Director of Engineering

Responsible to closely collaborate with and lead the project team during installation, commissioning, and capital startup by identifying issues, planning, organizing, and directing an engineering staff to resolve various losses in production related to poor productivity in both labor and equipment, yield losses, and quality losses and is required to identify and drive cost reduction initiatives throughout the LiDestri organization, as well as through cross-functional teams.

This position will utilize various data collection and problem‑solving tools to provide for sustainable improvements in operations, and to document and provide procedural documentation to ensure performance gains are embedded in the process and the people who execute them. This is to include but will not be limited to design improvements or new food manufacturing lines from first material delivered to finished goods packaging.

• In collaboration with departmental management, work to target maintainability issues, lower cost and improve productivity, while communicating opportunities for improved equipment operation, setup, changeover and maintenance
• Lead the justification, establishment, and implementation of capital projects from inception through completion; initiating technical concepts, developing designs incorporating the optimal technical solutions, estimate and manage costs, formulate justifications, coordinate project/program executions, support line startups, and establish systems to train required personnel on new technologies
• Lead standard engineering work processes and champion the best engineering practices for improved performance while analyzing the operational performance impacts of new equipment or equipment modifications across current operations
• Implement advanced reliability tools and work processes for supporting reliability efforts in manufacturing plants
• Works closely with maintenance to target maintainability issues, lower cost and improve productivity. In addition, must be actively involved in the support, maintenance and upgrades of the LiDestri CMMS.
• Closely collaborate with R&D Process & Packaging, Quality Assurance, Safety, Information Systems, Manufacturing and Business Unit Teams among other functions on the definition of technology solutions and standardization opportunities across our product categories;
• Mentor Engineers on the use of appropriate selection of various problems solving tools to identify opportunities for improvement of various types of wastes in production. (RCCM’s, CA’s, Fishbone’s, ETC.)
• Lead regular technical project update meetings and collaborate with team members to effect changes resulting in the capturing of cost reductions, quality improvements, loss reductions, etc.

• Degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering, required
• 10 years’ experience in food, beverage or pharmaceutical industry and/or high‑speed packaged consumer goods manufacturing environment or equivalent experience preferred
• Demonstrated experience in high volume operations and production environments required
• Demonstrated problem‑solving techniques and approaches for various types of operational performance issues and quality problems and initiatives required
• Passion for continuous improvement with Lean manufacturing and/or Lean Six Sigma experience (Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, preferred)
• Familiarity in an operations/manufacturing environment and knowledge of the relationship between processes, packaging components, and labor required to assemble components and systems
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project and familiarity with computerized information systems, including MES, MRP, CMMS, and SCADA systems