Process Engineer

Job Title: Manufacturing Process Engineer – Paint Department

Job Description

This Manufacturing Process Engineer role supports plant operations within a highly automated paint department, focusing on process improvements, equipment performance, safety, quality, and production efficiency. You work closely with production, maintenance, suppliers, and internal teams to troubleshoot issues, enhance manufacturing processes, and support day-to-day plant activities in a fast-paced automotive environment.

Responsibilities

• Propose, evaluate, and implement improvements to manufacturing processes, equipment, and tooling within the paint operation.
• Support plant goals related to safety, quality, delivery, responsiveness, and cost by driving effective process and equipment performance.
• Coordinate the effective use of personnel, materials, and equipment to meet production needs and maintain throughput.
• Analyze tooling, equipment, and process concerns to determine root causes and define appropriate corrective actions.
• Provide technical support and training to plant operations teams, ensuring proper use of equipment, tooling, and processes.
• Partner closely with production, maintenance, and supplier teams to ensure timely completion of projects and technical initiatives.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing paint defects, improving efficiency, and maintaining strong quality standards.
• Assist with maintaining compliance to plant safety, environmental, and quality standards within the paint department.
• Support robotics and automation systems, including approximately 100 Fanuc robots, by helping maintain and optimize their performance.
• Help oversee day-to-day technical needs within the assigned manufacturing area, particularly pretreatment, chemistry, automation, and quality systems.
• Provide guidance and support to a small team of roughly 5 to 10 employees, offering technical direction and on-the-job training as needed.
• Communicate effectively with internal teams, external suppliers, and business partners to align on priorities, timelines, and technical requirements.
• Troubleshoot equipment, tooling, and process-related issues in a fast-paced environment, addressing new challenges as they arise.
• Take ownership of assigned areas and projects, managing multiple priorities and driving tasks to completion.
• Contribute to a culture of strong safety and quality by modeling best practices and reinforcing standards on the plant floor.

Essential Skills

• Technical background in process or manufacturing engineering, with strong hands-on skills.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, and plant operations.
• Experience in manufacturing, preferably automotive.
• Ability to troubleshoot equipment, tooling, and process-related issues effectively and systematically.
• Strong safety and quality mindset, with the ability to maintain and support compliance to plant standards.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of assigned areas, projects, and technical responsibilities.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills for collaboration with production, maintenance, and supplier teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with changing weekly demands.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for documentation, reporting, and presentations.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Engineering degree is preferred, but not required, for candidates with strong technical experience.
• Experience with pretreatment, chemistry, or chemical application processes in a paint or similar environment is preferred.
• Leadership experience or the ability to support and guide a small team of 5 to 10 employees is preferred.
• Exposure to automotive manufacturing and major OEM environments, including safety, quality, environmental compliance, and advanced manufacturing systems.
• Interest in working on complex manufacturing processes that combine chemical and mechanical engineering disciplines.
• Comfort with continuous improvement methodologies and initiatives focused on reducing defects and improving efficiency.
• Ability to thrive in a role with constant variety, frequent troubleshooting, and non-repetitive work.
• Willingness to commit to a 52-week onsite contract assignment with no remote work and no travel requirements.

Work Environment

This role is fully onsite in a large automotive assembly plant within the Paint Department, working directly on the production floor in a hands-on, fast-paced, and highly automated environment. You work closely with production, maintenance, robotics, pretreatment, chemistry, safety, and quality functions, and you gain significant exposure to approximately 100 Fanuc robots and advanced manufacturing systems. The position requires flexibility to work across all three shifts. The standard schedule is Monday through Friday, with regular weekend work and overtime expected. Once fully trained, the schedule may transition from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour rotating shifts, such as 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with a mix of scheduled workdays and off days on either day or night shifts. While the shifts are longer, the rotation provides several days off throughout the month, including some extended breaks. The assignment lasts 52 weeks, is entirely onsite with no remote option, and involves no travel. The environment is typical of a manufacturing plant, with exposure to production equipment, robotics, and chemical processes, and requires comfort working in a setting with changing weekly priorities and frequent problem-solving.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Wentzville, MO.

The pay range for this position is $33.00 - $42.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Wentzville,MO.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 27, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.