Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Michigan Milk Producers Assoc • Ovid, MI

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) is seeking a Manufacturing Engineering Manager – Reliability & Controls to lead a team of Manufacturing Engineers focused on improving equipment reliability, automation performance, and manufacturing capability across multiple dairy manufacturing facilities. This role is responsible for building an engineering function focused on eliminating chronic equipment issues, improving control system performance, and strengthening the technical capability of our manufacturing teams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in controls, automation, or manufacturing engineering with the curiosity and problem-solving mindset to grow into broader reliability engineering leadership. This is not a traditional project engineering role. The focus is improving how equipment performs over time, understanding why failures occur, eliminating repeat issues, and creating more reliable manufacturing systems. This role exists to strengthen manufacturing reliability by developing engineering capability that understands both automation systems and real-world plant performance. The Manufacturing Engineering Manager will help build a culture of solving problems permanently, improving equipment reliability, and supporting MMPA’s commitment to processing the milk entrusted to us by our member farms. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the responsibilities. This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive list of responsibilities that are required of the role. Responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice. MMPA provides the opportunity for meaningful work that makes a difference in the dairy industry and in our communities. The diverse talents and perspectives of our employees help us to meet the needs of our member farms and the customers we serve.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent technical experience.
• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, controls engineering, automation, or related technical roles.
• Strong experience with industrial controls systems including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, instrumentation, and industrial networks.
• Experience troubleshooting complex manufacturing systems involving mechanical, electrical, and process interactions.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze problems, identify root causes, and implement sustainable solutions.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively across Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with reliability engineering practices such as RCFA, FMEA, or predictive maintenance.
• Food or dairy manufacturing experience.
• CMMS experience and use of maintenance data for improvement.
• Experience mentoring or leading technical teams.
• Interest in developing deeper reliability engineering expertise.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Manufacturing Engineers supporting reliability, controls, and process improvement initiatives.
• Establish engineering priorities focused on eliminating chronic failures and improving plant performance.
• Drive structured problem solving, Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), and permanent corrective actions.
• Use downtime data, CMMS information, and equipment performance trends to identify reliability opportunities.
• Provide technical leadership for industrial controls systems including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, instrumentation, and industrial networks.
• Ensure control system changes improve reliability, maintainability, and long-term performance.
• Support troubleshooting of complex automation and process issues through engineering resources.
• Establish expectations for controls documentation and system standards.
• Maintain regular presence on the manufacturing floor to understand equipment performance and operational challenges.
• Work across shifts as needed to identify opportunities that impact reliability and production stability.
• Build strong partnerships with Operations and Maintenance teams through practical problem solving.
• Partner with Maintenance leadership to improve troubleshooting capability and technical understanding.
• Identify recurring skill gaps and support engineering-led training initiatives.
• Develop stronger collaboration between Engineering and Maintenance to reduce repeat failures.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment performance, process stability, and manufacturing capability.
• Support capital projects when they directly improve reliability, maintainability, or system performance.
• Develop consistent engineering practices across manufacturing facilities.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Health and wellness benefits with medical coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield, including mental health benefits
• Disability insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement including 401k with employer contributions
• Personal and professional growth opportunities
• Employee appreciation events and recognition awards
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Employee feedback and suggestion forums

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager