How to hire a manufacturing project engineer

How to hire a manufacturing project engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step manufacturing project engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a manufacturing project engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new manufacturing project engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a manufacturing project engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your manufacturing project engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a manufacturing project engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a manufacturing project engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a manufacturing project engineer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of manufacturing project engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Manufacturing Project Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Manufacturing Project Engineer	Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.	$28-54
   Supplier Quality Engineer	A Supplier Quality Engineer ensures that the supplier's quality standards are in accordance with the requirement of the organization. They also report supplier performance and quality to management.	$30-51
   Design Engineer	A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs... Show more	$27-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Capital Projects
   • CAD
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Aerospace
   • Sigma
   • Cost Savings
   • Product Quality
   • R
   • Process Improvement
   • CNC
   • Cost Reduction
   • ISO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead several independent, cross-functional projects and improve manufacturing quality, reduce cost, ensure environment are supported and FDA compliant.
   • Perform risk analysis in accordance with ISO and cGMP requirements.
   • Design showroom booths, and displays using SolidWorks for the company showroom fairs.
   • Determine and assign equipment to be used, design tools and fixtures, write and debug CNC programs.
   • Develop ISO procedures, generate equipment process instruction and procure equipment and tooling as required.
   • Develop CNC programs and setup drawings utilizing Pro/Engineering and Pro/Manufacturing software for machining centers, lathes and flexible manufacturing cells.

   More manufacturing project engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your manufacturing project engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A manufacturing project engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, manufacturing project engineers' average salary in nebraska is 36% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level manufacturing project engineers 48% less than senior-level manufacturing project engineers.
   • Certifications. A manufacturing project engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a manufacturing project engineer's salary.

   Average manufacturing project engineer salary

   $82,447yearly

   $39.64 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level manufacturing project engineer salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average manufacturing project engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$106,420	$51
   2	Massachusetts	$100,398	$48
   3	Colorado	$100,143	$48
   4	Connecticut	$94,806	$46
   5	Maryland	$84,335	$41
   6	Illinois	$83,939	$40
   7	Minnesota	$82,394	$40
   8	Michigan	$81,114	$39
   9	Pennsylvania	$79,470	$38
   10	Ohio	$79,386	$38
   11	Texas	$78,417	$38
   12	Utah	$76,877	$37
   13	North Carolina	$72,504	$35
   14	Missouri	$72,391	$35
   15	Alabama	$72,216	$35
   16	Wisconsin	$70,711	$34
   17	Arkansas	$69,369	$33
   18	Kentucky	$68,939	$33
   19	Florida	$66,563	$32
   20	Indiana	$66,400	$32

   Average manufacturing project engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cirrus Aircraft	$119,627	$57.51	13
   2	Amazon	$118,841	$57.14	225
   3	AbbVie	$112,424	$54.05	46
   4	AstraZeneca	$107,463	$51.66	3
   5	Caterpillar	$106,033	$50.98	60
   6	Cargill	$105,442	$50.69	21
   7	The Chemours Company	$98,198	$47.21	13
   8	General Electric	$96,848	$46.56	313
   9	Tesla	$95,241	$45.79	96
   10	Abbott	$93,841	$45.12	107
   11	The Coca-Cola Company	$93,763	$45.08	22
   12	Oshkosh	$92,655	$44.55	25
   13	Mueller Water Products	$92,363	$44.41	5
   14	Stimson Lumber	$92,204	$44.33	1
   15	Volvo Trucks	$91,570	$44.02	22
   16	Graco	$89,254	$42.91	8
   17	Pratt & Whitney	$88,922	$42.75	3
   18	Fusion LLC	$88,287	$42.45
   19	BD	$87,961	$42.29	15
   20	Aerojet Rocketdyne	$87,243	$41.94

4. Writing a manufacturing project engineer job description

   A job description for a manufacturing project engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a manufacturing project engineer job description:

   Manufacturing project engineer job description example

   We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and design the first functional jetpack. We were aboard NASA's first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we are defining the future of on-demand mobility. At Bell, we are proud to be an iconic company with superb talent, rapidly creating novel and coveted vertical lift experiences.
   
   Bell, a leader in Aerospace and Defense located in Fort Worth, TX has an opening for askilled and motivated
   Project Engineer with strong project management skills to support both new and on-going development programs within Bell's Manufacturing Innovation (MI) Team. The project engineer will work closely with a multi-disciplinary team including engineers, supply chain, integrated operation, and finance to manage the program from conception to completion.
   
   Work location is Bell's Manufacturing Technology Center locacted in North Fort Worth, close to Hwy I-35W and Hwy 820 Loop
   
   Project Engineer Responsibilities: Plan, organize and manage technical projects from conception to completion in the high-pace and demanding world of product development The role involves a high degree of ambiguity and requires creativity in determining solutions along with the engineering team to meet multi-disciplinary problems faced. Capture process and product requirements defined by Subject Matter Experts Coordinate efforts to complete the development of product manufacturing Coordinate with multiple departments (engineering - all disciplines, manufacturing, procurement, finance, marketing, strategy, IT, technical publications, customer support, integrated operations, quality, contracts), customers, suppliers and partners from different locations Create project plans (using planning tools, phased/gated approach), determine required deliverables, assign resources, and estimate tasks Manage and control requirements, risks and contingency plans, budget, deliverables, and project changes Contribute to project management tools and processes and shared lessons learned Monitor project progress and report project performance status (cost and schedule earned values) Build and provide presentations to senior management for on-going bids as well as for program status
   
   Required Education: BS in Technical Engineering, Manufacaturing or Industrial Engineering, Aeorspace or other closely related Engineering Degree. (MS or MBA a plus) Required Skill and Experience: At least 3 years of engineering experience and at least 2 years of experience in project management using PMBOK or similar standards. More experience is a big plus. Broad Knowledge of all Engineering Disciplines related to design, fabrication, and airworthiness Ability to influence without direct authority the direction of program and drive decisions Ability to drive the development of technical solutions to complex problems, using ingenuity and creativity Demonstrated leadership in a matrixed environment, with challenging goals/objectives Excellent presentation and communication skills with all levels in the organization Demonstrated team building and coordination skills Interpersonal and communication skills MS Project or MS Primavera software experience or similar Knowledge of Dassault Systemes, SAP, Primavera or MS Project are a plus. You have the unique opportunity to join a different kind of team; one that is focused on pushing boundaries, one that advocates for our customers by presenting them with the very best and by cultivating a culture of inclusivity and excitement for what's ahead.
   
   We're an award-winning organization with a legacy of reliability, precision, and exceeding expectations. Be on the forefront of flight technology and join our team! If you want to get the scoop on our culture, leadership and benefits directly from our employees, you can check out our verified employee reviews exclusively on our partner site Comparably at comparably.com/companies

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find manufacturing project engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any manufacturing project engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level manufacturing project engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your manufacturing project engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit manufacturing project engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting manufacturing project engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new manufacturing project engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the manufacturing project engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new manufacturing project engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a manufacturing project engineer?