and-forward strategies for intermittent connectivity.
• Quality and process controls: Partner with Quality to define critical-to-quality attributes (CTQs), sampling plans, statistical process control (SPC) rules, and release/hold logic. Ensure the MES enforces workflows and captures required electronic records.
• Pilot execution and scaling: Deliver the foundation, pilot, and full value-stream rollout phases; validate pilot results, resolve gaps, and support ongoing optimization before scaling.
• Testing and validation: Author and execute integration, functional, and user-acceptance test plans; document acceptance criteria; and manage defect triage and resolution.
• Training and documentation: Develop operator procedures, training materials, system runbooks, and handover documentation. Deliver training and knowledge transfer to internal Ignition engineers, IT, and platform owners.
• Vendor and systems-integrator coordination: Coordinate third-party integrators, Sepasoft and Inductive Automation contacts, and other vendors to align deliverables, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Operational readiness and handover: Define the steady-state support model, runbooks, governance, and resource requirements. Complete formal handover to platform owners and manufacturing governance at project close.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Automation, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience implementing MES/SCADA projects in batch-manufacturing environments, with a demonstrated record of delivering pilot-to-scale MES projects.
• Hands-on experience configuring Inductive Automation Ignition HMIs, tags, and scripting, and Sepasoft MES modules for batch context, OEE/downtime, SPC, and production events.
• Practical experience integrating MES with ERP systems (Business Central or similar) and LIMS platforms (Lab Ware or similar), including master-data mapping and sample/disposition flows.
• Strong knowledge of PLCs and industrial protocols, including OPC UA, Ether Net/IP, and Modbus, with experience mapping signals to MES tags and events.
• Deep understanding of batch workflows, genealogy, hold points, CTQs, and regulatory or quality record requirements.
• Experience with SQL Server, historians, relational-data design, data normalization, and event or historian interfaces.
• Experience creating test plans, executing user acceptance testing, documenting acceptance criteria, and supporting validation activities.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects, manage stakeholders, coordinate vendors, and report project status to senior leadership.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create operator-level procedures…