What are the responsibilities and job description for the Configuration Management Specialist / Arena PLM Administrator position at Actalent?
Job Description
This contract role focuses on providing immediate configuration management support for day-to-day engineering change, bill of materials (BOM), item, and part management activities within Arena PLM. You will help maintain continuity across engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and production workflows while a long-term solution is recruited. The position requires someone who can ramp quickly, maintain accurate product data across PLM and ERP systems, and support existing processes in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The role is initially a 3-month contract with the possibility to extend or convert to full-time, depending on business needs and candidate fit.
Responsibilities
- Manage and maintain product data, parts, BOMs, assemblies, and items within Arena PLM.
- Create, submit, and review Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) to ensure accuracy and completeness.
- Review submitted ECOs for accuracy, completeness, and potential discrepancies before final submission.
- Compare BOMs against mechanical drawings to identify mismatches or errors, including quantity discrepancies and incorrect part references.
- Support finished good SKU creation and part number creation within Arena PLM.
- Request and track nameplates for new finished good products.
- Monitor and follow up on approvals for deviations, ECOs, and Manufacturing Change Orders (MCOs).
- Ensure manufacturing and cross-functional stakeholders are informed of approved changes and understand their impact.
- Support manual data alignment and reconciliation between Arena PLM and ERP systems.
- Create and manage related Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) within the ERP system.
- Create items in the ERP system and route requests to appropriate departments for implementation.
- Support Arena PLM access management, including license assignments, user access changes, and permissions.
- Maintain approval routings, workflows, and perform system administration tasks within Arena PLM.
- Run or support weekly ECO meetings with quality, production, purchasing, and other stakeholders.
- Update Jira tickets related to part setup requests, nameplates, and change status updates to ensure accurate tracking.
- Help maintain operational continuity and the status quo while a long-term configuration management solution is recruited.
- Support product releases, finished good SKUs, and manufacturing readiness activities as needed.
- Contribute to process improvements over the long term if the role extends or converts to full-time.
- 3 years of experience in configuration management, PLM administration, engineering change, or manufacturing data management.
- Hands-on experience using Arena PLM for product data, BOM, and change management.
- Experience working in a manufacturing environment.
- Understanding of engineering BOM (EBOM) versus manufacturing BOM (MBOM).
- Understanding of make-versus-buy parts and related decision criteria.
- Knowledge of part setup requirements and master data concepts.
- Strong understanding of BOM structure and part numbering schemes.
- Experience supporting ECOs, ECRs, MCOs, deviations, or similar change management workflows.
- ERP experience with systems such as SAP, NetSuite, Plex, or similar platforms.
- Ability to manage and reconcile data between PLM and ERP systems.
- Ability to review mechanical drawings and identify BOM or quantity discrepancies.
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to catch data or documentation errors.
- Ability to ramp quickly with limited training and adapt to existing processes.
- Strong communication skills and comfort working cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and production teams.
- Experience with configuration management tools and configuration management software.
- Experience working with bills of material and performing accurate data entry in technical systems.
- Experience with SolidWorks PDM or reviewing SolidWorks mechanical drawings.
- Experience with Plex ERP.
- Experience with NetSuite or SAP in a manufacturing context.
- Jira experience for ticket tracking and status updates.
- Experience supporting product releases, finished good SKUs, or manufacturing readiness activities.
- Prior experience in a fast-paced manufacturing or hardware product environment.
- Ability to support and drive process improvements over the long term if the role extends or converts to full-time.
This role offers an onsite or hybrid work arrangement and requires candidates to be local to the area. Standard work hours are typically 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You will work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and production teams in a collaborative manufacturing environment. The position involves daily use of Arena PLM, ERP systems such as SAP, NetSuite, or Plex, and tools like Jira and potentially SolidWorks PDM. The work setting emphasizes accuracy, cross-functional communication, and adherence to established configuration management and change control processes.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Austin, TX.
Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $55.00 - $69.71/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 Austin,TX.
Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Jun 18, 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.
Salary : $55 - $70