Job Description

Position Purpose:

Reporting to the General Manager, the Plant Engineering Manager oversees facilities, maintenance, and related engineering projects in a 650,000 sq. ft. cold-storage and food manufacturing facility operating 24/7. Key responsibilities include establishing and improving KPIs for reliability excellence, ensuring efficient and safe equipment operations, and leading a team of three direct reports and 20 indirect. This customer-centric role focuses on fostering a continuous improvement culture in facilities and equipment reliability through the development and utilization of a CMMS (Fiix).

Major tasks, responsibilities, and key accountabilities:

Regulatory Compliance:

1. Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations, including OSHA, USDA, FDA, and IIAR standards.
2. Maintain accurate records of maintenance activities and regulatory compliance using Fiix.
3. Maintain compliance as required by property insurer and owner.

Safety:

1. Foster a safety-first culture; establish safety excellence through people engagement and ownership.
2. Conduct regular safety inspections and audits of equipment, facilities, and personnel.
3. Maintain emergency response plans and team competence for ammonia system, fire system, and all other facility and equipment safety systems.
4. Ensure all equipment / facilities repairs and maintenance comply with food safety standards including cGMP, HACCP, USDA, FDA, and NSF International.
5. Respond promptly to emergency situations to ensure the safety of people and property.

Equipment and Facilities Reliability:

1. Establish continuous improvement for HPP machines, processing equipment, fleet of 90 PIT, and refrigeration systems by leveraging knowledge of mech., elec., HVAC, plumbing, and pc / plc controls.
2. Ensure the ammonia refrigeration system is maintained and operated safely and efficiently.
3. Refine the preventive maintenance programs to minimize downtime and extend equipment life.
4. Establish and report monthly KPIs (MTTR, MTBR, Availability, Cost per cycle…) using Fiix
5. Prepare standard work and training protocol for the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment and systems installed

People

1. Foster a culture that embraces our values: care, results, reliable service, collaboration, and integrity.
2. Manage performance using SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) objectives.
3. Perform routine check-ins as required to develop and manage performance.
4. Establish and oversee a cross-training matrix for each report by skill, facility, and shift to establish a talent pipeline and meet the equipment reliability demands for both internal and external customers.
5. Manage multidisciplinary teams as well as contractors/consultants and vendors
6. Provide training and technical leadership to troubleshoot mech., elec., HVAC, plumbing, and pc / plc controls systems.
7. Collaborate with sister sites and production teams to optimize facility layout and processes.

Project & Budgetary Management:

1. Create, manage, and execute facility improvement projects, including equipment upgrades and new installations following our CAPex processes for spends ranging from $2K to $2 million
2. Perform vetting analysis for said projects, including financial, operational and technical analysis
3. Manage fiscal responsibility for facilities and maintenance.

Additional Responsibilities:

1. Maintain excellent attendance and punctuality in a salaried role.
2. Conduct monthly safety meetings with maintenance team.
3. Participate in the daily SPQDC and GEMBA walks to engage with and gather feedback from customers.
4. Report on relevant projects impacting customers during weekly operations meetings.
5. Other as assigned by the General Manager
6. Less than 5% travel

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree in engineering with 5+ years of applicable experience required
2. Certification in ammonia refrigeration (e.g., RETA CARO or CIRO). Strong knowledge of ammonia refrigeration systems and their maintenance requirements strongly preferred.
3. Minimum of 5 years of experience in maintenance management, preferably in a food manufacturing environment.
4. Expertise with some technical skills and experience in others (electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, pc / plc controls…)
5. Proven root – cause problem solving skills on processes, such as: Pareto generation/analysis, Fishbone Diagram, Five Whys, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
6. Excellent leadership, communication, motivation, and organizational skills. Well versed with performance management and cultural development.
7. Ability to manage multiple projects and establish priorities
8. Ability to communicate effectively in English language, both written and verbal forms
9. Proficiency with a CMMS and MS Office suite. Preferred experience with AutoCAD and ERP systems.
10. Fundamental understanding of first principles required in the design and manufacture of automation systems preferred.
11. Knowledge and applicable experience with Lean Concepts and establishing Continuous Improvement
12. Six Sigma experience preferred
13. Demonstrated application of complex concepts, practices and procedures
14. AutoCAD, ERP systems experience preferred

Working Conditions

1. This position requires on-site presence; remote work is not an option.
2. There is occasional heavy physical work; heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling objects up to 50 pounds.
3. Routinely climbing ladders and stairs, and occasionally using scissor lifts or accessing rooftops for inspections and work reviews, all in accordance with OSHA guidelines.
4. Work may involve moderate exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme cold temperatures (-10 F), dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises.
5. Significant exposure to cold temperatures (38 F).
6. Universal Pure facilities may process, pack and or store products containing allergenic food ingredients as referenced by FDA, occasional exposure may occur, inform your direct manager of any food allergies.

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

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