Senior Engineering Manager

Senior Engineering Manager - Dairy Process & Plant Transformation

Compensation Target: $150,000-$195,000 Base + 10% Bonus

Leadership Style & Culture Fit

The ideal candidate leads with a collaborative, team-first mindset . This role requires a leader who works alongside the team to identify challenges and drive corrective actions collectively , not from above. The strength of this organization lies in its people, and maintaining that foundation is a core responsibility of this position.

This is a servant leadership role . The right person leads by example, earns trust through action, and creates an environment where every team member feels supported and accountable. Micromanagement has no place here.

The culture is one where people genuinely care about one another. When challenges arise, the team comes together to solve them, and that spirit of collective ownership is something this leader must not only embrace but actively protect and strengthen.

If you thrive when your team thrives, and your instinct is to roll up your sleeves alongside the people you lead, you will fit right in here.

Must-Haves for Consideration:
• Experience with UHT systems and cultured dairy products
• Strong cultural fit and ability to collaborate effectively with the team
• Servant Leadership empowering, motivating, and coaching and holding the team accountable
• Demonstrated experience performing all key responsibilities outlined below

Location: Santa Fe Springs, CA

Reports To: VP / General Manager

OVERVIEW

We are seeking a highly experienced dairy manufacturing engineering leader to serve as the technical authority for a yogurt, cultured dairy, and buttermilk manufacturing operation undergoing a major plant relocation and modernization effort.

The new facility has been purchased and is currently in the design phase. Construction, equipment relocation, and startup activities will begin shortly. This role will be responsible for ensuring the new facility is designed, programmed, commissioned, and optimized correctly while serving as the long-term successor to the site's Senior Plant Engineer.

This position reports directly to the VP/GM and works closely with Plant Operations, Quality, Engineering Consultants, OEMs, Automation Integrators, and Contractors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Serve as the site's senior technical authority for dairy processing, utilities, packaging systems, and infrastructure.
• Review and optimize process flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment specifications, utility systems, and facility layouts.
• Evaluate process design decisions to ensure operational efficiency, food safety, maintainability, and future scalability.
• Lead technical review of automation architecture, PLC programming strategies, HMI design, alarm philosophy, and startup readiness.
• Support equipment relocation, installation, commissioning, SAT/FAT activities, and facility startup.
• Identify and mitigate design, operational, and reliability risks before implementation.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of complex process, quality, reliability, and production issues.
• Develop and execute continuous improvement opportunities to improve throughput, yield, reliability, labor efficiency, and operating performance.
• Serve as a key technical liaison between operations, engineering firms, contractors, and equipment suppliers.

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE
• Yogurt manufacturing
• Greek yogurt processing
• Cultured dairy products
• Buttermilk processing
• HTST and thermal processing systems
• Milk standardization and separation
• Fermentation and incubation systems
• CIP design and optimization
• Filling and packaging systems
• Refrigeration, steam, compressed air, water, and utility systems
• Dairy plant capital projects, relocations, expansions, or startups

IDEAL CANDIDATE
• 10+ years of dairy manufacturing experience.
• Engineering Manager, Technical Services Manager, Senior Project Engineer, Corporate Engineering, or similar leadership background.
• Strong P&ID review and process engineering capability.
• Experience working with engineering firms, OEMs, contractors, and automation providers.
• Demonstrated ability to identify design flaws and improve manufacturing systems before startup.
• Hands-on technical leader capable of moving between plant-floor troubleshooting and high-level engineering review.

SUCCESS PROFILE

We are not seeking a maintenance manager or a project manager. We are seeking a dairy process engineering leader who can ensure the facility is designed, automated, commissioned, and operated correctly from day one while providing long-term technical leadership for the organization.