Director of Engineering

Director of Engineering

The Director of Engineering will oversee all aspects of the company's engineering efforts, including supporting manufacturing plants with chronic downtime issues and driving improvements in equipment performance and efficiency, primarily across liquid packaging lines (both hot fill and cold fill). This position will support plant operations by a) enhancing the effectiveness of preventive maintenance (PM) programs, b) coordinating overhauls, rebuilds, service, installation, commissioning, and training activities, and c) consulting on, recommending, and justifying improvements and upgrades to high-speed production and packaging equipment.

The Director of Engineering will provide both on-site support in Winston-Salem, NC, and remote technical support for the Hazelwood, MO location. Responsibilities include troubleshooting manufacturing equipment and identifying opportunities for cost savings and efficiency improvements through process enhancements and capital upgrades. He or she will also support business development initiatives, including the engineering evaluation of new products, product formulations, manufacturing processes, and packaging requirements. Additionally, this role will identify and implement cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and safety initiatives.

The Director of Engineering will lead the engineering team and collaborate cross-functionally with Operations management and maintenance teams to achieve safety, quality, productivity, and financial targets through the planning, design, management, and execution of projects.

Position Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as a technical resource, both on-site and remotely, for plants experiencing downtime events, chronic nuisance issues, or limited onsite technical resources.
• Build strong plant relationships through professional, solution-oriented communication.
• Plan and manage system installations and retrofit activities for liquid packaging lines (hot fill and cold fill), warehouse optimization, and kitchen/blending processes.
• Assist manufacturing plant maintenance teams with a variety of engineering and maintenance tasks.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of PMs and overall PM programs with the Maintenance Managers.
• Plan and coordinate equipment overhauls and rebuilds.
• Develop long-term asset care plans and maintenance strategies.
• Collaborate with plant electricians, mechanics, and external contractors to support day-to-day troubleshooting of electrical, mechanical, and process-related issues.
• Troubleshoot bottling and support equipment including fillers, cappers, depalletizers, labelers, case packers, shrink packers, palletizers, wrappers, blenders, boilers, and air compressors.
• Determine when vendor support is necessary based on troubleshooting outcomes.
• Assist with vendor coordination during critical downtime events.
• Communicate downtime findings and issues with plant leadership and assist in developing long-term corrective strategies.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to evaluate machine and line performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Participate in and lead structured problem-solving initiatives such as Breakdown Analysis (BDA), 5 Why analysis, Fishbone analysis, and other root cause methodologies.
• Support plant automation systems, including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, industrial networks, and related electrical systems.
• Partner with plant leadership to ensure line controls are properly configured for optimal performance.
• Maintain and update plant Vorne systems to ensure accurate reporting of OEE, efficiency, bottle attainment, and related metrics.
• Support manufacturing plant operational networks by troubleshooting local issues, coordinating with vendors on installations and updates, and interfacing with IT teams and IT vendors.
• Plan and manage Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) for new equipment to ensure compliance with company standards and requirements.
• Manage capital projects and equipment installations, including project scoping, Capital Appropriation Request (CAR) development and documentation, and coordination with vendors and plant leadership through project completion.
• Assist in developing long-term capital improvement plans for manufacturing plants.
• Perform other projects or duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in a related technical field, 6+ years of experience troubleshooting and investigating mechanical, electrical, and process-related issues, hands-on technical experience with electro-mechanical systems used in modern packaging machinery, and 3+ years of technical personnel management experience.

Experience interpreting and developing technical documentation, including OEM procedures, safety guidelines, operating instructions, maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.

Beverage packaging industry experience.

Food industry experience.

Ability to create and interpret mechanical and electrical diagrams.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Strong interpersonal skills.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including report creation and data entry.

Ability to maintain a valid passport for international travel to OEM sites for training and FATs.

Willingness to travel as needed to support manufacturing plant operations.

Availability to provide emergency technical support during nights and weekends, as needed.

Strong troubleshooting and repair capabilities for mechanical and process-related issues involving electro-mechanical systems.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

Master's degree and 10+ years of experience performing plant-level electrical and mechanical work.

10+ years of experience working as an applications engineer.

Familiarity with PLCs, online access, and device-level troubleshooting.