Senior Capital Project Engineer

Location: Ottumwa, IA
Employment Type: Full-Time / Direct-Hire
Work Arrangement: Full-Time Onsite
Relocation Assistance: Available

Position Overview We are seeking a Senior Capital Project Engineer to lead and support large-scale capital engineering projects within a manufacturing environment. This role will be responsible for project planning, engineering design, equipment specification and procurement, construction coordination, commissioning, startup, and management of multimillion-dollar capital budgets. The ideal candidate will have strong capital project engineering experience and the ability to independently manage complex projects from initial planning and design through construction, commissioning, and successful startup.

Key Responsibilities Capital Project Engineering

• Lead and execute capital engineering projects from concept through completion
• Develop project scope, engineering requirements, schedules, cost estimates, and budgets
• Plan and oversee construction, installation, and modification of manufacturing equipment, facilities, systems, and components
• Manage multimillion-dollar capital project budgets
• Monitor project performance, costs, schedules, and engineering deliverables
• Independently identify and resolve complex project and engineering challenges

Equipment & Construction Management

• Lead equipment specification, selection, and procurement
• Develop, review, and award bid packages for equipment and contracted labor
• Coordinate contractors, vendors, engineering resources, and internal stakeholders
• Develop construction, commissioning, and startup plans
• Support equipment installation and ensure successful project execution
• Analyze manufacturing equipment and system performance to identify and resolve failures or operational issues

Engineering Leadership

• Develop and apply engineering standards, specifications, and procedures
• Provide technical guidance on complex engineering issues
• Mentor and coach early-career engineers through project assignments and hands-on training
• Collaborate with manufacturing, operations, maintenance, and engineering teams
• Ensure projects comply with applicable engineering, safety, and food safety standards

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline
• Minimum 4+ years of relevant engineering experience
• Experience supporting or executing capital engineering projects
• Experience with project planning, design, budgeting, construction, commissioning, and startup
• Experience specifying and procuring manufacturing equipment
• Ability to independently manage complex engineering assignments with minimal supervision
• Strong project management, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of project or capital engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience executing large capital projects or portfolios of projects
• Experience managing multimillion-dollar capital budgets
• Previous food or beverage manufacturing experience
• Experience developing and managing equipment and construction bid packages
• Experience coordinating construction, commissioning, and equipment startup
• Experience mentoring or providing technical leadership to other engineers

Candidate Must-Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline
• 4+ years of relevant engineering experience
• Capital project engineering experience
• Experience managing projects through multiple phases of the project lifecycle
• Equipment specification and procurement experience
• Construction, commissioning, and startup exposure
• Ability to independently manage complex projects and engineering issues
• Ability to work full-time onsite in Ottumwa, Iowa

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