Plant Engineering Manager

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 longterm asset health while driving operational excellence in a 24/7 production environment.

The role blends technical depth leadership strategic planning and handson problem solving across mechanical electrical controls and facility systems.

Engineering Leadership & Technical Direction

• Engineering Leadership Set the technical vision for the plant ensuring engineering strategies align with production goals food safety requirements and longterm asset health. This includes defining engineering standards approving equipment specifications and guiding the plants automation roadmap.
• Team Development Build a highperformance culture across maintenance reliability and controls teams. Provide coaching succession planning and skills development for technicians supervisors and engineers.
• CrossFunctional Influence Serve as the plants technical authority partnering with Operations Quality Sanitation and Corporate Engineering to solve complex problems and drive plantwide improvements.

Maintenance & Reliability Management

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

Automation Controls & Advanced Technology

• Automation & Controls Oversee PLCs SCADA production & line control systems and automated material handling.
• System Integration Ensure seamless communication between equipment sensors and plantwide 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 longterm corrective actions.
• Automated Production Systems Industrial robotics and high-speed servo-based equipment systems

USDA Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• 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 thirdparty audits.
• Management of Change (MOC) Control Manage engineering changes to ensure they do not compromise food safety or regulatory compliance.

Capital Project Leadership

• Capital Project Management Lead multimilliondollar 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 Facilities & Infrastructure

• Utilities & Infrastructure Ensure critical plant utilities including ammonia refrigeration boilers compressed air wastewater and HVAC are maintained.
• Regulatory Compliance Ensure compliance with PSM (Process Safety Management) 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 & Operational Excellence

• Continuous Improvement Drive Lean Six Sigma TPM and Kaizen initiatives to improve throughput and reduce waste.
• OEE Optimization Partner with Operations to analyze downtime speed losses and quality losses.
• Standard Work Develop engineering SOPs PM standards and troubleshooting guides.
• Innovation Evaluate emerging technologies (vision systems robotics predictive analytics) to enhance plant performance.

Budgeting Cost Control & Strategic Planning

• Budget Management Own the engineering and maintenance budgets including labor spare parts contractors and capital expenditures.
• Cost Reduction Identify opportunities to reduce maintenance costs without compromising reliability.
• LongTerm Asset Planning Develop 35-year capital plans with Central Engineering equipment replacement strategies and facility improvement roadmaps.

Safety Leadership & Risk Management

• Safety Leadership Champion a strong safety culture across engineering and maintenance teams.
• Risk Assessments Lead hazard analyses LOTO program improvements and machine guarding compliance.
• Incident Response Provide technical leadership during safety incidents equipment failures or utility disruptions.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Mechanical & Electrical Expertise Strong understanding of industrial equipment automation and utilities within a high-speed CPG company.
• Project Management Ability to manage complex timelines contractors and budgets.
• Regulatory Knowledge Experience with USDA HACCP GMPs and food safety engineering requirements.
• Leadership & People Development Proven ability to coach mentor and build highperforming technical teams.
• DataDriven Decision Making Skilled in using CMMS OEE data and reliability metrics to guide improvements.
• Root Cause Analysis Expertise in RCA FMEA and structured problemsolving methodologies.
• Food Safety Fundamental understanding of Sanitary Design Principals sanitation practices and requirements and mitigation strategies.

Qualifications :

Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree in Engineering (Mechanical Electrical Industrial or related field).
• 710 years of engineering or maintenance leadership in food manufacturing CPG or highautomation environments.
• Experience in FDA USDAregulated or readytoeat (RTE) facilities strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success managing large capital projects and crossfunctional initiatives.
• Professional certifications (PE PMP Six Sigma) are a plus.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Equipment uptime and reliability (MTBF MTTR)
• Successful execution of capital projects (on time/on budget)
• Maintenance cost performance (M&R spend)
• Audit readiness and regulatory compliance
• Safety performance metrics
• OEE improvement and waste reduction

Additional Information :

The pay range for this role is $165k - $185k (Annual). Actual wage will vary based on several factors including but not limited to external market data internal equity location and candidate skill set and experience. Base pay is just one component of Jack Links Total Rewards package for Team Members. Other rewards may include annual incentive and program-specific awards. Jack Links provides a variety of benefits to eligible Team Members including medical dental and vision benefits life and disability insurance 401k participation paid holidays and paid time off.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job the Team Member will be required to wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (i.e. beard/hairnet ear plugs frock boots etc.) stand for extended periods of time and use hands/arms to push pull reach and occasionally lift above head.  The Team Member must occasionally lift push pull up to 25 pounds and 50 pounds infrequently. Team Members are requested to visually inspect equipment and/or product. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a Team Member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The work environment is a plant setting with wet/slippery floors varying degrees of temperatures with an average temperature of 40 degrees in the production area.  Team Members will be exposed to raw and/or cooked meat products and moving equipment and will be required to follow all Food Safety Quality requirements.

EEO Statement:

Jack Links provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age color national origin citizenship status physical or mental disability race religion creed gender sex sexual orientation gender identity and/or expression genetic information marital status status with regard to public assistance veteran status or any other characteristic that is protected by federal state or local law.

Jack Links is participant in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For information about the E-Verify program please visit:  job description is intended to generally describe the nature and level of work to be performed by team members in this position. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and skills required of team members performing this role.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time