Engineering Manager

The Engineering Manager provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all engineering, capital projects, and reliability initiatives across multi-site manufacturing network.. This role is responsible for improving equipment performance, standardizing engineering practices, and leading capital deployment to support growth, safety, and operational excellence. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines technical expertise, troubleshooting, and team leadership to support plant operations.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Engineering & Reliability Strategy

· Develop and execute a company-wide engineering and asset reliability strategy aligned to operational KPIs (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost).

· Establish standardized maintenance and engineering practices across all sites.

· Drive improvements in uptime, throughput, and equipment lifecycle performance.

· Own and improve preventative maintenance (PM), predictive maintenance (PdM), and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) programs.

2. Capital Project Leadership (CapEx)

· Lead planning, prioritization, and execution of all capital projects across the network.

· Partner with Operations and Finance to ensure projects align with growth, cost, and efficiency objectives.

· Establish disciplined project management processes (scope, budget, timeline, ROI tracking).

· Ensure successful commissioning, startup, and performance validation of new equipment and facilities.

3. Multi-Site Maintenance Leadership

· Provide leadership and direction to plant-level Maintenance Managers and teams.

· Standardize maintenance KPIs (PM completion, downtime, MTBF, MTTR, work order execution).

· Improve maintenance planning, scheduling, and spare parts management.

· Ensure effective utilization of CMMS systems and data-driven decision-making.

4. Continuous Improvement (Lean / TPM)

· Support implementation of Lean Manufacturing and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) initiatives across all operations.

· Lead root cause analysis (RCA) efforts on major equipment failures and chronic downtime.

· Drive measurable improvements in efficiency, waste reduction, and labor productivity.

· Support plant teams in kaizen events and process optimization activities.

5. Safety, Compliance & Risk Management

· Ensure all engineering and maintenance activities meet OSHA, environmental, and food/feed safety requirements.

· Support development and execution of safety programs, including machine guarding, LOTO, and contractor safety.

· Mitigate operational risk through proactive asset management and contingency planning.

· Partner with Quality and Food Safety teams to ensure engineering solutions align with regulatory and audit requirements.

6. Organizational Leadership & Talent Development

· Build, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering and maintenance teams across all facilities.

· Establish clear roles, expectations, and accountability at plant and corporate levels.

· Develop training programs focused on technical capability, troubleshooting, and reliability practices.

· Foster a culture of ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement.

7. Innovation & Automation

· Identify and implement automation, process improvements, and digital solutions to enhance efficiency and scalability.

· Evaluate emerging technologies and equipment upgrades to maintain competitive advantage.

· Drive standardization of equipment platforms where possible to reduce complexity and cost.

Work Environment & Expectations

· Regular travel to manufacturing facilities – 10%-15%

· Ability to operate in fast-paced, multi-site production environments

· Hands-on engagement with plant teams and equipment as needed

Qualifications

· Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or related field).

· 5-10 years of leadership experience in manufacturing engineering and maintenance.

· Multi-site leadership experience required.

· Strong Lean Manufacturing and TPM background.

· Experience managing capital projects and budgets.

· Food, feed, or Client experience preferred.

· Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills.