Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Who We Are 

At JonnyPops, our team is empowered to make an impact at work every day — from producing high-quality, innovative frozen novelties to spreading kindness one pop at a time. We look for bright and ambitious individuals who seek out challenges, thrive in fast-paced and high-growth environments, align with our core values, and get fulfillment from seeing their work transform the world around them. 

Based in Elk River, MN, JonnyPops develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets frozen novelties. Retailers from coast to coast — including Target, Costco, Publix, Kroger, and Cub, along with thousands of regional and local grocers — make JonnyPops part of their assortment. 

Growing from a dorm-room start-up in 2012, JonnyPops’ mission is to make “A Better Pop for a Better World!” JonnyPops leads the frozen novelties space in innovation and uses simple ingredients with no artificial dyes. Every pop stick includes a kind deed, spreading kindness every day. 

The Role

We're looking for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer who lives and breathes fluid systems — mixing, blending, pasteurization, filtration, and separation — and wants to put that expertise to work where it actually happens: on the plant floor. This isn't a role you'll run from a laptop in a conference room. You'll be in the mix room and alongside our production lines every day, troubleshooting equipment, working shoulder-to-shoulder with operators and maintenance, and turning process data into real improvements. If you'd rather be walking the line than sitting through another status meeting, keep reading.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Process Engineering & Floor Support

- Serve as JonnyPops' subject matter expert for fluid processing — mixing, blending, pasteurization/HTST, filtration, and separation — providing hands-on, day-to-day process engineering support directly on the floor.

- Walk our production lines and mix room to evaluate manufacturing processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity, process capability, and cost, while managing risk.

Process Improvement & Optimization

- Play an active role in developing and driving engineering strategy around processing line capability, capacity, and optimization that supports where JonnyPops is headed.

- Design and implement improvements that boost yield, reduce waste, increase throughput, tighten cycle times, and remove bottlenecks — all while holding the line on food safety.

- Perform process capability studies to get ahead of manufacturing trends, meet customer specifications, and keep day-to-day operations steady.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Partner closely with plant leadership, Operations, and fellow engineers to align process improvements with what the business needs most.

- Work cross-functionally with R&D, Quality Assurance, and Production to carry new products and process changes smoothly from concept to the plant floor.

Equipment & Capital Projects

- Lead or support new equipment installations and modifications from concept through commissioning, focused on maximizing output, minimizing downtime, and reducing operational risk.

- Collaborate with Project Engineers on capital project development — scoping, budget estimates, schedule development, construction plans, downtime planning/risk mitigation, and confirming equipment qualification criteria are met.

Documentation & Standards

- Maintain accurate documentation — process manuals, plant P&IDs, CCP definitions, SOPs, and equipment specifications — standardizing our processes and sharing best practices across the plant.

Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering; Chemical or Process Engineering preferred.

- 8+ years of engineering experience, with a hands-on background in fluid-related processing or equivalent.

- Prior experience working in food or beverage manufacturing, so you already understand plant processes, food safety fundamentals, and how a production floor runs from day one.

- Ready to spend the majority of your day on the production floor — this is not a desk job.

- Proficient in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA).

- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes such as machining, welding, forming, and assembly.

- Experience with GD&T, FMEA, and tolerance stack-up analysis.

- Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Preferred Qualifications

- Master's degree (a plus, not required).

- Professional Engineer (PE) license (a plus, not required).

- Technical knowledge of aseptic processing & heat treatment, filtration & separation, and blending.

- Familiarity with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other process improvement methodologies.

Food Safety Responsibilities

- Consider sanitary design, based on industry standards, e.g. 3A

-Participate in RCA / CAPA investigations as needed, in the event of food safety and/or 
quality issues

- Follow systemwide GMPs as required of all JP personnel

- Consider potential failure modes and define mitigations (FMEA)

Salary Range: 
- 110k - 160k 

JonnyPops offers a competitive benefits package which includes the following:

• Medical/Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• HSA
• FSA
• DCFSA
• Life & AD&D Insurance
• Short & Long Term Disability
• FTO/PTO
• EAP Programs
• Paid Holidays
• Employee Referral Program
• Sick & Safe Leave
• 401k
• Company Sponsored Meal Plan

* Hired candidates may be eligible to receive additional compensation in the form of bonuses and/or commissions.

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