Distillery Process Engineer - Biofuel

MGP Ingredients is a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits and food ingredient solutions. Its Distilling Solutions segment provides bourbons, whiskeys, ryes, gins, and vodkas to craft and multinational brands. MGP's own Branded Spirts business is growing following the 2021 acquisition of Luxco, a top spirits producer, bottler, supplier, and importer as well as the 2023 acquisition of Penelope Bourbon, known for its wide range of uniquely blended expressions. Ingredient Solutions delivers nutritional, functional wheat- and pea-based ingredients aligned with consumer trends. The company operates in locations across the Midwestern U.S., and overseas in Northern Ireland and Mexico.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the Distillery Process Engineer (Biofuel), you will be responsible for enhancing product quality, safety, and manufacturing efficiency by addressing and resolving daily process challenges. Drive sustainable improvements in cost-effectiveness and product performance through the optimization of manufacturing processes, leveraging capital projects, statistical analysis, designed experiments, and procedural changes. Lead continuous improvement initiatives at the site, utilizing tools such as Zero-Based Analysis (ZBA), GAP analysis, and time studies. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve problems and develop new products. Oversee the startup of new products and equipment, including supervising installation, troubleshooting initial production issues, ensuring new processes and products meet requirements, and documenting and transferring them to production.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

DISTILLERY OPERATIONS 35%

• Oversee daily operations at the Atchison facilities within the Distillery operations to ensure system performance, availability, and reliability targets are consistently met.
• Provide troubleshooting and technical support as needed to address operational issues.
• Monitor system performance for deviations from targets and offer guidance on corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures to ensure consistent and efficient plant operations.

ENGINEERING 30%

• Maintain and create new piping and instrumentation diagrams, as well as other flow diagrams, to ensure accurate process documentation.
• Support the implementation of expense and capital projects, providing necessary technical documentation and oversight.
• Lead the site's continuous improvement initiatives, including managing and updating the GAP analysis and ZBA program.

QUALITY 15%

• Troubleshoot quality issues and implement corrective actions to maintain high standards of product quality.

SAFETY 13%

• Provide technical support and expertise for MGP Safety Up and individual safety subcommittee activities.
• Monitor and support SEM (Safety, Environment, and Maintenance) suggestions to enhance safety practices.
• Participate in incident investigations and assist in the implementation of corrective actions.

SHIFT SUPERVISION 2%

• Serve as a relief shift manager when necessary to ensure uninterrupted plant operations. Managing hourly employees and ensure the consistent implementation of plant directives to maintain smooth production facility operations.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering (required).

• 5+ years ethanol plant experience with deep knowledge of milling, cooking, fermentation, distillation and dryhouse operation process technologies, 2+ years of project management experience.

• Experience using Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

• Experience with AutoCAD and SAP preferred but not required.

• Strong leadership, coaching and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Good problem solving and project management skills

• Detail-oriented, collaborative, safety-focused, and ready to grow.

• Frequent exposure to plant environments (wet floors, noise, temperature variations)

• Must be comfortable with physical tasks like climbing, maneuvering in tight spaces, and occasional lifting

If the above speaks to you, we're excited to learn more about you! At MGP, we know that our people are our greatest strength. With different perspectives and unique ways of thinking, our employees are as varied as our products. We believe that inclusivity strengthens the organization and champions a company culture that is evolving to reflect all of us. Culture results from our behaviors, our personal commitment, our curiosity, how we collaborate, and the ways we courageously share our perspectives and expect others to do the same. Each of us can make a difference by fostering thinking and actions that empower us to connect, belong and grow together. Compensation is competitive and is commensurate with experience. MGP offers exceptional medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, 401(k) Match and PTO. All successful candidates for this position will be required to submit to a criminal background check and drug test.