Project Engineer

Our story goes back more than 150 years, to the chilly southern coast of Scandinavia. From our early success in Sweden and Denmark, we’ve grown into the world’s leading specialist producer of plant-based oils, employing more than 4,000 people all across the globe.

We work with our customers to make the products you love even better. The oils we produce go into making your chocolate extra-creamy or putting the crunch into your croissant. And it’s not just food — we work across industries to make products that are higher quality, healthier and better for the planet.

Everything we do is about Making Better Happen™.

Richmond, California, USA

This is an on-site role located at AAK's Richmond, California manufacturing plant.

About The Role

Salary range $190K - $210K

The Project Engineer is a vital role in our organization that supports operations through creative design modifications to new and existing equipment within our facility. These modifications include designing and starting-up new facilities, creating improved processes for filtration, deodorization, bleaching, and processing flow control to ensure we remain one of the top contenders in our industry. This plant-based position is crucial for implementing projects and guiding our engineering and construction contractors through the design activities to ensure their vision is carried out to completion. This role develops/manages capital strategy development and implementation for the plant including product or package commercialization projects, process improvements (both product and building infrastructure

Responsibilities

The duties of the Project Engineer include but are not limited to:

• Performs process studies to identify opportunities to improve manufacturing and energy efficiency
• Presents results to management both verbally and in written reports
• Executes capital projects managing schedule, scope and costs.
• Manages project finances, with a strong control of scope, schedule deviation
• Reports on capital projects to management and senior management regarding current activities and forecast
• Develops capital investments projects following the appropriate stage gate methodology
• Diagnoses process deficiencies, and create design improvements
• Performs process modeling studies to identify improvement opportunities
• Develops with the stake holders clear project premises, budgets scopes and detailed schedules
• Evaluates process schemes from operating data as needed
• Prepares process datasheets for equipment and instrumentation
• Updates and maintains documentation such as material balances, P&IDs and automation functional descriptions.

Engineering

• Provide oversight of contractor(s) process design performance
• Participate in planning for plant commissioning & start-up
• Provide consulting on process questions as a member of the start-up team

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Chemical Preferred)
• Strong preference for manufacturing plant-based work environment
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in project-based engineering with a focus on capital project execution
• Excellent understanding and ability to apply fundamentals of heat transfer, fluid transport and reaction chemistry
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Track record of successfully meeting schedule deadlines
• Ability to travel approximately 15% of the time to US and foreign destinations.
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the US, now and in the future, without sponsorship

Working Conditions

The job is performed indoors and outdoors in a variety of settings including office, manufacturing floor, and warehouse. Exposure to loud noises, dust, dirt, and smoke may occur. Protective safety clothing is required including appropriate clothing, shoes, gloves, hardhat, and goggles as needed. Activities include extended periods of standing or sitting and extensive work with measuring devices and other machinery.

Physical Requirements

Regular use of a variety of measuring tools, telephone, and e-mail for communication is essential. Standing or sitting for extended periods is common. Hearing and vision within normal ranges are important for conversations, to receive ordinary information. Exertion of up to 50 lbs. of force occasionally is required. Good manual dexterity for the use of common office equipment such as computer terminals, calculator, copiers, and FAX machines or measuring tools is required.

In return AAK offers

• Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental and vision) starting date of hire
• Health Savings Account with AAK annual contribution of $1,000-$1,500
• We match 100% of the first 3% you contribute to your 401(k), and 50% of the next 3%
• Free Life and Disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Supplemental Pet Insurance, Identity Theft Protection and Legal Insurance Plans
• Discounts on travel, amusement parks, concerts, movies, and more
• Celebrations, events, and activities on site and supporting our communities
• Recognition incentives for service and peer to peer recognition

Benefits found in job post

Medical insurance, 401(k), Disability insurance

About AAK

Everything AAK does is about Making Better Happen™. We specialize in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. We make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable. At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development, combining our desire to understand what better means for each customer, with the unique flexibility of our production assets, and a deep knowledge of many products and industries, including Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice and Personal Care. Our 4,000 employees support our close collaboration with customers through 25 regional sales offices, 15 dedicated Customer Innovation Centers, and with the support of more than 20 production facilities. Listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has been Making Better Happen™ for more than 150 years.

AAK prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment.