Project Engineer

Salary
Elk Grove Village, IL
Posted on October 15, 2026
$100,000.00 - $135,000.00

Product Development Engineer – Fastener Manufacturing: Elk Grove Village, IL

Our client is seeking an experienced Product Development Engineer to join their engineering team and play a key role in supporting new product development, fastener manufacturing improvements, and operational growth. This position is ideal for a hands-on engineer who enjoys working directly with manufacturing operations to solve problems, improve processes, and bring new products into production. The Project Engineer will collaborate closely with operations, tooling, quality, sourcing, and outside vendors to develop robust manufacturing processes while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, cost, quality, and lead times.

Key Responsibilities:

Review customer blueprints, specifications, and proposals to determine product and manufacturing requirements
Develop internal product drawings, models, engineering methods, and manufacturing requirements
Evaluate materials, labor, tooling, and equipment needs to develop efficient and cost-effective manufacturing processes
Partner with operators, tooling engineering, and operations leadership to troubleshoot processes and improve machine performance and utilization
Support outside vendors and help define, source, and implement new manufacturing equipment when needed
Collaborate with Quality to develop process flow diagrams, PFMEAs, and control plans
Use value stream mapping, cycle-time analysis, process mapping, and Lean methodologies to identify improvement opportunities
Analyze production data to develop strategies for reducing costs, improving efficiency, and shortening lead times
Participate in Gemba walks and work directly with production teams to identify and implement improvements
Develop standard operating procedures to sustain process improvements
Evaluate and scope new equipment and technologies that can improve manufacturing performance

Skills & Experience:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, preferred; will consider relevant experience without a degree
Experience: 2-5 years of product or manufacturing experience within the cold-forming fastener industry, required
Industry: Experience in fastener manufacturing, metal forming, stamping, and/or machining environments, required
Knowledge: Lean Six Sigma, strongly preferred
Software: ERP systems, estimating software, Microsoft Office Suite, required

What We Offer:

Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance – Day one!
Life Insurance
Short- and Long-Term Disability
HSA & FSA
401(k) w/ company match
PTO
And more

Please Note:

This role does not offer visa sponsorship or relocation assistance. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Pay: $100,000 – $135,000/year

Type: Full-time, 1st Shift, On-site

Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Ready to engineer better processes and stronger results? Apply now!

Hughes Recruiting & Consulting is a full-service human resources agency headquartered in Freeport, IL, and has 11 locations across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. We are a growing company that embodies professionalism, pursues excellence, embraces challenges, and has fun! We find valuable placements for employees looking for work and employers looking for staff. Put us to work, finding you work. Visit us online to complete an application today.

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box-sizing: border-box;">Industry: Experience in fastener manufacturing, metal forming, stamping, and/or machining environments, required</li><li fr-original-style="font-family:serif;font-size:13px;" style="font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; box-sizing: border-box;">Knowledge: Lean Six Sigma, strongly preferred</li><li fr-original-style="font-family:serif;font-size:13px;" style="font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; box-sizing: border-box;">Software: ERP systems, estimating software, Microsoft Office Suite, required</li></ul><div fr-original-style="font-size:16px;" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;">What We Offer: </div><ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px;" type="disc"><li fr-original-style="font-family:serif;font-size:16px;" style="font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box;">Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance – Day one!</li><li fr-original-style="font-family:serif;font-size:16px;" style="font-family: serif; 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