Operations Engineering Manager

The Operations Engineering Manager will be both a strategic partner to production and a hands‑on technical leader, driving engineering excellence across the platform. This role aligns engineering initiatives with business goals to improve equipment reliability, operational efficiency, and long‑term sustainability while overseeing capital projects from concept through execution. Working closely with production, maintenance, quality, automation, and corporate engineering, the manager will help shape plant‑wide strategies that enhance performance, safety, and quality.

They will also mentor and develop a high‑performing engineering team, fostering a culture of data‑driven decision making, proactive problem solving, and continuous improvement.

• Provide strategic leadership for all engineering functions, ensuring alignment with corporate and plant objectives for reliability, performance, and cost optimization.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high‑performing engineering team, including Senior Engineers and technical staff.
• Own overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) for the assigned platform and drive performance improvement.
• Lead root cause analysis and implement sustainable corrective actions for significant downtime events.
• Identify, justify, and execute high‑value capital projects, including ROI analysis, planning, execution, and post‑project evaluation.
• Partner with Quality and Food Safety to ensure equipment designs and modifications comply with FDA and USDA requirements.
• Standardize machine centerlines, preventive maintenance schedules, and overhaul plans to reduce variability and maximize consistency across production lines.
• Lead site‑wide initiatives in equipment reliability, Lean manufacturing, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).
• Develop and maintain long‑term asset health plans for fillers and packaging systems.
• Oversee major filler rebuilds, packaging equipment overhauls, and end‑of‑line modernization projects to reduce downtime and lifecycle costs.
• Direct FAT, commissioning, and qualification for new filler and packaging equipment installations, ensuring smooth transition to operations and maintenance.
• Advance changeover reduction (SMED) initiatives to increase line availability, flexibility, and throughput.
• Utilize data‑driven performance monitoring to identify early warnings and drive predictive maintenance for fillers and packaging assets.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, automation, and corporate engineering to deliver integrated, sustainable solutions that enhance plant efficiency.
• Evaluate and deploy advanced automation and digital technologies to future‑proof operations.
• Ensure full adherence to regulatory requirements, corporate standards, and industry best practices.

• BS in Mechanical, Industrial, or Manufacturing Engineering; MS or PE preferred.
• 6+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, including leadership roles.
• Proven ability to manage engineering teams and large‑scale projects.
• Expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, and reliability engineering principles.
• Strong business acumen with experience in cost modeling and strategic planning.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to support 24/7 operations and respond to critical production issues as needed.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a passion for coaching and developing engineering talent.
• Ability to travel between plant sites and vendors as required. (Minimal Travel 5% and above)

Chobani is a food maker with a mission of making high‑quality and nutritious food accessible to more people, while elevating our communities and making the world a healthier place. In short: making good food for all. In support of this mission, Chobani is a purpose‑driven, people‑first, food‑and‑wellness‑focused company, and has been since its founding in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant to the U.S. The Company manufactures yogurt, oat milk, and creamers – Chobani yogurt is America's No.1 yogurt brand, made with natural ingredients without artificial preservatives.

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