Director of Engineering

Califia Farms • Bakersfield, CA

55d • $185,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Seeking a forward-thinking Director of Engineering to lead manufacturing engineering excellence at the cutting edge of plant-based food and beverage production. Overseeing, maintenance and engineering groups, this role is responsible for ensuring world-class performance across our production processes - driving both operational consistency and innovation. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, strategic leader with deep experience in food processing who thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Requirements

• At least 15 years of hands-on experience in food processing and manufacturing
• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or other engineering discipline (Food Technology preferred)
• Proficiency in food processing operations, especially liquid and plant-based products
• Strong knowledge of CIP/sanitary design and food equipment standards
• Minimum 5 years of experience managing Ammonia Chiller Systems
• Working knowledge and experience reading/understanding PLC computer controls
• Demonstrated passion for "world class" food manufacturing and innovation in process design
• Imagination for creating and implementing new, unique and exciting food related processes
• Strong and decisive leadership, especially in managing troubleshooting teams, tackling multiple fast-moving projects
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional engineering and troubleshooting teams
• Proven ability to manage engineering budgets and timelines effectively

Nice To Haves

• Experience with beverage sterilization equipment
• Experience with microbiological analysis and testing methods
• Extensive knowledge of and experience with PLC computer controls

Responsibilities

• Ensure that all manufacturing processes consistently deliver the highest product quality and operate at peak efficiency
• Partner with the Sr. Production Manager to support and enable complex food production operations - including ingredient handling, reconstitution/mixing, liquid thermal heat processing, and in-process quality controls, engineering systems, clean-in-place systems, etc.
• Lead the design, optimization, and enhancement of these manufacturing systems and processes to ensure they meet performance, quality, and safety standards
• Develop and update engineering documentation and SOPs to reflect best practices and ensure processes are scalable and repeatable
• Develop and present capital investment upgrade strategies aligned with risk, capacity, innovation, and other needs as may be determined
• Build and manage 3-5 year capital plan based on risks and business needs
• Provide hands-on leadership in identifying, diagnosing, and resolving process-related issues - with an emphasis on Safety, Quality, and compliance
• Develop your department leadership to provide the same hands-on support for their frontline contributors
• Act as a first responder to critical plant incidents affecting product integrity or production continuity
• Proactively communicating the issues and resolution to those issues
• Implement process capability enhancements through data logging, analytics, and trend analysis
• Proactively drive improvements through performance monitoring and root cause analysis
• Define, assess, and manage plant utility requirements, support preventative maintenance procedures and resolve utility-related issues
• Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal requirements for our utilities, building codes, wastewater, drinking water, air quality, etc.
• Lead the design and execution of any new manufacturing or utility installations - from definition through successful implementation
• Lead cross-functional engineering teams to deliver complex projects on time, on budget, and satisfy technical requirements of the business
• Collaborate with product development to embed quality assurance into product design, qualification and commercialization
• Other duties may also be assigned

Benefits

• As a full-time employee, you will be eligible to enroll in Califia's employee benefits program.
• You may also be eligible to participate in the company's bonus program which may be subject to change.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Industry: Food Manufacturing
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees