Head of Operations Engineering

Head Of Operations Engineering

Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

The Head of Operations Engineering at our aseptic beverage manufacturing facility plays a pivotal role in ensuring seamless engineering operations across the organization. This position is crucial for fostering collaboration, driving continuous improvement, and maintaining operational excellence.

Additionally, the role involves collaborating with Maintenance, EH&S, Process, Controls, and Reliability Engineering to manage plant renovations, improvement projects, and facility expansions, while ensuring efficient operations, supporting production and downtime schedules, and addressing complex challenges to maintain strong system performance.

Role Responsibilities:

• Oversee the planning, development, and implementation of processes, systems, and resource allocation within the Engineering Department to ensure efficient operations and cost-effective solutions aligned with business needs.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on efficiency KPIs, driving continuous improvements based on insights that align with departmental and organizational objectives.
• Lead initiatives to streamline engineering operations by implementing targeted process and facility improvements, reducing downtime, and boosting overall productivity.
• Oversee the building and management of various budgets such as CapEx (Capital Expenditure), Training, Support/Consulting.
• Responsible for Engineering Drawing controls and processes, and Engineering design and equipment specification
• Oversee CMMS(Upkeep) which serves as the communication link between departments and tracks all engineering and maintenance work, including breakdowns, resolutions, and contractor activities to ensure transparency and historical records of operations.
• Keeping in touch with vendors to make Mountaintop aware of new industry developments technologies.
• Oversee all new equipment contracts and ensure scope of supply is accurate.
• Allocate tasks and manage resources to optimize workload distribution, ensuring team members are utilized efficiently.
• Collaborate with Production and Technical Integration to integrate existing work into engineering and maintenance schedules.
• Identify gaps in resources and optimize team capacity to meet operational needs, including planning and executing training and cross-training initiatives.
• Work with maintenance to identify and coordinate larger planned shutdowns.
• Support EH&S with procedures, programs, and safety signoffs (LOTO, Start-up and Shutdown)
• Oversee all engineering projects, ensuring accurate scheduling, resource allocation, and department coordination.
• Collaborate with leadership to determine optimal downtime windows and project timing for maximum impact.
• Work closely with Maintenance teams to identify and coordinate larger planned shutdowns.
• Assess the cost-effectiveness of manufacturing processes, making and implementing recommendations to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
• Identify, recommend, and implement new technologies and systems to improve processes and decision-making.
• Establish, communicate, and implement engineering policies, practices, standards, and security measures to ensure effective, safe, and consistent operations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Responsible for adhering to SQF and Food Safety Standards.
• Follow Food Safety Requirement/Standards as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Oversee the strategic and tactical workflow of the Engineering department.
• Recruit, interview, and develop Engineering team members.
• Delegate work and assign tasks to team members based on expertise, work experience, and time constraints.

Education:

• Bachelors degree in engineering required (Industrial, Chemical, Mechanical, or Electrical).
• MBA preferred.

Experience & Skills:

• Manufacturing experience required.
• 10 years or more of related engineering experience required.
• 5-7 years of experience in managing capital projects, budgets, and timelines for engineering and maintenance-related initiatives required.
• Strong knowledge of FDA and PMO design requirements preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices within the food industry preferred.
• Low acid aseptic manufacturing and packaging experience in the beverage market preferred.
• Strong adaptive ability to shift schedules with operational day-to-day needs.
• Proficient with Microsoft project to coordinate and move project/work timelines to meet production needs.
• Ability to read, understand, and create P&IDs required.
• Extensive knowledge of engineering principles and procedures.
• Excellent ability to methodically troubleshoot problems.
• Excellent analytical and management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Project, AutoCAD, ERP/CRM systems, and MES systems
• Clear focus on process mapping, particularly for facility or line improvements, including scheduling and planning around production downtimes and operations.
• The role involves driving efficiency by focusing on losses and continuous improvements, requiring a mindset of constant optimization.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Must be able to work with equipment that contains electric magnetic components.