Project Engineering Manager

Project Engineer | Food & Beverage Manufacturing | Multiple Locations, North America | Up to 75% Travel

What the role typically involves

• Owning capital projects from concept and scoping through design, procurement, installation, commissioning, validation and handover to operations
• Building and defending capital appropriation requests, then managing the budget against them once approved
• Developing project scopes, equipment specifications and layouts in partnership with operations, quality, maintenance and food safety
• Selecting and managing OEMs, contractors and integrators, including bid packages, vendor evaluation and factory acceptance testing
• Running site installations, including shutdown planning, tie ins and phased startups that protect existing production
• Driving commissioning, qualification and startup curves, then supporting operations until the line hits sustained performance
• Managing schedule and risk across multiple concurrent projects at different plants
• Ensuring every project lands compliant with sanitary design, USDA and FDA requirements, OSHA, NFPA and local code
• Handling documentation, as builts, training and closeout so operations can actually run and maintain what you install

Scope and structure

• Multiple manufacturing sites across North America, with projects allocated by need rather than geography
• Travel in the region of 75 percent, typically Monday to Thursday on site with heavier stretches during installs and startups
• Project values commonly ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars up to multi million dollar line and facility investments
• Reporting into engineering or operations leadership, with visibility to plant managers and site directors
• Base location flexible for the right person given the travel profile

Background that fits

• Several years of project engineering experience within food, beverage or CPG manufacturing
• Demonstrable record of delivering capital projects start to completion, not just supporting someone else's
• Strong grounding in processing and packaging equipment, utilities, and plant infrastructure
• Working knowledge of sanitary design principles and hygienic zoning
• Confident managing contractors and holding vendors to schedule and spec
• Comfortable moving between plant floor, contractor trailer and boardroom in the same day
• Genuinely suited to a heavy travel role, not tolerating it for twelve months
• Degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical, industrial or manufacturing engineering, or equivalent hands on experience
• Lean, Six Sigma, PMP or CAD capability is a bonus rather than a requirement