Sr. Project Engineer - Advanced Engineering

Job Description:

Sr. Project Engineer – Advanced Engineering

• As a Senior Project Engineer in Advanced Engineering, you act as the CEO of the program. You will own the “front end” of the product development process. Focusing on user centric, technical projects that bring novel designs, textiles, polymers, and emerging PPE technologies from early exploration to the New Product Development team.  You thrive in ambiguity, apply first‑principles technical rigor, and lead with evidence‑backed decision making to deliver innovations that keep our users safe and productive on the jobsite.
• This role leads cross‑functional teams through advanced engineering projects where performance and user impact are critical. You balance speed with discipline while driving divergent thinking, embracing agility where learning is required, and drive convergence when decisions must be made. As the leader, you ensure new materials and designs move confidently from prototype to execution.
• Our ideal candidate is a strong technical project leader who loves solving hard problems, aligning diverse teams, and turning complex data into clear direction. You are energized by fast‑paced environments, multiple parallel efforts, and the challenge of delivering innovation.

Primary Responsibilities

Program & Project Leadership (Primary Focus)

• Provide leadership over small‑ to medium‑scale Advanced Engineering programs across textiles, polymers, and PPE, operating within a flexible stage‑gate framework
• Define project charters that clarify scope, deliverables, performance intent, risk, milestones, and success criteria.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, communication plans, agendas, and action tracking while holding teams accountable to timelines and commitments.
• Regularly present project status, risks, and tradeoffs to senior leadership with clarity and confidence.
• Manage multiple concurrent programs, balancing priorities, resources, and dependencies in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with the ability to boil down complex technical topics for any audience.
• Embodies METCo’s culture expectations.

Technical Direction & Decision Ownership

• Partner with Advanced Engineers and business‑wide subject matter experts to drive technical depth
• Drive translation from lab results, and field data, to clear program direction.
• Lead trade‑off decisions across performance, durability, cost, schedule, and scalability
• Ensure each project phase exits clearly with documented assumptions and known risks.

Cross‑Functional & Supplier Leadership

• You align people, partners, and processes to keep programs moving.
• Work cross‑functionally and globally with Product Marketing, NPD, Quality Engineers, Purchasing, Finance, and Manufacturing.
• Serve as the primary coordination point for suppliers, factories, and external technology partners within active programs.

Risk, Readiness & Production Transfer

• Proactively escalate, and resolve risks using a living risk register
• Drive proper design validation activities
• Deliver production‑ready design packages including specifications, test methods, critical parameters, and known limitations.

What You Bring to the Role

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (or educational equivalent) required.
• 5+ years of experience leading innovative, cross‑functional engineering or product development projects.
• Proven ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously and deliver results against aggressive timelines.
• Strong technical aptitude with a working understanding of materials, testing, and manufacturing processes relevant to textile‑ and polymer‑based products
• Demonstrated experience coordinating suppliers, factories, and external development partners.
• Results‑driven, adaptable, and comfortable operating in fast‑paced, changing environments.
• Ability to anticipate workload, surface resource constraints, and provide visibility to leadership.
• Working understanding of cost drivers (materials, labor, overhead) and their impact on program decisions.
• Willingness to travel ~15% (domestic and international, including China).
• PMP certification a plus, not required.

Milwaukee Tool is an equal opportunity employer.