Senior Project Engineer

THE COMPANY

Little Rapids Corporation (LRC) is a specialty paper manufacturer and converter of paper, film, cotton, and nonwoven materials. The company's headquarters is in Green Bay and is privately held with annual sales of over $200 million and 450 employees at three Wisconsin locations. The business has two divisions that sell a wide variety of products in the healthcare, beauty, flexographic printing, and specialty paper markets. Rapids Green Bay supplies printed film, paper, and nonwovens. Rapids Shawano has three paper machines that manufacture tissue, machine glazed, and wet crepe paper. Graham Professional manufactures and sells one-time use products into the healthcare and beauty markets through a network of national and regional distributors.

With its family ownership dating back to 1947, the company is guided by a strong and positive culture. LRC's purpose is remarkably simple: to bring together all their people's talents and energies to create an outstanding organization that delivers true value to their customers. The four core values of the business are lived out by ownership and top leadership and serve as a guide to all interactions, behavior, expectations, and strategic initiatives. These values are:

Care: Take Care of One Another & Always Be Transparent

Act: Dream Big, Think Big, Act Big, Create Contagious Energy

Learn: Improve Every Day while Being Humble

Serve: Do Great Things & Be Easy to Work With

Position Summary:

The Senior Project Engineer leads the full lifecycle execution of major capital projects in a manufacturing environment, from initial concept through construction, commissioning, and operational handoff. This role ensures projects are delivered safely, on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives through strong technical expertise, disciplined project controls, and effective cross-functional leadership. The initial focus of this role will be leading a large rebuild project, requiring significant experience in large-scale equipment installations and shutdown execution.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Leadership & Business Alignment

Lead capital projects from concept through startup and operational verification, ensuring clear scope definition, milestone execution, and proactive risk management

Partner with operations and business leadership to identify, evaluate, and prioritize capital investment opportunities

Assess project alternatives and recommend optimal equipment, vendors, and execution strategies

Provide clear, accurate, and timely project updates to leadership while maintaining strong alignment with operations teams

Contract & Procurement Execution

Define project scope, manage engineering deliverables, conduct constructability reviews, and ensure thorough project close-out documentation

Lead contracting processes including RFP development, bid evaluation, and award decisions to secure best value

Select and apply appropriate project delivery methods (Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, EPC, etc.) based on project requirements

Coordinate with engineering and procurement teams to ensure timely acquisition of equipment and materials

Manage contractor and vendor performance, ensuring adherence to scope, schedule, cost, and quality standards

Team Development & Workforce Management

Set clear project-level expectations with all team members; monitor individual and team performance against those expectations and escalate performance concerns to department leadership in a timely manner.

Manage third-party staffing relationships and associated personnel matters

Safety & Compliance

Champion a strong safety culture by ensuring all construction activities comply with OSHA regulations and company safety standards

Develop and enforce site-specific safety programs and expectations

Lead by example in promoting safe work practices and holding all personnel accountable for safety performance

Quality & Continuous Improvement

Ensure quality is embedded throughout all phases of project execution, not just at completion

Apply lessons learned and best practices to continuously improve project outcomes

Support value engineering initiatives to optimize cost without compromising performance

Commissioning & Startup

Oversee commissioning activities including system checkout, boundary definition, flushing, testing, and documentation

Coordinate structured and phased handoff to operations to ensure smooth and efficient startup

Ensure systems meet operational and performance requirements prior to final acceptance

Project Controls & Execution

Manage project schedules, budgets, forecasts, and change control processes with discipline and accuracy

Utilize project controls tools to monitor progress and provide real-time visibility into project performance

Identify risks early and implement mitigation strategies to maintain project objectives

Collaboration & Support

Partner closely with operations, engineering, procurement, and contractors to achieve project goals

Provide technical leadership and guidance across cross-functional teams

Participate in planning and review meetings to align priorities and communicate performance

Perform other responsibilities as assigned

Education, Certifications, and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline preferred

15+ years of project management or project engineering experience in a manufacturing environment

Demonstrated success leading large, complex capital projects (e.g., greenfield, major equipment installations, facility expansions)

Strong knowledge of engineering, construction, procurement, and commissioning practices

Experience with multiple project delivery models (Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, EPC)

Strong project controls experience including scheduling, cost management, and change control

Proficiency with project controls or ERP systems (e.g., JD Edwards or similar)

Direct experience in pulp and paper, tissue, or converting operations strongly preferred

Experience working with capital-intensive production systems or industrial equipment preferred

Ability to travel domestically and occasionally internationally as required

Key Competencies:

Leadership and stakeholder alignment

Safety leadership and risk management

Project execution and controls discipline

Problem-solving and decision-making

Communication and influence across all levels

Team building and talent development

Collaboration and cross-functional partnership

Physical Requirements:

Exposure to or working in close proximity to operating machinery.

Exposure to fine dust.

Ability to wear required personal protection equipment (i.e. hearing, eye and foot protection).

Must be able to see objects at a distance with clarity and read printed material within arm's reach.

Perceive colors accurately.

Ability to shout to be heard above high noise levels.

Stand, twist, bend, turn and kneel for up to 8 hours a day.

Walk up to 200 yards at a time, up to 20 times per day.

Climb stairs, approximately 15 steps, up to 10 times per day.