Ice Cream Project Engineer
About The Position
The Project Engineer advances capital delivery and manufacturing transformation at The Magnum Ice Cream Company’s Covington site. The position leads complex capital projects spanning safety, quality, capacity, infrastructure, automation, controls, digital manufacturing, and equipment modernization. It provides technical leadership through the full project lifecycle, from concept development and business-case creation through design, construction, commissioning, start-up, and handover, helping create a more reliable, efficient, and future-ready operation. This role reports to the Site Engineering Lead. The position leads capital and transformation projects to improve facility performance, develops and executes engineering solutions with cross-functional partners, and supports the adoption of advanced technologies where they deliver measurable value. It also contributes to engineering governance, continuous improvement, and the site’s long-term capital and automation roadmap.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Automation, Controls, or a related engineering discipline.
- At least 7 years of engineering experience in food manufacturing, consumer products, FMCG, or a similarly complex industrial environment.
- Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing capital projects, including scope definition, budget management, contractor oversight, commissioning, and handover.
- Practical experience with automation, controls, process systems, utilities, packaging systems, or digital manufacturing technologies.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to influence and align stakeholders and communicate from the factory floor to site leadership.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without current or future employer sponsorship; employment eligibility will be verified.
Nice To Haves
- Experience delivering medium- to large-scale capital projects in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
- Experience with controls upgrades, PLC/HMI-related projects, robotics, automated material handling, machine integration, or smart factory initiatives.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams through design, installation, start-up, and operational stabilization.
- Experience working in an environment with strong food safety, quality, compliance, and performance expectations.
Responsibilities
- Lead a portfolio of capital and transformation projects to improve safety, quality, throughput, reliability, cost performance, and operational resilience at the Covington facility.
- Drive project execution from feasibility through commissioning, including scope development, cost estimation, schedule management, contractor coordination, risk mitigation, and performance tracking.
- Partner with Manufacturing, Safety, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance, R&D, and site leadership to translate business needs into practical, scalable engineering solutions.
- Lead development and implementation of automation, controls, and digital manufacturing solutions, including line modernization, controls upgrades, process optimization, and data-enabled performance improvement.
- Support identification, evaluation, and deployment of advanced technologies such as robotics, automated material handling, smart instrumentation, and connected systems where they create measurable business value.
- Work with internal engineering resources and external partners to develop concept, FEED, and detailed design packages that account for site constraints, compliance, operability, maintainability, and long-term asset performance.
- Oversee construction, installation, commissioning, and vertical start-up activities to ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and to required performance standards.
- Champion engineering governance, technical standards, and continuous improvement, and help shape the site’s longer-term capital and automation roadmap.
- Build working relationships across plant operations, maintenance, continuous improvement, technical teams, and frontline employees to ensure solutions are practical, sustainable, and successfully embedded.
- Bring forward ideas, technologies, and execution approaches that improve installed cost, reliability, flexibility, and performance.
Benefits
- Health insurance, including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage
- Retirement savings benefits
- Life insurance
- Disability benefits
- Parental leave
- Sick leave
- Paid vacation
- Paid holidays
- Voluntary benefits
- Bonus eligibility
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
