Manufacturing Engineering Director

Winland Foods is a leading manufacturer of high-quality food products trusted by households and food service partners across North America. Grounded in our values and driven by our One Winland mindset, we are transforming how we operate—from the plant floor to the executive level—to deliver exceptional value to our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve. We foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and innovation.

If you’re energized by building high‑performing teams, creating sustainable systems, and shaping the future of manufacturing excellence, we’d love to meet you.

The Director of Engineering will drive the development and execution of Winland Foods’ manufacturing engineering strategy, leading a team of engineers and collaborating with Operations, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Quality, EHS, and Finance to achieve best‑in‑class performance in safety, cost per pound, service, quality, and sustainability across our 11 pasta/dry‑dinner manufacturing facilities.

• Define and execute an engineering strategy aligned to business objectives.
• Advance a continuous improvement culture to enhance cost per pound, productivity, quality, and service.
• Drive standardization of processes and best practices across sites.

• Lead capital planning and execution to optimize capacity, technology upgrades, cost savings, and facility expansions.
• Develop and manage the 3‑year CAPEX plan for the Pasta Plant network.
• Lead and support project development, presentation of capital authorization documents, and due diligence to ensure project success.
• Evaluate emerging technologies that enhance automation, sustainability, and throughput.
• Partner with procurement and vendors to manage equipment selection, installation, commissioning, training, and supplier negotiations.
• Lead and support projects through ideation, scoping, approval, engineering/design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, and validation.

• Build, mentor, and inspire a high‑performing, diverse engineering team.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and accountability.
• Directly engage with plant teams to support capability‑building and performance coaching.

• Lead engineering efforts related to processing, packaging, and automation to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Partner closely with Operations, Quality and Maintenance to reduce downtime and improve equipment life cycles.
• Ensure safety, employee, and food safety remain non‑negotiable priorities in all engineering work.
• Provide leadership, resources, and on‑site troubleshooting to support resolution of plant‑related technical issues.

• A proactive, visible leader who builds trust and alignment across teams.
• A strategic thinker who enjoys hands‑on plant‑floor work; expects 50–65% travel.
• Compelled by measurable results, sustainable standard work, and continuous improvement.
• Strong communicator who energizes others and champions Winland Values across functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, or related).
• 10+ years of manufacturing engineering experience; at least 5 years in a multi‑site environment.
• Proven track record in capital planning and execution and project management.
• Demonstrated leadership by building and developing high‑performing engineering teams.
• Strong ability to collaborate cross‑functionally and influence at all organizational levels.
• Working knowledge of sanitary equipment design, Good Manufacturing Practices, and government regulations applicable to food manufacturing (OSHA, EPA, FDA).
• Proficiency in MS 365 and MS Project.

• Food or consumer packaged goods (CPG) experience.
• Experience with AutoCAD and SAP.
• Experience with automation, industrial control systems, and IIoT technologies.
• Formal project management training or certification.

• We Put People First
• We Deliver Excellence
• We Act with Integrity
• We Win Together – One Winland

• High‑impact leadership role with…