Category Engineer

Unilever • Chicago, IL

293d

About The Position

The Category Engineer position based in the Chicago Kilbourn - Factory, will manage the end-to-end delivery of the condiment's technology projects for the Dressings Category in NA. This includes direct capital project management of innovation and technology changes at Kilbourn, and third-party manufacturers. Provides support and expertise to the day to day and reliability activities at the factory and runs trials at the factory for all pack and process changes. Reports to Category Engineering Manager, Nutrition. Role expectations include being organized and detail-oriented to deliver projects respective to safety, product quality, project timing, and cost. The Category Engineer for Kilbourn takes a leadership role over the portfolio of category projects and trials, acting as the factory representative to external teams (R&D, Brand, Procurement, suppliers, etc.), with occasional support for dressings product launches at third-party manufacturers.

Requirements

• BS in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering or equivalent technical degree.
• 3+ Years of Engineering in FMCG / foods / related Industry or gained in an engineering consultancy environment or equivalent technical experience.
• Project Management, Maintenance, R&D, and/or continuous improvement experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; along with the ability to influence others.

Nice To Haves

• First-hand experience delivering or leading start-up for major capital projects ($1+ million) within Unilever or similar FMCG environment.
• 5+ Years of Project Engineering in FMCG / foods / related Industry or gained in an engineering consultancy environment.
• Experience in Manufacturing Excellence, Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt), Lean manufacturing, and/or Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a plus.
• Experience working in a Research and Development team is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Leads technology, capital, innovation, capacity, and value improvement projects for the dressings category.
• Responsible for providing estimates, options assessment, plant trials, and technical support for projects.
• Carries out tasks related to project assessment, plant trials, technical support, and implementation with limited supervision.
• Ensures compliance with Unilever hygiene, equipment and safety standards, specifications, and best practices.
• Participates in establishing company-wide best practices and standards for technology changes and commissioning.
• Acts as a technical resource to the category engineering team for new products and re-stages (innovation and renovation).
• Develops and manages checkout, testing, and start-up protocol for the commissioning of equipment, packaging lines and control systems.
• Participates in cross-plant improvement teams.
• Collaborates with other manufacturing engineers and category engineers in establishing best practices.
• Interfaces directly with R&D, marketing, innovation, and supply chain planning teams to drive on-time delivery of innovation and savings projects.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Industry: Food Manufacturing
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree