Maintenance Process Engineer

Process Engineer

May 2025

Supervisor's Title: Maintenance Manager

Reports to: Maintenance Manager

Department: Maintenance

Exempt Status: Exempt - Salary

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, flexibility as needed for breakdowns, training, and field phone calls

Job Summary

The Process Engineer is responsible for leading continuous improvement initiatives to expand manufacturing capabilities, lower operational costs and increase process efficiencies. This role focuses on improving efficiency, ensuring consistent production quality, reducing waste, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives within the cheese and whey operations.

Essential Functions

Design, implement, maintain, and improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, and systems of the facility.

Analyzes processing and packaging technology and equipment to effectively recommend the most effective methods of manufacturing.

Conducts time studies, collects data for downtime analysis and run rates.

Collaborate with production, quality assurance, sanitation, and maintenance teams to troubleshoot issues and implement process improvements.

Support commissioning and validation of new equipment and process changes.

Conduct root cause analysis on process deviations, yield losses, and equipment failures, and implement corrective/preventative actions.

Communicates run rate changes due to process improvements to ensure production schedule accuracy.

Prepare and study technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, and topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and facility requirements.

Ensuring processes comply with safety and quality standards.

Compile data and write reports regarding existing and potential engineering studies and projects.

Comply with regulatory systems, state, and federal requirements.

Work with vendors on training, preventative maintenance, and utility equipment.

Responsible for process engineering and improvements.

Works to identify root cause of manufacturing failures using structured problem solving. Applies root cause fixes to prevent recurrence.

Create, operate, test, upgrade systems and perform process simulations.

Perform process simulations.

Assess process, take measurements, collect, record, and interpret data.

Perform any other relevant duties and responsibilities defined in company policies and procedures, applicable legislations, or the SQF code.

Comply with all applicable food safety regulations and mandates (Safe Quality Foods, Food and Drug Admin, Pasteurized Milk Ordinance)

Complies with all company food safety policies and procedures (including Good Manufacturing Practices).

Responsible for providing food safety and quality feedback to appropriate manager.

Perform other duties as assigned. Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Industrial, Manufacturing, Electrical, or Process Engineering preferred.

Working knowledge of process engineering software packages.

Experience with membrane filtration systems.

Six Sigma

Working knowledge of industrial utilities supporting dairy processing

Analytical thinking with interpersonal skills.

Proven ability to implement process improvement initiatives.

Strong knowledge of warehousing KPIs.

Direct experience with maintenance management software and databases.

Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.

Ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple projects simultaneously and delegate assignments to others.

English skills must be proficient to understand, read, write, and speak.

Comply with all safety policies, practices, and procedures. Report all unsafe activity to supervisor and/or Human Resources. Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions

Physical Requirements:

Physical effort is regularly required.

May be trained and required to operate a forklift.

Ascending or descending ramps, stairs, ladders and/or scaffolding.

Frequently involves crouching, stooping, kneeling and/or climbing or balancing.

Frequently involves lifting more than 50 lbs. Typical Environmental Conditions:

Works in a food processing manufacturing facility with moderate noise.

May be exposed to moderate to high noise levels (i.e., production equipment, forklifts, heavy traffic).

May be exposed to humidity, intense heat and cold, outdoor weather conditions, and fumes and toxic chemicals.

May work in areas with mechanical moving parts, above ground with risk of fall, or areas with risk of electrical shock.

May be exposed to ingredients that may cause allergic reactions and may be exposed to various allergen ingredients.