Project Engineer

Role details

Position Title

Project Engineer - Quoting and Process Improvement

Reporting Relationship

Reports directly to Engineering Manager in Tipp City and gets overall direction for organization direction from corporate. This position works closely with engineering, operations, sales, quality, purchasing, and the aftermarket windshield project engineer to support quoting, process improvement, and new product launch priorities.

This role is intended for a practical, engaged Project Engineer who can take ownership of quoting while learning internal processes from the Engineering Manager and helping launch the aftermarket windshield seal business with discipline and urgency.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday

Position Overview

The Project Engineer - Quoting and Process Improvement is responsible for taking over and strengthening the quoting process currently supported by our Engineering Manager while developing a deep working knowledge of the company's engineering, extrusion, TPV, tooling, costing, and process improvement practices.

This position is intended to be a practical apprenticeship role as well as an execution role. The individual will spend time with engineering on the production floor, with tooling and engineering resources, and inside the quoting process to learn how product design, material selection, tooling assumptions, labor, quality requirements, and manufacturability drive accurate pricing and profitable work.

The role will also work closely with the aftermarket windshield project engineer to help launch that sector of the business, supporting application development, quoting, project coordination, documentation, supplier follow-up, and cross-functional execution.

Key ResponsibilitiesQuoting Ownership & Commercial Support • Take primary responsibility for day-to-day quoting activities as those responsibilities transition from Tim Schlater, including quote intake, assumptions, follow-up, and timely completion. • Develop accurate, defendable quotes by coordinating material, labor, tooling, packaging, overhead, scrap, capacity, and process assumptions. • Work closely with sales, engineering, purchasing, quality, and operations to clarify requirements and ensure pricing inputs support profitable growth.

Engineering Apprenticeship & Knowledge Transfer • Learn engineering and process improvement knowledge base through direct shadowing, hands-on project work, documentation, and recurring review of quotes, tooling, and production issues. • Build practical understanding of extrusion, TPV, rubber and plastic processing, tooling, die design considerations, material behavior, and manufacturing constraints. • Convert informal tribal knowledge into usable notes, checklists, quote standards, process guidelines, and training references where appropriate.

Process Improvement & Manufacturing Support • Engage directly with manufacturing teams to understand process constraints, recurring issues, setup needs, scrap drivers, throughput limitations, and quality concerns. • Support practical improvement efforts that improve quoting accuracy, production reliability, quality, delivery, throughput, and cost performance. • Assist with troubleshooting product, tooling, and process problems by gathering facts, reviewing data, observing the work, and helping implement sustainable corrective actions.

Aftermarket Windshield Seal Launch Support • Work closely with the aftermarket windshield project engineer to support launch of the windshield seal product sector, including project planning, application review, sample coordination, and production readiness. • Support quoting and costing for aftermarket windshield seal opportunities, including materials, tooling, sampling, testing, packaging, labor, and launch effort. • Help coordinate communication between sales, engineering, quality, purchasing, suppliers, and production so windshield seal projects move forward with clear ownership and timing.

Tooling, Costing & Technical Documentation • Support tooling and process assumptions for new opportunities, including dies, fixtures, molds, gauges, trial requirements, and production aids. • Maintain clear documentation for quotes, assumptions, revisions, lessons learned, customer requirements, and engineering inputs. • Review existing products, quotes, and processes with engineering/sales and operations leadership to identify margin, manufacturability, quality, and repeatability improvements.

Cross-Functional Coordination • Coordinate priorities across engineering, sales, purchasing, quality, production, and leadership to keep quotes, improvement work, and launch projects moving. • Follow up with suppliers, tooling vendors, material providers, and internal stakeholders to obtain accurate information and remove barriers. • Communicate status, open issues, risks, and recommend next steps clearly and consistently.

New Programs & Change • Support new product introductions from a quoting, engineering, and operational readiness perspective, ensuring work is practical, scalable, and cost-conscious. • Help improve the structure, repeatability, and documentation of the company's quoting and launch processes without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Collaboration & Culture • Work closely with engineering and the broader team with a learning mindset, strong follow-through, and respect for hands-on manufacturing knowledge. • Reinforce a culture of accountability, clear communication, practical problem-solving, and continuous improvement. • Communicate directly and constructively, focused on accuracy, progress, customer satisfaction, and reliable execution.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with manufacturing quoting, cost estimating, or technical project coordination.
• Experience with extrusion, TPV, rubber and plastics processing, tooling, seals, gaskets, or related engineered products.
• Familiarity with how material selection, labor, tooling, setup, scrap, packaging, overhead, and production capacity affect product cost and profitability.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, product specifications, and customer requirements to support quoting and manufacturability reviews.
• Experience working directly with production teams to investigate process constraints, troubleshoot problems, and improve manufacturing performance.
• Experience supporting new product introductions, tooling trials, sample coordination, or production readiness.
• Experience coordinating with sales, engineering, operations, quality, purchasing, and suppliers to move projects forward.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and documentation skills, with the ability to maintain clear costing assumptions, quote revisions, project status, and technical records.
• Willingness to learn through direct mentorship, hands-on manufacturing involvement, and practical project work.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Project Engineer will become the trusted owner of day-to-day quoting and a reliable extension of the Engineering Manager in Tipp City, while helping improve manufacturing processes and support the launch of the aftermarket windshield seal business.

This person will do more than collect pricing inputs and prepare quotes. They will understand customer requirements, validate manufacturing assumptions, identify missing information, involve the appropriate people, and develop accurate, well-supported quotes that reflect how the work will actually be produced.

Through direct mentorship and hands-on work, the Project Engineer will build a practical understanding of extrusion, TPV, tooling, materials, and production processes. They will turn that knowledge into better quoting decisions, useful documentation, and improvements that strengthen cost performance, quality, and production reliability.

As knowledge and experience develop, this person should be capable of handling the majority of routine quoting activities independently while keeping the Engineering Manager appropriately informed of significant technical questions, cost uncertainties, capacity constraints, and project risks. They will also work closely with the aftermarket windshield project engineer to keep launch activities coordinated, documented, and moving toward production readiness.

Success in this role will be demonstrated through:

• A smooth transition of day-to-day quoting responsibilities from the Engineering Manager
• Accurate, timely, and well-documented quotes that support profitable growth
• Better alignment between quoted assumptions and actual manufacturing costs and capabilities
• Growing technical independence in materials, extrusion, TPV, tooling, and manufacturing processes
• Practical capture and transfer of engineering knowledge into usable standards, checklists, and references
• Measurable improvements in scrap, throughput, production reliability, quality, or cost
• Timely completion of assigned aftermarket windshield seal launch activities
• Clear coordination of samples, tooling, supplier follow-up, and production readiness requirements
• Strong cooperation between Engineering, Sales, Operations, Quality, Purchasing, and suppliers
• Proactive identification of risks, clear communication of next steps, and consistent follow-through
• Consistent alignment with the Engineering Manager’s priorities and corporate direction

The right individual will have opportunities to assume increasing responsibility as their technical capability, business knowledge, and leadership continue to grow.

Schedule

• Full-time, salaried position
• Primarily Monday through Friday
• In-person at our Tipp City, Ohio manufacturing facility
• Occasional additional hours may be required based on customer concerns, production needs, audits, containment activities, or other quality matters
• Occasional travel to other company or customer locations may be required

Equal Opportunity

Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

Benefits

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Education

• Associate (Required)

Experience

• Project engineering: 3 years (Required)

Work Location: In person