Dairy Manufacturing - Senior Project Design Engineer (Other levels & sites available)

At Hilmar Cheese Company we improve lives around the world through wholesome dairy products. Since our founding in 1984, Hilmar Cheese Company has been committed to innovation and sustainability. Our state-of-the art production facilities convert an abundance of locally sourced high-quality milk into a variety of nutritious cheeses, whey protein and lactose. The Cheese and Ingredients that we produce create a wide variety of retail and food service products from sliced and shredded cheeses, to protein supplements and infant formula. We are a trusted partner to premier food and beverage brands in more than fifty countries helping bring their vision into reality.

Throughout our decades of success and growth we have remained committed to our mission and values and these principles unite our people and guide all that we do.

A Typical Day

The Senior Design Project Engineer is simultaneously a design engineer and a technical project manager responsible for managing capital projects that execute the strategic plan of Hilmar driven through Hilmar’s Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) and Hilmar's Portfolio Management Office (PMO) to accomplish the goals of the organization. At the direction of the site engineering manager, the Senior Project Design Engineer is the supervising engineer on short and long-term asset management, reliability, and engineering projects.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage large scale projects end to end simultaneously leveraging internal and external resources to ensure projects deliver business outcomes, and our asset decisions and investments deliver value.
• Responsible for project scheduling, communication, costing, procurement, and budget creation, justification, and management for an average of 4-5 projects at one time and commissioning 10-15 projects annually with a total investment of up to $20 million.
• Mentor and develop less experienced engineers by providing guidance and technical support.
• Management of capital projects to include concept/solution development, communication and stakeholder plans, process and design optimization, technical and economic evaluation of alternatives, scope definition and control, budgeting, scheduling, detailed engineering and design, regulatory compliance (environmental, safety, USDA, TXDHS, CDFA, KDA, and FDA), project FAT/SAT, and commissioning for optimization
• Design, develop, and engineer process and infrastructure systems and solutions, performing design calculations, equipment and component sizing and selections, ensuring systems are designed within code and compliance standards. Specify, calculate, and/or design utility consumptions.
• Develop and maintain Process and Instrumentation Diagrams, Process Flow Diagrams, Equipment Models, Layouts, technical drawings, Bill of Materials, and engineering documentation. Review and track field changes, lead the execution of design and construction implementation as well as any changes.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with project teams, collaborating across departments to ensure business outcomes are delivered. Coordinated delivery through technical interfaces between mechanical, process, automation, and electrical disciplines
• Interface with cheese and ingredients business units to address and resolve reliability, asset and engineering risks and issues through vendor engagement, design review against current state, performance guarantees, reliability-focused design recommendations, and asset integrity reviews.
• Manage budget spend and forecasting within +/- 10% accuracy monthly; continually manage project schedule, risks and quality to meet project business outcomes needed.
• Accountable to ensure Hilmar’s internal good engineering and project management practices are followed, including installation, operational, and performance qualification documentation, ensuring product and project quality by design.
• Understand and apply to designs: Engineering principles (thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and process controls), theories, concepts, practices, and techniques, applying statistical analysis as necessary. Engage in and develop mathematical models, mass balances, and risk matrices for engineering designs and asset investment decisions, including whole-life asset costing to support strategic investment decisions.
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships, representing the company during vendor engagements, managing the RFP process, including obtaining pricing and defining equipment needs. Review and analyze vendor agreements, including terms and conditions and master service agreements, and provide recommendations for revisions to leadership.
• Facilitate effective written communication and decision making and risk management meetings across the business to achieve project outcomes; lead, develop, and deliver presentations to leadership at all levels for project design and risk reviews as part of strategic asset management decisions and processes.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's degree in engineering plus 5 years’ related experience OR Master’s degree in Engineering plus 3 years’ related experience.
• Demonstrates integrity in relationships and decision-making as well as in the handling of intellectual property or sensitive information. Be a self-starter that builds strong relationships, leads and collaborates effectively in teams, and consistently seeks excellence and improvement.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly convey complex technical and business concepts.
• Applies engineering principles, good judgement and reasoning in technical decision making and problem solving.
• Ability to envision imaginative and practical solutions to complex problems
• Experience developing technical solutions and engineering system designs that deliver innovative and economical solutions in response to business needs.
• Tactical knowledge of production operations management for quality, yield, and cost.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

What Will Put You Ahead

• Bachelor's degree in engineering from ABET accredited university plus 7 years of related experience OR Master's degree in Engineering from ABET accredited university plus 4 years of related experience
• Experience and knowledge in Dairy, Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Food or Manufacturing in process or project engineering, preferably infant formula, high-hygienic, sanitary facility experience and familiarity with 3A/EHEDG sanitary standards, USDA, FDA, PMO, and state dairy manufacturing regulations.
• Certifications and practical experience in Project, Asset or Risk Management: PMP, PMI-RMP, IAM. Utilization of risk management, retrospectives, and lessons learned to drive actionable improvement.
• Experience with sequential or agile project management tools such as Planview or MS Project.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The role has periods of time when the work environment is sedentary and conducted in an office environment balanced with frequent occasions that require prolonged walking or standing, lifting/ carrying/handling moderate weight objects on a regular basis. Is required to wear PPE and have a regular presence in manufacturing and warehouse environments in both temperature controlled and uncontrolled locations. Must frequently interact with people verbally. Specific details of the essential functions of the position is available in the Job Safety Analysis, made available on request.

Food safety is a companywide responsibility and each employee must know their role in the manufacture and distribution of safe, wholesome, and high quality products.

This description is a general statement and does not include other duties as assigned

Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer/EEO. We participate in E-Verify.

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Salary Range: USD ($103,145.00 - $154,718.00) ANN

The final compensation offered within this range will depend on factors including the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.