Process Engineering Manager

The Process Department Manager is responsible for effectively planning, coordinating, managing, and controlling all raw sugar and processing operations for the Refinery. This role focuses on optimizing sucrose losses and managing production costs while maintaining the highest product quality, minimizing environmental impact, and maximizing operational efficiency.

Additionally, the Process Department Manager ensures compliance with established safety, sanitation, and environmental standards and regulations. This position directly supervises Process Team Managers, Process Supervisors, and Process Engineers, while indirectly supervising hourly union employees.

Detailed Roles & Responsibilities

• Operational Management & Strategy
• Review daily and weekly process operations with Process Team Managers to continuously improve overall refinery efficiency.
• Partner with Logistics to review product inventory levels and customer demand forecasts, ensuring optimal order fulfillment.
• Review operational outcomes daily with the Plant Manager and key stakeholders; proactively communicate potential bottlenecks affecting quality, delivery, or demand, and present actionable solutions.
• Analyze daily laboratory data and online process analytical instrumentation to troubleshoot and resolve production issues.
• Maintenance & Continuous Improvement
• Oversee weekend shutdown maintenance and cleaning schedules to ensure work is completed cost-effectively with minimal impact on production schedules and product quality.
• Develop and implement strategic plans for continuous departmental performance improvement.
• Assess unit operations efficiency and optimize process workflows to minimize sucrose losses.
• Identify long-range departmental needs and formulate capital expenditure (CapEx) proposals and plant expansion plans.
• Leadership & Team Development
• Direct daily and weekly activities of Process Team Managers, Process Supervisors, and Process Engineers, ensuring clear prioritization and cross-functional coordination.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and high performance, delivering consistent feedback in accordance with company policies and collective bargaining agreements.
• Collaborate with Process Supervisors and Process Engineers to design training programs, cost-reduction strategies, and performance-driving initiatives.
• Partner cross-functionally across departments on daily operations and strategic capital projects to support overall organizational goals.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution.
• Experience: 5+ years of operational leadership experience in a unionized manufacturing environment. Industrial food processing experience is required ; leadership experience in continuous-process food manufacturing is strongly preferred .