Plant Engineer

Pay Range: $130,000/yr. - $155,000/yr. based on experience and qualifications

The Plant Engineer is the technical and maintenance leader for the site, accountable for the performance, reliability, and continuous improvement of all plant assets. This role owns maintenance execution, infrastructure reliability, preventive and predictive maintenance systems, and repair & maintenance (R&M) budget performance, while also leading capital projects and engineering initiatives that support safety, food safety, capacity growth, and cost control.

Operating in a USDA-regulated food manufacturing environment, the Plant Engineering & Maintenance Manager partners closely with Production, FSQA, EHS, and Corporate Engineering to ensure equipment uptime, stable production flow, and long-term asset health. This role blends hands-on engineering execution with people leadership and financial accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance, Reliability Ownership, Infrastructure & Asset Management

• Provide full leadership and accountability for the maintenance team, including supervisors, technicians, and contractors.
• Own and continuously improve the site's Preventive Maintenance (PM), Predictive Maintenance (PdM), and reliability systems, including TPM where applicable. Utilize and when needed, develop CMMS into the daily operation.
• Ensure effective work-order execution, scheduling, and prioritization to maximize uptime and minimize unplanned downtime.
• Lead root-cause analysis and permanent corrective actions for chronic equipment and infrastructure issues.
• Own plant infrastructure systems, including utilities, building systems, refrigeration, compressed air, steam, water, wastewater, and material-handling assets.
• Ensure assets are maintained in a safe, compliant, and production-ready condition consistent with USDA, OSHA, and company standards.
• Partner with corporate and external experts on specialized systems as required.

R&M Budget, Cost Control, Capital Projects & Engineering Execution

• Develop, manage, and control the annual R&M budget, including labor, parts, services, and contracted maintenance spend.
• Track maintenance cost drivers, identify savings opportunities, and ensure spend aligns with reliability and risk priorities.
• Support capital vs. expense decision-making through sound technical and financial analysis.
• Lead site-level capital projects from concept through commissioning, including scope development, cost estimates, schedules, contractor coordination, and startup. Build and own 3 year capital plan to meet the needs of the business.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and without compromise to safety, food safety, or environmental performance.
• Integrate new equipment and systems into maintenance standards, PM plans, and spare-parts strategies.

Safety, Food Safety & Compliance

• Champion a safety-first culture within the maintenance and engineering teams.
• Ensure all maintenance and engineering activities comply with USDA, FDA, OSHA, and internal safety and quality standards.
• Incorporate sanitary design and hygienic maintenance practices into all equipment and facility work.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance personnel through clear expectations, training, and performance management.
• Serve as the technical liaison between Operations, FSQA, Safety, Corporate Engineering, OEMs, and contractors.
• Provide engineering and maintenance input into production planning, shutdowns, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements

• Degree or relevant experience in Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, with progressive responsibility in maintenance, engineering, or reliability roles.
• 8+ years demonstrated experience leading maintenance teams and owning PM systems in a production environment.
• Proficiency with CMMS systems and Microsoft Office.
• Proven accountability for R&M budgets, cost control, and maintenance planning.
• Strong mechanical and systems-level understanding of food manufacturing equipment and utilities.

Preferred

• Experience in USDA-regulated or ready-to-eat food manufacturing.
• Exposure to TPM, reliability-centered maintenance, and predictive technologies.
• Familiarity with ammonia refrigeration, steam systems, and industrial utilities.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD and Microsoft Projects.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Regular presence in production areas, including cold, wet, humid, and noisy environments.
• Ability to walk production floors, climb ladders and stairs, and occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
• Frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear
• Off-shift and weekend work may be required to support breakdowns, shutdowns, or project execution.
• Strict adherence to safety, PPE, and hygiene standards is required.