Director of Engineering
Position Overview
A rapidly growing frozen breakfast food manufacturing business unit is executing an aggressive expansion strategy supported by multiple production facilities in the United States. To support continued growth and operational scaling at a recently modernized, high-capacity production site in the Midwest, the organization is seeking a Director of Maintenance and Engineering to join its leadership team.
This role is responsible for leading plant-wide engineering, maintenance, and facilities functions while overseeing capital projects ranging from small improvements to large-scale, complex installations. The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in engineering principles, extensive project management experience, and a track record of driving reliability, efficiency, and continuous improvement in a food manufacturing environment.
This is a highly visible leadership role that plays a critical part in developing teams, strengthening processes, and ensuring that all engineering and maintenance activities align with operational objectives and long-term business goals. The position partners closely with senior operations leadership to ensure seamless integration of technical and production priorities.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership for maintenance, engineering, and facility operations, ensuring alignment with plant performance and company objectives.
- Lead, coach, and develop engineering and maintenance teams, establishing clear priorities, accountability, and strong execution standards.
- Oversee all maintenance programs to ensure equipment reliability, maximize uptime, and support both short- and long-term operational needs.
- Design, implement, and continuously enhance preventive maintenance systems to reduce downtime and improve asset performance.
- Establish and manage a structured spare parts and inventory strategy to mitigate risk and control costs.
- Own facility and infrastructure management, ensuring utilities, building systems, and critical assets operate safely and efficiently.
- Partner cross-functionally to define project scopes, budgets, and execution strategies.
- Lead capital projects from concept through commissioning, ensuring compliance with safety, quality, budget, and timeline expectations.
- Develop and manage detailed project schedules, proactively identifying risks and implementing mitigation plans.
- Oversee contractors and vendors, ensuring accountability for scope, performance, and delivery timelines.
- Maintain a strong on-site leadership presence to ensure alignment between engineering plans and operational execution.
- Lead commissioning and startup activities, providing hands-on troubleshooting and ensuring smooth transitions to production teams.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on equipment reliability, downtime reduction, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Core Competencies
- Execution & Accountability: Demonstrates urgency, discipline, and ownership in delivering results.
- Collaboration: Builds strong relationships across teams and ensures alignment on priorities and outcomes.
- Problem Solving: Applies a proactive, solution-oriented mindset to complex challenges.
- Continuous Improvement: Identifies opportunities to enhance processes and drive innovation.
- Attention to Detail: Maintains high standards of accuracy, quality, and compliance.
- Team Development: Inspires and develops talent through coaching, mentoring, and clear performance expectations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related discipline).
- 8-12+ years of progressive leadership experience in maintenance, engineering, or technical operations within food manufacturing or a similar industry.
- Proven experience managing maintenance and reliability programs, including preventive maintenance and asset management systems.
- Demonstrated success leading capital projects from planning through startup and optimization.
- Strong technical knowledge of industrial systems including electrical, automation, mechanical, pneumatic, and fluid handling systems.
- Ability to interpret technical drawings such as P&IDs, schematics, and mechanical layouts.
- Experience with continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean or TPM.
- Familiarity with food safety and quality standards (e.g., GMP, SQF, regulatory compliance).
- Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills in a fast-paced environment.
Additional Details
- Full-time, exempt leadership position based on-site at a manufacturing facility.
- Standard work week with flexibility to support business and operational needs.
- Limited travel requirement (~10%) depending on project and business needs.
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