Plant Planning Project Engineer

Leads complex, high-value plant infrastructure, building, civil, utility, and expansion projects from concept and business case through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, acceptance, and closeout. Serves as the owner-side senior project manager across cross-functional plant stakeholders, architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, procurement, legal, finance, authorities having jurisdiction, and external consultants. Accountable for safety, scope, cost, schedule, quality, permitting, contract and change control, risk mitigation, and executive reporting while maintaining continuity of live manufacturing operations. Provides technical and commercial challenge, translates production requirements into executable construction packages, and drives timely decisions and remediation actions Responsibilities • Lead and oversee multiple complex construction and infrastructure projects, including plant expansions, energy and utility systems, warehouse, civil/site work, process foundations, parking and traffic improvements, and modifications to operating facilities. Project facilitation for scopes as little as $2,500-$200m • Develop internal project scope of works for internal buyoff and acceptance, strategic planning, execution strategies, scope boundaries, work breakdown structures, milestone schedules, budgets, cash-flow and funding forecasts, risk registers, decision logs, and governance reporting from feasibility through handover • Coordinate internal customers and technical disciplines, including production, maintenance, facilities, logistics, IT, safety, environmental, fire protection, electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, architectural, controls, and quality teams, as well as design firms, general contractors, and specialty subcontractors • Define and reconcile technical requirements; review basis-of-design documents, drawings, specifications, calculations, layouts, models, submittals, RFIs, shop drawings, commissioning plans, and contractor schedules for constructability, completeness, compliance, interfaces, and operational impacts • Prepare and manage RFP/RFQ packages, technical bid evaluations, contractor qualifications, procurement requests, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, contract intake packages, and recommendations for award in coordination with Procurement and Legal • Administer owner-side contracts and commercial controls, including guaranteed maximum price/cost-plus, and lump sum arrangements, invoices, payment applications, commitments, forecasts, contingencies, allowances, value engineering, proposed change documents, request/owner change orders, claims, notices, and audit support. Yearly forecast and cost projection management of $5m-$100m CAPEX • Control project schedules and critical paths; validate contractor baseline and recovery schedules, long-lead equipment dates, permitting milestones, shutdown windows, process-equipment interfaces, commissioning readiness, and substantial completion commitments; initiate corrective actions when performance deviates • Lead construction governance and stakeholder forums, including infrastructure/building change management boards, contractor steering committees, design reviews, award committees, funding reviews, site coordination meetings, and executive project updates • Coordinate permitting, zoning, environmental and authority approvals with design partners and local agencies; ensure permits are obtained and posted before work begins and that regulatory comments, mitigation requirements, inspections, and closeout documentation are resolved • Monitor field execution through site walks and construction reviews; enforce MBV and OSHA safety expectations, quality requirements, logistics controls, work permits, method-of-procedure and weekend/shutdown coordination, and the protection of manufacturing operations, employees, and assets • Manage testing, inspections, commissioning, punch lists, defect remediation, training, acceptance, warranty follow-up, as-built documentation, turnover packages, and auditable project closeout and transfer to operations and maintenance • Maintain plant planning standards, templates, checklists, technical specifications, lessons learned, reporting tools, document repositories, and project controls; mentor project engineers and coordinate external project-management, design, construction management, schedule, cost, quality, and document-control resources • Perform other duties as assigned • No routine direct disciplinary reports are assumed. Provides functional leadership and work direction to project engineers, interns, contracted project managers, architecture/engineering firms, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, testing agencies, commissioning providers, and other external resources assigned to projects. May act as project lead or deputy for the Plant Planning Manager on assigned programs and governance forums • Develops, recommends, controls, forecasts, and reports capital-project budgets and commitments, including large multi-project infrastructure programs and individual projects that may exceed $5 million. Reviews estimates, bids, contracts, purchase requisitions/orders, invoices, payment applications, contingencies, value-engineering proposals, change requests/orders, claims, and accruals; ensures expenditures align with approved funding, contractual obligations, governance requirements, and forecast targets Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Facilities Engineering, or a closely related discipline • Minimum 7 years of progressive experience managing industrial, commercial, or manufacturing construction and infrastructure projects; 10 or more years preferred for candidates without direct automotive manufacturing experience • Demonstrated owner-side responsibility for complex, multi-discipline capital projects through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout • Experience coordinating work in active manufacturing facilities, including shutdown planning, operational interfaces, safety controls, and phased turnover • Professional Engineer (PE), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Construction Manager (CCM), or equivalent credential preferred, not required Knowledge and Skills • Advanced construction project management, plant/facility planning, civil/site development, building systems, utilities, and multi-discipline design coordination • Strong knowledge of design-build and design-bid-build delivery, AIA contract documents, cost-plus/GMP contracting, procurement and tendering, change and claims management, and construction audit principles • Working knowledge of applicable South Carolina building, fire, plumbing, mechanical, fuel-gas, electrical, energy, accessibility, environmental, zoning, and permitting requirements; familiarity with IBC, IFC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, NFPA 70, NFPA standards, and OSHA requirements • Ability to read and challenge drawings, specifications, schedules, estimates, cost reports, payment applications, technical proposals, submittals, RFIs, commissioning documents, and contract correspondence • Demonstrated skill in schedule analysis, critical-path management, risk management, value engineering, budget-toward reconciliation, forecasting, executive reporting, and development of practical recovery plans • Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and project controls/reporting tools; experience with Microsoft Project or Primavera P6, Power BI, Asana, SharePoint, Procore, CAD/model review tools, and enterprise procurement/funding systems is preferred • Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation, facilitation, escalation, and stakeholder-management skills. Able to communicate effectively with executives, shop leadership, engineers, authorities, legal counsel, procurement, contractors, and field personnel • High judgment, ownership, and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities, incomplete information, contractual risk, and time-critical decisions in a live industrial environment