Strong company culture
Competitive Compensation with Bonuses
Great health benefits with the company paying over 80% of insurance premiums
Wellness Program
Paid Time Off
Strong company match to 401(k) contributions
Tuition reimbursement program
Giving Program
Paid Parental Leave
Position Summary
We are currently looking for a Project Engineer to join our team at AKBA! The individual in this role will lead the specification, design, manufacturing, qualification, and implementation of custom and standard capital equipment for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes, including chromatography, buffer formulation, virus filtration, and oligonucleotide synthesis systems. Manage customer project requirements from concept through validation, ensuring technical, schedule, and budget objectives are achieved. Collaborate closely with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders to select components, oversee equipment assembly, support commissioning and validation activities, and lead installation, testing, and training at customer sites. Serve as a technical expert while maintaining a strong customer-focused approach and driving continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product quality, performance, and project execution.
Duties/Responsibilities
Project Engineering
Serve as the primary stakeholder and owner of customer equipment projects
Provide technical and practical expertise to support assigned Project Manager
Review detailed customer specifications and engage appropriate stakeholders to gain full understanding, be able to interpret requirements to relevant stakeholders when necessary.
Create and / or review design documents, including technical drawings and specification documents with input from subject matter experts
Specify appropriate components and materials in accordance with project requirements, subject matter expertise for process and design points (calculations and sizing), and consideration of vendor selection, component suitability and availability, price, and lead time
Advise Quality Control on specifications for component receipt and acceptance specific to a project
Execute commissioning and according troubleshooting on automated systems to achieve validation readiness or to address customer issues in the field
Write and execute detailed project-specific test protocols in accordance with GAMP and established templates and practices with guidance from Validation
Execute testing activities including mechanical, electrical, and automation commissioning, GAMP qualification, customer Factory Acceptance Testing and customer Site Acceptance Testing with support from Engineering, Validation, and/or Field Service
Construct user manuals and other customer-facing documents to comply with project requirements and realize customer satisfaction
Perform engineering review of final documentation turnover packages
Ensure that project scope is completely accounted for and supervise adequate packaging of all deliverables in preparation for transport
Travel to customer site for supervision of installation, testing of installed equipment, and operator training with support from Engineering, Validation, and/or Field Service
Project Management
Identify, clarify, and manage project scope internally and with customer, facilitating change orders as necessary
Employ effective communication strategies with internal and external project stakeholders, including recurring and ad-hoc meetings as appropriate
Develop and manage project schedule and communicate schedule updates and critical paths with stakeholders with support from Project Management if necessary
Communicate project budget for labor and materials and manage actively throughout the project to maximize project margin
Communicate with suppliers to manage delivery of components and materials and secure expediting when necessary
Communicate expectations and required milestone deliverables with internal departments including design, purchasing, assembly, automation, logistics, quality, and field service
Ensure project processes are executed and documented in accordance with established procedures and quality checks
Employ a customer-focused approach to each project to ensure customer satisfaction, trust, and long-term relationship building
Customer Support
Manage assigned subset of customer accounts as the primary technical owner of products installed at customer sites by serving as the first line of support for all technical concerns or issues including customer inquiries, complaints, and upgrade requests using customer-focused approach
Address customer issues in person, over the phone, or via web-based tools by effectively communicating solutions to customer and providing effective training to relevant personnel
Entertain customers locally or at the customer’s facility when appropriate for a project by building relationships and spending social time after normal business hours
Internal Projects
Contribute to or lead the realization of a new product offering from handover to Engineering from Design and Development through first customer order with support from Design & Development
Contribute to new product designs with innovative ideas, practical design feedback, and product risk/benefit analyses
Research technology, components, companies, or solutions that strengthen current and future product offerings
Propose and participate in or lead improvements to Engineering internal and interdepartmental processes
Additional Duties and Responsibilities
Act as an ambassador of the organization
Adopt a 5-S and safety-first mentality throughout workspaces and responsibilities
Seek and participate in current, relevant technical training as well as non-technical training opportunities
Provide detailed subject matter training to colleagues and customers
Contribute technical expertise to Sales & Marketing for quotation support when requested for change orders to active projects
Contribute technical support to Quality for addressing customer feedback and supplier issues
Additional tasks as assigned by superior reporting chain
Qualifications/Requirements
Ability to work onsite at our Glenview, IL facility
Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Biomedical)
3-8 years’ experience building or operating process equipment (preferably in pharmaceutical industry)
Licensed Professional Engineer not required, but considered a plus
Familiarity with Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015 preferred) and current Good Manufacturing Practices
Awareness of personal strengths, weaknesses, and impact of decisions on wider team, department, and company
Eagerness to learn new technical information, new processes, and new skills
Willingness to assist outside of everyday responsibilities when required
Demonstration of these qualities: energetic, positive, strong interpersonal communicator, detail-oriented, ethics-minded, problem-solver, adaptable, team-oriented, customer-focused, and self-motivated
Physical Demands/Environmental Conditions
Travel several times (estimated 3-8 work weeks typical) in a year to visit domestic and international customer sites for project kickoffs, equipment installations, or other activities such as tradeshows (depending on individual assignments and quantity and scope of active projects)
Occasional exposure to pressurized liquids, live electrical circuits, and/or chemical solutions requiring proper personal protective equipment (provided)
The base compensation range for this role is $85,000-$100,000. Base Compensation is influenced by many factors including, but not limited to: time in the role, previous experience, skills, knowledge, performance, work requirements, internal equity, and business / economic conditions.
Please note, we will not be providing immigration-related sponsorship now or in the future for this role.
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As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei believes a diverse workforce will provide us with the ability to continuously support the changes in the economy, society, and environment.
