Plant Engineer / Contract

Summary:The Plant Engineer role involves ensuring the reliability of facility conditions and plant equipment to meet downtime and operational goals. This position is responsible for overall plant maintenance, providing direct supervision of the maintenance team to prioritize, plan, and schedule work while offering guidance and direction. The ideal candidate will have experience in industrial maintenance, particularly within the food industry. The role also includes analyzing and validating data to provide recommendations for plant-wide improvements and communicating findings to senior management. Collaboration with the operations team is essential to ensure the safe and high-quality production of goods. This position reports to the Plant Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic direction, leadership, and vision for effective maintenance management.
• Develop and coach team members to achieve high performance.
• Maintain and improve utility operations, including wastewater, chillers, heating systems, air compressors, etc.
• Track maintenance expenditures, make necessary adjustments, and report progress.
• Develop and manage work plans, status reports, and value tracking.
• Manage risk and remove barriers to ensure task completion within budget.
• Oversee procurement, purchasing, and rental of maintenance equipment.
• Contribute to the capital planning process and prepare capital commitments as needed.
• Develop capital investment ideas that support plant profitability.
• Maintain communication with operations and other departments to understand overall plant performance.
• Establish and manage contractor and vendor relationships to supplement plant resources.
• Evaluate the performance of superintendents and foremen, implementing corrective actions as necessary.
• Represent plant needs in discussions with corporate engineering regarding technical standards and project execution.
• Assist the Assistant Plant Manager in continuous plant improvement efforts.
• Utilize quantitative and mathematical skills for financial/cost modeling.
• Communicate relevant findings and recommendations to managers.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in progressively responsible positions within the industrial maintenance field, with at least five (5) years in the food processing industry.
• Extensive background in ammonia refrigeration, steam generation, air compressor technology, chain drives, conveying systems, rendering systems (batch or continuous cookers), variable frequency motor controls, and sanitary maintenance.
• Ability to work extended hours as required by job responsibilities.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to maintain strong working relationships with management.
• Strong business judgment in situations where data may be limited.
• Advanced Excel skills, including proficiency in V-lookups, pivot tables, charts, graphing, and macros.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and multi-task effectively.