SUMMARY:
Senior Principal Project/Process Engineering position is responsible for leading end-to-end engineering strategy, facility design, process optimization, and capital project execution to support safety, food safety, operational excellence, and business growth. This requires a highly experienced engineering leader with deep expertise in greenfield and/or brownfield build outs, capital projects, process engineering, and manufacturing systems within the food production industry.
Must have a strong combination of technical depth, leadership capability, and hands-on experience implementing scalable manufacturing processes in complex food production environments.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Capital Projects & Facility Development
- Lead planning, design, and execution of greenfield (new builds) and brownfield (facility expansions, retrofits, and upgrades) projects.
- Facilitate the annual capital process from idea generation through project hand off and start up.
- Develop project scope, budgets, timelines, and resource plans, ensuring successful delivery from concept through commissioning and startup.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Safety, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, IT and others) to align engineering solutions with business objectives.
- Manage external partners including EPC firms, contractors, and equipment vendors.
Process Engineering & Manufacturing Optimization
- Design and optimize food manufacturing processes to improve safety, food safety, efficiency, yield, throughput, and sustainability.
- Apply process engineering principles such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Evaluate and implement new technologies, automation systems, and process innovations.
- Ensure processes meet safety, regulatory, food safety, and quality standards (OHSA, FDA, USDA, HACCP, 3A Sanitary Design etc.).
Operational Excellence
- Drive reliability engineering strategies including preventative and predictive maintenance systems.
- Identify constraints and bottlenecks and implement solutions to improve plant performance.
- Standardize best practices across sites for engineering and operations.
Regulatory Compliance & Food Safety
- Ensure all designs and processes comply with safety, food safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
- Partner with Quality and Food Safety teams to integrate hygienic design and contamination control into plant layouts and processes.
Leadership & Team Development
- Provide technical guidance to project engineering staff and partner with Senior Engineering Manager to provide leadership and guidance to staff processing, electrical and design engineers.
- Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for engineering and process design within the organization.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Food Engineering from an ABET-accredited school.
- Professional Engineering License (PE) or a “Recognized” Thermal Process Authority (PA) preferred.
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in a similar role in a manufacturing environment, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the food & beverage and/or bioprocessing sectors, including experience with hygienic and sanitary/sterile design of equipment and systems.
- Demonstrated experience leading greenfield and brownfield capital projects.
- Experience with automation, controls systems (PLC/SCADA), and digital manufacturing.
- Strong expertise in process engineering principles and industrial systems design.
- Proven track record of delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
- Knowledge of safety and food industry regulatory requirements (e.g., OSHA, OFDA, USDA, HACCP, GMPs).
- Demonstrated ability to function effectively in stressful, fast-paced situations, with the personal leadership to influence and positively motivate self and peers.
- Experience walking down industrial and manufacturing sites and providing high-level condition assessments.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Expert knowledge of thermal processing requirements for foods in hermetically sealed containers.
- Strong leadership skills are necessary to perpetuate and grow the mechanical engineering discipline
- Experience in GMP design and compliance by other governing agencies.
- Knowledge and experience in design of personal care, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, renewable energy, chemical and industrial facilities.
- Experience with fabrication drawings including welding and NDE maps.
- Experience with ASME Section IX weld procedures.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
- Must wear required personal protection equipment associated with the manufacturing environment.
- Occasional standing, walking, sitting, handling, reaching climbing, crawling, squatting, kneeling and bending
- Occasional pushing/pulling and lifting, which can be accommodated
- This role may require longer hours or weekends on occasion
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to fingers, handle controls; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.