Electrical and Automation Engineer

Are you looking to catapult your career by driving high-impact transformation with household brands?Do you crave an entrepreneurial, fast paced, and engaging growth assignment working with incredible people from across the globe?

At Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, we are excited to start a new chapter of accelerated growth as part of Froneri – a global pure-play ice cream leader. Come help us transform DGIC into the #1 ice cream brand! With nearly 100 years of winning experience in the U.S, a robust portfolio of powerhouse brands that consumers know and love such as Häagen-Dazs, Drumstick, Dreyer’s & Edy’s, Skinny Cow and Outshine, and the backing and coaching of European-based ice cream experts, we know we have the winning recipe.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, the Bay Area’s hub for up-and-coming food trends, our teams across our offices and factories are raising the bar on all things ice cream. We are investing in significant capital expansions to grow our Operations and Supply Chain and are transforming how we work at every level to become agile, accelerate growth and elevate our quality. With a renewed focus on frozen treats, our tight-knit team of ambitious innovators are fully immersed in the business and encouraged to flex and make decisions quickly. We are committed to pursuing every great idea and delivering the best ice cream experience for our consumers, when and where they want it.

Unleash your potential at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and discover what a sweet career we have in store for you.

Main Purpose of the job:

The Electrical and Automation Engineer is responsible for ensuring reliable, efficient, and safe operation of all electrical and control systems across the factory facility. This role leads automation initiatives, troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and continuous improvement projects to optimize production performance, product quality, and energy efficiency.

Role and Activity

Electrical Systems & Maintenance

• Perform preventive and corrective maintenance on electrical systems, motors, drives, and control panels.
• Diagnose and repair electrical faults, power distribution, PLCs, and instrumentation systems.
• Maintain and update electrical drawings, schematics, and documentation.
• Ensure compliance with electrical codes, safety standards, and food manufacturing regulations.

Automation & Controls

• Program, modify, and troubleshoot PLCs (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar), HMIs, and SCADA systems.
• Support automation of production lines such as mix plant, freezer, filler, and packaging systems.
• Develop and implement control logic to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure consistent product quality.
• Collaborate with process engineers and operators to resolve automation issues and implement process improvements.
• Lead or support electrical and automation projects, including upgrades, new line installations, and equipment integration.
• Work with vendors and contractors to specify, design, and commission automation solutions.
• Participate in continuous improvement and reliability programs (TPM, Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma).
• Optimize energy usage and sustainability performance through automation and system upgrades.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure adherence to food safety (HACCP, GMP) and occupational safety regulations (OSHA, NFPA).
• Conduct risk assessments, lockout/tagout (LOTO) audits, and equipment safety validations.

Maintenance Tasks

• Ensure the maintenance plan has purpose, that it evolves to allow the maximum time available for production, no strip and rebuild for the sake of it! Only replace worn/ broken parts – condition based rather than planned based maintenance
• Drive the tasks through required work from observations and data, not just theoretical plans
• Full evaluation of, cost, availability and requirement to decide if run to failure or replace
• Maintenance always follows production, not the other way around.
• Ensure that maintenance tasks adhere to company’s food safety polices at all times.
• Ensure all working practices comply with company rules and procedures in order that you and any other persons using the area of work can do so safely.
• Always keep full and up to date records of all equipment to ensure traceability

Budget

• Treat all spends as if they are your own
• To manage, monitor and control costs to ensure that site costs are within budgeted requirements
• Represent The Froneri Way of working through the behaviors and characteristics in our Operating Model and Core Values

Measurable Outcomes

• Down time
• Balance between planned & reactive
• Zero rejections for product food safety and quality issues due machinery
• Waste driven by poor equipment performance
• Daily, weekly, monthly production targets are fully met
• Costs are maintained at/below budgeted levels
• Direct Team to receive a performance review
• Training and development plans in place for all team, producing measurable business benefits
• Quality and improvement initiatives being implemented
• Reduction in accidents and incidents on a YOY basis
• An improving trend on the submitted weekly KPI’s
• Projects delivered on time within budget
• Drive actions from quality benchmarking

Levels of Responsibility

• All site process and equipment.
• Break down interventions, maintenance and improvements
• Production Targets
• Maintenance budget
• Health & Safety
• Team management
• Training and development of the team
• Impeccable hygiene standards always

BEHAVIORS AND CORE VALUES:

We Take Ownership

• Stay committed to responsibilities from start to finish
• Make sound decisions and get into the right level of detail
• Apply resources to initiatives that add growth, improve efficiencies, or reduce waste

We Do What Is Right

• Choose transparency over convenience, even if it means difficult conversations
• Set clear roles and responsibilities, enabling everyone to exercise appropriate initiative and judgment
• Speak up when you see something that does not align to our values and policies

We Seek to Improve

• Strive to continuously improve and innovate to exceed expectations
• Value feedback from others and encourage open dialogue to understand how we can improve
• Learn from both successes and failures

We Are Better Together

• Ensure decisions are based on what’s best for the whole business
• Practice inclusion by seeking diverse perspectives
• Treat everyone with fairness and respect

In this position, the employee will regularly work with and around others; in a wet and/or humid environment; in areas of high noise level; and around mechanical, electrical, and pressurized equipment. The work is fast paced.

• Cold Temperatures: Parts of the facility, such as storage and production areas, may be kept at low temperatures.
• Requires use of cold-protective PPE.
• May involve standing, lifting, and walking in refrigerated zones for extended periods.
• Fast-Paced: Workers often operate under strict timelines to meet production quotas.
• High-speed manufacturing floor with frequent movement, line assignment changes, and tight production timelines.
• Standing for Long Hours: Many roles require prolonged standing and repetitive tasks.
• Repetitive hand and arm movements required.
• Must be able to stand for hours with frequent bending, reaching, and lifting.
• Food Safety Regulations: Employees must follow hygiene and safety guidelines, including wearing protective gear (gloves, hairnets, etc.).
• Team-Oriented: Workers collaborate to ensure smooth production and packaging.

The position involves frequent exposure to nuts and other potential allergens.

The pay scale for this role considers the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The pay scale disclosed below has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The pay range for prospective employees in this role is between $98,000 and $117,000 per year.

We offer a comprehensive group benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, paid time off, paid holidays, paid parental leave, 401K plan with employer match and annual contribution available.

Visa sponsorship not available. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or any immigration support (including STEM OPT training plan and H-1B lottery registration) for this position .

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.