Manufacturing Process and Project Engineer - Gladstone, MO

POSITION OVERVIEW 

The Manufacturing Process and Packaging Engineer role (also called Sr. Systems Engineer) provides technical leadership and serves as a system and product specialist. They are responsible for building the team’s packaging and processing technical skills through a hands-on approach. They are accountable for the operational foundational systems across systems they own and to the plant to secure basic conditions and drive out losses with the platform team. The Manufacturing Process and Packaging Engineer plays a critical role in continuously improving by optimizing system performance and product quality while driving strategic productivity and capacity solutions for the platform and ultimately the business.

This level showcases a Manufacturing Process and Packaging Engineer's knowledge and foundation for building others' capabilities. This role centers on consistent manufacturing performance, problem-solving, and improvement. It involves significant floor time to understand manufacturing processes, coupled with development within the Systems Engineering JTA. The primary focus is improvement and loss elimination activities aligned with the system glidepath and future state goals. This includes supporting team skill development, inclusive of content development and talent assessments, and advocating for system investments, articulating their financial impact to plant leadership for annual planning. As knowledge expands, credibility as a strategic partner with Engineering, Operations, and R&D will increase. This will allow more intentional focus on other systems and engagement in business plans.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES 

Safety

• Lead Food and Human Safety through Safety 2.0 leadership principles and standards.
• Foster a culture that reduces risk to our people and communities by increasing the capability to identify and control critical risk. Specifically, responsible as the Control of Hazardous Energy (CoHE) Platform Owner for ensuring safe system designs, managing procedure changes, partnering with site owner for reviews, and coaching best practices, while reinforcing accountability for execution and adherence at the operational level.
• Cultivate a Food Safety Culture that is committed to manufacturing safe food that is compliant with policy and regulatory requirements.

People Leadership and Capability Building

• Communicate and engage effectively with teams across the full site.
• Regularly engage with corporate engineering, R&D, and business teams to advocate for their system's current and future state.
• Provide early-level coaching to early tenure Systems Engineers and plant personnel (MEA, Operations Leaders, etc.).
• Support L&D assessments and content development.
• At the site level partner with leadership to advocate for system investment.

Process Leadership and Ownership
Driving System Utilization (DSU):

• Responsible to lead the execution of Loss Tree and Glidepath efforts, building team skills around glidepath development.
• Execute loss elimination tasks to improve system and equipment reliability through use of continuous improvement processes and problem solving. Build learnings into training materials and coaching of the operating team members to increase capability of the broader team.
• Execute and identify of HMM initiatives.
• Actively improve the data and information of the system to increase the ability to model and predict opportunity areas (performance metrics, financial information, data historian, maintenance management system).

Operations Foundational Systems:

• Accountable for the operational foundation systems across the platform to secure basic conditions and drive out losses (Clean-Inspect-Lubricate CIL, Centerlines CL and Theory of Operation TOO).

Vertical Start-Up (VSU): Execute project support (planning, start-up).

Know your Operation, Data, and Technology

• Advanced expertise in the 4M's through a physical presence on the manufacturing floor (machine, materials, methods, human) to build others' understanding of the interdependency of inputs.
• Actively showcase system mastery via application and understanding of Operations Foundational Systems.
• Secure material balance and unit operation expertise on the system(s) to ensure optimal production rates, parameters, and formulas. Engage with R&D partners on the impacts of formulations, HMM efforts, etc., to optimize 4M interface.
• Develop through connections and learning from operators, technicians, and peers through rigorous application and understanding of foundational systems.
• Clearly articulate financial impact to the plant based on business and plant decisions in support of annual financial, capital, and capacity planning.

Back-Up Support

• This position will provide backup support as needed, ensuring business continuity and operational efficiency.
  • Technical partners on platform team (SE, QE, Maintenance)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, or related degree with applicable experience, or extensive relevant work experience

• 5+ years of related manufacturing experience with process or packaging engineering within a consumer product or process industry
• Theory/functionality of manufacturing systems and unit operations
• Advanced data and statistical analysis capabilities with strong analytical methods or statistical analysis
• Advanced Mechanical aptitude, specifically around manufacturing systems
• Examples of Loss Tree and Glide path ownership and improvement plan execution
• Sound financial acumen at the Plant level to define and drive cost-saving efforts
• General Engineering Principles and Continuous Improvement knowledge
• Experience working in a highly collaborative environment where you will drive results through teamwork and process leadership
• Proven success in reducing losses and improving performance in a manufacturing setting
• Skilled at communicating between work groups, cross-functional resources, and other members of the plant and corporate teams
• Working knowledge of manufacturing data analysis systems (examples: SAP, Maximo, Manufacturing Analytics, MQIS) and proven success with decision-making for results

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• 6+ years of highly relevant experiences
• Food science or process/packaging science experience
• Demonstrated technical capability and knowledge of unit operations and manufacturing machinery
• Demonstrated influence at a leadership level to drive impact throughout the plant/facility

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• International relocation or international remote working arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered. 
• Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. General Mills will not sponsor applicants for this position for work visas.

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.