Manufacturing Engineer

Summary The Manufacturing Engineer owns the technical definition of how products are made at the site. This includes process parameters and equipment settings, line capability and capacity, equipment selection and installation, and the engineering standards that govern how equipment is specified, installed, and documented. The role sits between what the business wants to produce and what the plant is physically able to produce, and is expected to close that gap with engineering rather than with effort. A Manufacturing Engineer is measured by whether lines run at the rate they were designed to run, whether new equipment starts up cleanly, and whether the plant has accurate technical documentation of itself. Duties and Responsibilities Process and Equipment Engineering Define, validate, and document process parameters, equipment settings, and run rates for each product and line, so the plant has a known correct condition to return to. Analyze line performance and capacity, identify the constraining equipment or process step, and quantify the loss so investment and effort are directed at the actual limit. Evaluate equipment capability against product and packaging requirements, and determine whether a gap is a maintenance issue, a setting issue, a design limit, or a specification problem. Lead technical investigations on chronic equipment and process problems, determine cause, and drive engineering corrective actions to closure. Evaluate material, ingredient, and packaging changes for machinability, run production trials, and define the settings required to run them. Develop and maintain process flow documentation, line layouts, equipment specifications, and utility requirements. Capital Projects and Installations Scope, justify, and manage capital projects, including capital request preparation, financial justification, budget management, and schedule. Write equipment specifications and requests for proposal, evaluate vendors on technical merit and total cost, and make sourcing recommendations. Manage factory acceptance testing and site acceptance testing, and hold vendors to the specification before final payment. Manage installation, commissioning, debug, and rate qualification, and formally hand equipment over to Operations and Maintenance with documentation, spare parts, and training in place. Coordinate contractors on site, including scheduling, safety orientation, permit compliance, and quality of installed work. Verify that selected and installed equipment meets sanitary design requirements, machine safety standards, and electrical and mechanical code before it is released to production. New Product and Change Introduction Partner with Research and Development, Quality, and Operations to bring new and reformulated products from pilot scale into full production. Assess capacity, equipment fit, and capital or tooling requirements for proposed products, and provide an honest technical answer on feasibility and timing. Plan and run production trials, capture the data, and translate results into documented operating parameters. Manage engineering change control for process and equipment changes, including documentation, validation requirements, and communication to affected functions. Technical Standards and Documentation Maintain accurate site technical documentation, including equipment drawings, line layouts, piping and instrumentation diagrams, and utility maps, so drawings reflect the plant as it exists. Maintain equipment files, including manuals, specifications, spare parts lists, and vendor contacts. Apply and maintain engineering standards for sanitary design, machine guarding and safety, and utility systems. Support internal, customer, regulatory, and third party audits by producing engineering documentation and technical justification on request. Track and report project status, capital spend, and technical performance against commitments. Technical Support and Capability Provide engineering support to Maintenance and Production on equipment problems that exceed routine troubleshooting. Develop training and technical documentation for new equipment, and ensure operators, mechanics, and supervisors are trained before startup rather than after. Evaluate yield, waste, utility consumption, and material usage from an engineering standpoint, and identify where design or setting changes would reduce loss. Support Safety and Quality in equipment related risk assessments, including machine safety, ergonomics, and food safety by design. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications and Requirements Required Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, Chemical, Packaging, or Food Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated engineering capability and experience. Three or more years of manufacturing engineering experience in food, beverage, or another regulated consumer products environment. Demonstrated ownership of capital projects from justification through commissioning and handover. Ability to analyze production data, quantify constraints and losses, and support a recommendation with evidence rather than opinion. Working proficiency in computer aided design for line layouts and equipment drawings. Working knowledge of sanitary design, GMP, allergen control, and food safety requirements as they apply to equipment and process design. Working knowledge of machine safety standards, guarding, and risk assessment. Ability to communicate technical conclusions clearly to operators, supervisors, and site leadership. Ability to be present on off shifts, weekends, and during shutdowns for trials, installations, and startups. Preferred Experience with filling, sealing, labeling, case packing, and palletizing equipment. Experience with thermal processing, clean in place systems, and refrigerated processing. Working literacy in controls and automation sufficient to hold a technical conversation with integrators and automation technicians. Experience with plant utilities including refrigeration, steam, compressed air, and wastewater, and familiarity with Process Safety Management where ammonia is present. Statistical analysis capability applied to process data. Bilingual in English and Spanish. Expectations and Measures of Success Performance in this role is measured by the technical condition of the plant, not by activity volume. The following describe what success looks like. Lines run at documented rates, and where they do not, the reason is known and quantified rather than assumed. Capital projects deliver the capability that was justified, on the budget and schedule that were committed. New equipment starts up cleanly, with documentation, spare parts, and trained people in place before production begins. Site technical documentation is accurate and current, so the next project does not start with a survey of what actually exists. Chronic technical problems are closed permanently rather than managed indefinitely. Operations and Maintenance regard the engineering answer as credible, which requires being right and being honest about uncertainty. Supervisory Responsibility Typically none. This role directs contractors, vendors, and project teams without formal supervisory authority. Some sites may assign engineering technicians, co ops, or interns to this position. Confirm on the site version of this description. Work Environment This role divides time between an office environment and the production floor of a food manufacturing facility. On the floor, the employee is exposed to moving mechanical parts, wet and slippery surfaces, cleaning chemicals, and loud noise requiring hearing protection, in refrigerated, ambient, or mixed temperature areas depending on the site. Time on the floor increases substantially during trials, installations, commissioning, and shutdowns. Presence on off shifts, weekends, and during planned shutdowns is expected, since installation and trial work occurs outside of normal production hours.