Manufacturing Engineer

Georgia-Pacific’s Dixie® Operations is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer for its Fort Smith, Arkansas facility. The role involves improving performance, reliability, and efficiency of manufacturing assets and production processes across the plant. As an essential member of the plant engineering staff, this position monitors asset and production performance metrics, supports resolution of short-term equipment and operational challenges, and develops long-term strategies that create sustainable business value.

• Develop and implement data‑driven short‑ and long‑term asset strategies that improve safety, reliability, production efficiency, and overall business performance, including operating envelope, operator basic care, parts strategy, optimization, condition‑based monitoring, and predictive and preventative maintenance activities.
• Lead efforts to improve asset performance and reliability with regard to safety, environmental compliance, quality, utilization, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
• Work with operators and maintenance teams to identify critical equipment hazards and mitigate the impact of human error where the highest levels of risk exist.
• Communicate with and help employees connect to our vision, priorities, and business objectives.
• Support operations teams by coaching operators on safe equipment operation, operator basic care, operating parameters, equipment upgrades, and best practices.
• Work closely with operators and business partners to troubleshoot process, quality, and equipment issues while evaluating and implementing improvement opportunities.
• Work closely with shift supervision to identify operator capability gaps and support the development and revision of operating procedures.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis efforts and implement effective corrective actions.
• Evaluate, approve, prioritize, and plan work orders, equipment repairs, and scheduled shutdown activities.
• Lead capital and reliability improvement projects from concept through execution, including business case development, stakeholder alignment, contractor coordination, implementation, and results evaluation.
• Make sound economic decisions regarding maintenance activities, capital spending, and project investments.
• Perform GEMBA walks to improve employee engagement, asset performance, and maintenance effectiveness.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline, OR at least four (4) years of experience in a manufacturing or industrial operations environment.
• Experience troubleshooting and improving manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Experience with manufacturing equipment setup, operation, or repair.
• Must be able and willing to work in a food‑grade manufacturing plant environment, including extended periods in areas that may be noisy, non‑air conditioned, or unheated.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and/or Project.
• Legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship.

• Experience working with paper converting, packaging, or other industrial manufacturing equipment.
• Experience in the pulp and paper industry.
• Experience with automation, conveyor systems, vision systems, and/or robotics.
• Experience initiating and/or executing engineering projects.
• Experience with PI Process Book or other data historian programs.
• Experience analyzing data to drive business decisions and asset strategies.
• Experience developing or implementing asset reliability strategies, including predictive, preventative, or condition‑based maintenance programs.

Our benefits plan includes medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E‑Verify.