Plant Engineer

Job Title: Plant Engineer

Location: Ruston, LA

Job Description:

As the Plant Engineer you are accountable for the long-term reliability, safety, and productivity of the manufacturing facility. Your impact is measured not by daily tasks but by your ability to strengthen asset performance, optimize capital deployment, improve maintenance culture, and enable the plant to meet or exceed operational goals. You will lead maintenance and engineering strategy, ensuring the facility operates at world-class standards.

Maximize Equipment Reliability & Operational Uptime:

Deliver measurable year-over-year improvement in equipment reliability through data-driven root cause analysis, predictive maintenance, and modernization initiatives.

Establish and maintain reliability programs that reduce unplanned downtime and extend the life of critical assets Lead Capital Planning to Strengthen the Site's Future Performance:

Own the full capital budgeting cycle, ensuring Capex programs deliver ROI, support long-term asset strategy, and align with plant growth plans.

Provide monthly capital performance insights and long-term project justifications to plant and corporate leadership. Optimize Maintenance Strategy, Spend & Resource Allocation:

Manage and control maintenance budgets, ensuring spending aligns with reliability priorities and cost-efficiency targets.

Improve workflow efficiency through prioritization frameworks, skills development, and enhanced planning processes Strengthen Safety, Environmental Compliance & Risk Mitigation:

Ensure consistent compliance with local, state, and federal safety and environmental regulations.

Implement engineering controls and process improvements that minimize hazards, reduce incident potential, and contribute to a zero-injury culture. Drive Productivity, Quality & Continuous Improvement:

Partner with operations to identify performance gaps and implement engineering solutions that enhance throughput, reduce waste, and improve product quality.

Lead cross-functional efforts to deploy CI methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, equipment modernization). Lead & Develop the Maintenance Organization:

Provide direction and leadership to a team of skilled technicians, developing capabilities, accountability, and a high-performance mindset.

Advance a culture of communication, teamwork, and technical excellence across the maintenance department Facilitate Strategic Plant Events & Long-Range Planning:

Plan and oversee major downtime events, such as semi-annual shutdowns, ensuring they are delivered safely, on time, and within budget.

Support long-term facility and process planning-positioning Ruston for growth, efficiency, and operational stability What You Bring to the Team:

Bachelor's degree in engineering

6+ years manufacturing project engineering experience

2+ years in a leadership role

Knowledge of mechanical systems, environmental & safety regulations

Experience with ERP systems (SAP a plus)

Strong leadership, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills