Senior Mechanical Engineer || Plant Projects + Floor + TPM || West Chicago IL On-Site

What if you could spend the next decade inside one of the most stable engineering teams in North American manufacturing, never start over at a new employer to grow, and still see a clear path into upper management? That is not a stretch story here. It is the path most of the current engineering team is already on.𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a major North American ink and coatings manufacturer with a global parent and active expansion across the Americas. Great Place to Work certified back-to-back, ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 integrated, and 100+ years of manufacturing legacy through the parent company.𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡This is not a stay-in-your-lane role. The hiring manager has been here more than 15 years and moved up to lead engineering for the region. Half the department has been here longer than he has. Engineers from this team have grown into upper management and General Manager roles. The route from this seat is not theoretical, it is the dominant career path the team has taken.𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠A small, close-knit corporate engineering group of 10 to 12 across North America with 3 to 4 at the Technical Center. You will be the 4th engineer at the site, reporting directly to the Project Engineering Manager. Day to day you work alongside one PLC and integration engineer and one engineering and maintenance technician. The wider department spans the United States, Canada, and Latin America.𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬This is a deliberately broad role. The hiring manager said it directly: "Design is never going to be heavy. We don't have people that sit here and draft. We don't make equipment." Your time will move across four buckets, with the mix shifting year to year based on capital availability:• Design (25 to 30 percent): drafting, calculations, process flows, P&IDs (Process and Instrumentation Diagrams)• Project management (25 percent): budgeting, scheduling, and ROI on capital builds that recently have run into the millions• TPM and EEM coordination (25 percent): you become the site coordinator for Total Productive Maintenance and Early Equipment Management using a company-wide methodology• Field and floor (25 to 30 percent): observation, improvements, adjustments, maintenance and startup support at the home plant and remote sites𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗪𝗡• Capital project leadership from scope definition through startup, including ROI modeling and budget control• Process and equipment improvements across batch ink manufacturing operations (short runs, color changeovers, recipe systems)• On-floor troubleshooting alongside maintenance when production is down• AutoCAD drafting across mechanical, electrical, architectural, and P&ID drawings• PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and instrumentation diagnostics and specification• Site-level TPM and EEM coordination using the company-wide framework• Travel up to 25 percent domestic US to plants in the Midwest, East Coast, and Southeast𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞Prior candidates fell short for one reason: they were too specialized. If you have spent the last 12 years buried in 3D modeling with no time on the manufacturing floor, this is not the right seat. The same is true if your career has been pure field inspection or construction-site work without design and project management depth. Onboarding here also takes longer than at a John Deere or Amazon because the manufacturing process carries real IP (Intellectual Property) and the batch nature is genuinely unique. The hiring manager wants candidates who lean into breadth, ask questions on plant tours, and own specific deliverables rather than describing the team's work in the abstract.𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱:• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related degree (non-negotiable, set by the hiring manager)• 10+ years in chemical, ink/coatings, food and beverage, pharma, oil and gas, or packaging OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) manufacturing• AutoCAD across mechanical, electrical, architectural, and P&ID drawings• Advanced troubleshooting on mechanical, motion, and hydraulic systems• Basic electrical systems troubleshooting• PLC and instrumentation depth (specification, diagnostics, and improvement, not just awareness)• Fundamentals of thermodynamics, physics, and pump design (the hiring manager said directly that he cannot teach these; they come from an ME background)• Comfort with up to 25 percent domestic US travel, planned 2+ weeks ahead𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:• 3D modeling (Solidworks, Fusion 360, Navis Works)• Six Sigma Black Belt• Hazardous area classification experience (oil and gas or chemical background)• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement coursework𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆: Competitive based on experience.𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: No standard annual bonus structure for this engineering role. Comp is built around base salary plus full benefits, not variable upside.𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: Medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and pet insurance, plus HSA and FSA𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 401(k)𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳: Standard PTO and holidays, Paid Volunteer Time Off, and Paid Parental Leave𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Tuition reimbursement and free access to an internal university with eLearning in 7 languages𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲: Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, on-site at the Technical Center. Informal work-from-home flexibility on occasion at manager discretion (for example, after a travel week), not a standing perk.𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹: Up to 25 percent domestic US, planned 2+ weeks ahead. Weekends are travel days only, not working weekends.𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: West Chicago, IL (DuPage County). Reasonable commute from Aurora, Naperville, Wheaton, Geneva, St. Charles, Elgin, Carol Stream, and the western suburbs.𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Not offered. This search is focused on candidates already in Greater Chicagoland or with a clear, committed relocation timeline.𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘Average tenure across the company is 12 to 13 years, roughly 2.5 times the industry standard. The hiring manager is education-supportive and is known for planning travel weeks in advance rather than dropping it on the team last-minute. Engineers wear many hats by design: nobody on this team owns just one lane.Apply via LinkedIn and we will reach out to schedule a conversation. Confidential search; your application is fully private.𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱