Plant Engineering Manager

Job Description

The Plant Engineering Manager oversees all engineering, maintenance, utilities, and automation systems within a large, highly automated USDA food manufacturing plant. This leader ensures equipment reliability, regulatory compliance, continuous improvement, and long‑term asset health while driving operational excellence in a 24/7 production environment.

The role blends technical depth, leadership, strategic planning, and hands‑on problem solving across mechanical, electrical, controls, and facility systems.

• Engineering Leadership — Set the technical vision for the plant, ensuring engineering strategies align with production goals, food safety requirements, and long‑term asset health. This includes defining engineering standards, approving equipment specifications, and guiding the plant’s automation roadmap.
• Team Development — Build a high‑performance culture across maintenance, reliability, and controls teams. Provide coaching, succession planning, and skills development for technicians, supervisors, and engineers.
• Cross‑Functional Influence — Serve as the plant’s technical authority, partnering with Operations, Quality, Sanitation, and Corporate Engineering to solve complex problems and drive plant‑wide improvements.

• Maintenance & Reliability — Own the plant’s reliability strategy, including preventive, predictive, and condition‑based maintenance programs (TPM).
• CMMS Optimization — Ensure accurate work order management, asset histories, and spare‑parts control. Use data to identify chronic failures and optimize PM frequencies.
• Reliability Engineering — Lead root cause analysis (RCA), FMEA (FMECA, FMEDA), and reliability‑centered maintenance (RCM) to reduce unplanned downtime.
• Performance Metrics — Track MTBF, MTTR, PM compliance, and maintenance cost per unit to drive continuous improvement.

• Automation & Controls — Oversee PLCs, SCADA, production & line control systems, and automated material handling.
• System Integration — Ensure seamless communication between equipment, sensors, and plant‑wide control systems.
• Cybersecurity for OT — Implement secure access, patching, and network segmentation for industrial control systems.
• Troubleshooting Leadership — Guide teams through complex automation failures, ensuring rapid recovery and long‑term corrective actions.
• Automated Production Systems – Industrial robotics and high‑speed servo‑based equipment systems

• USDA & Food Safety Compliance — Ensure all engineering and maintenance activities meet USDA, FDA, HACCP, GMP, and internal food safety standards.
• Sanitary Design — Lead equipment and facility design reviews to ensure compliance with sanitary design principles.
• Audit Readiness — Maintain documentation, validation records, and maintenance logs to support USDA inspections and third‑party audits.
• Management of Change (MOC) Control — Manage engineering changes to ensure they do not compromise food safety or regulatory compliance.

• Capital Project Management — Lead multi‑million‑dollar projects from concept to commissioning.
• Scope Development — Define project requirements, equipment specifications, and ROI analyses.
• Vendor & Contractor Management — Oversee bidding, selection, and performance of engineering firms and contractors.
• Startup & Commissioning — Ensure equipment validation, operator training, and performance testing meet design intent.

• Utilities & Infrastructure — Ensure critical plant utilities including ammonia refrigeration, boilers, compressed air, wastewater, and HVAC are maintained.
• Regulatory Compliance — Ensure compliance with PSM, environmental permits, and OSHA standards.
• Energy Management — Identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and improve sustainability.
• Facility Integrity — Oversee structural, roofing, flooring, and environmental controls to maintain a safe, sanitary environment.

• Continuous Improvement — Drive Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and Kaizen initiatives…