Director, Engineering

Company Overview

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

Our Sustainability Commitment

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

Purpose :

?Why does the position/role exist?-

The Director of Engineering provides leadership and direction for Evergreen's Engineering functions. This role ensures engineering teams fully use information management systems that connect functional areas and software platforms, increasing standardization and automation across the design, build, sold-order, and problem-solving cycle for all EPE equipment. The Director also leads cross-functional teams to develop, commercialize, and support market-required products and supports Novolex enterprise projects with machinery-related expertise.

Who are the key customers?- Key customers include the EPE customer base, Sales/Marketing, Manufacturing, Field Service, and top management. External customers include major dairy and citrus juice processors and distributors.

?What are the key actions, outputs, deliverables, products and/or services?- Deliverables include engineering services, technical services, and technical manuals. Engineering work should shift resources from administrative, sold-order, and BOM tasks to engineering activities. Products must meet end-customer or Marketing Lead Team functional requirements; applicable sanitation, safety, and electrical codes; project schedules and budgets; and the profit target for each sales order.

Key Accountabilities :

Provide a Strategy- Develop and communicate short- and long-term strategies that help Engineering meet or exceed key performance measures and deliver correctly engineered, reliable equipment on time. Align the strategy with customer, market, and competitive needs. Accelerate product development and commercialization while reducing cost and resource requirements through strong leadership, practical judgment, PMI methodology, and innovative thinking.

Customer Satisfaction- Use engineering resources to reduce product nonconformances and improve product reliability and quality, supporting customer satisfaction and lower warranty expense.

Manage the Product Line- Support all Evergreen commercial products by managing sold-order and internal processes, providing technical support to internal and external customers, leading product improvement projects, and supporting manufacturing. Analyze machine and option cost structures to improve margins. Track schedules using Microsoft Project, PMI tools, and daily team discussions. Monitor project budgets using finance data, Excel, and PMI tools.

People Development- Maintain a strong leadership pipeline through high standards for selection and evaluation and effective processes for developing and motivating talent. Continually improve these processes. Build the technical and project management skills of direct reports through field training, one-on-one mentoring, and PMI courses.

Resource Loading Management- Implement and maintain systems that use Engineering's technical resources effectively and efficiently. Streamline systems and processes to optimize the engineering support required for the product line.

Product Cost Reduction- Drive continuous product cost reduction.

Work Process Redesign- Ensure engineering and documentation teams fully use information management systems that connect functional areas and software platforms, increasing standardization and automation across the design, build, sold-order, and problem-solving cycle for all EPE equipment.

Standards- Work with engineers to establish drafting, design, and part-description standards for all internal and external resources, ensuring product consistency.

Product Data Management- Administer the Engineering Change Order (ECO) workflow, Publications Change Order (PCO) workflow, and related product data management processes.

Technical Manuals- Lead the creation of accurate, user-friendly manuals for packaging equipment. Manage translation projects, provide manuals electronically to Field Service, and use advancing technologies to improve publication usability, accuracy, cost, and delivery.

Key Challenges :

· The external environment, including technology, competition, markets:

Interfacing with Sales and Marketing to manage the demand for engineered specials

Reducing the number of engineering non-conformances

Maintaining the confidence of the factory and the field

Keeping abreast of advancing technology and using current technology to drive out high dependence on "historical" knowledge within EPE Engineering.

Responding quickly to changing market needs and delivering the right product at the right time. Clear project proposals and detailed scope are critical. Controlling scope creep and related cultural issues remains difficult. The team must reach the market faster with fewer people and lower project funding.

· The internal environment, including interaction with others (both inside and outside the company), policies/practices:

a. Coordinate the sold-order process so Sales, Production Engineering, Manufacturing, and Field Service operate as one cross-functional team rather than separate departments.

b. Managing demand for engineering resources

c. Identifying and developing leaders within the Engineering Group

d. Stage-gating the product improvement process

e. Use current and advancing technology to reduce dependence on historical knowledge and help team members adopt improved work-system practices and tools.

f. Engage employees in a process-centered approach that reduces non-value-added work, lowers operating costs, improves quality, and establishes clear accountability.

· The work itself, e.g., problems, opportunities, change:

Maintain a broad, long-term view in an environment often focused on short-term needs.

Move work from constant crisis mode to a planned and controlled environment.

Build Engineering's ability to manage multiple projects of varying complexity.

Scope :

Maintain overall budget control for Engineering.

Serve on the Evergreen Lead Team.

Lead and manage the engineering leadership team.

Work with Novolex corporate teams, providing machinery knowledge and experience.

Be the configuration management expert.

Increase machine sales by developing market-relevant, reliable, high-quality products, improving facility profit and ROI. Manage multiple projects and sales orders with a combined project budget above $2 million and sales value above $4 million to deliver double-digit ROI.

Ensure engineering and documentation teams fully use information management systems that connect functional areas and software platforms, increasing standardization and automation across the design, build, sold-order, and problem-solving cycle for all EPE equipment.

Redesign documentation workflows within Engineering to increase electronic automation of sold-order and BOM tasks, shift resources toward engineering work, and reduce administrative effort.

? Reduce Engineering's dependence on individual "athletes" and historical knowledge by implementing systems, frameworks, standards, and information management tools.

Knowledge and Experience :

Four-year engineering degree required; advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred. Related manufacturing and supply chain experience is required. Proven manufacturing leadership focused on total customer satisfaction is preferred. Project management training, such as PMI Basic Skills, is required.

10-15 years of successful experience managing and leading multiple project teams of technical professionals.

5-10 years of capital machinery design and development experience, including working knowledge of the PMO, 3A standards, and current safety and electrical standards. Five years of high-speed processing or packaging machinery development is preferred.

Experience initiating, negotiating, and managing joint product-development ventures and partnerships with external engineering design firms and equipment developers.

Demonstrated knowledge of current technologies and methods for creating and delivering technical information, including using AI to improve equipment and the customer experience.

? Excellent organizational, verbal, written, and interpersonal skills. Proven ability to achieve results and lead and motivate teams.

? Excellent project management ability.

? Strong knowledge of design, build, and configuration management in the capital equipment build business.

Experience in working with customers both externally and across departments.

Good working knowledge of financial models. Cost accounting and financial justification, both internal and external, are a must to maximize return for the value we offer.

Experience in a custom, capital goods manufacturing environment.

? Demonstrate competence to work with minimal supervision and at all levels in the company.

Consistent track record for achieving results.

Strong information management (IT) skills

The position requires the ability to deal with ambiguity, a willingness to travel, and a dedication to putting in the extra effort needed to meet schedule commitments.

Ability to rapidly change direction, thought process, and focus is a must.

Company Benefits

What You'll Get From Us

Benefits

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health. Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.

Community Engagement

At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Training and Development

We offer constant opportunities for advancement. From skills development to advanced education programs, training and development programs and courses are available through MyLearning. Programs include company and industry training curricula, support for formal education through the Tuition Reimbursement Program (Non-Union), and a Learning Management System that supports and enhances employee skills at all levels of the organization.

Novolex is committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including but not limited to selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, handicap or disability, genetics, citizenship status, service member or veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. Any individual who, because of his or her disability, needs an accommodation in connection with an aspect of the Company's application process should contact View email address on click.appcast.io .

Formerly Pactiv Evergreen

Software Powered by ICIMS (

Job Locations US-IA-Cedar Rapids

ID 2026-35954

Category Engineering

Position Type Full Time

Pay Type Salaried