Plant Engineer

Crown Bakeries•Philadelphia, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Engineer is responsible for ensuring the reliability, safety, and efficiency of all plant equipment, utilities, and infrastructure within a baked goods manufacturing facility. This role provides technical leadership for maintenance, capital projects, continuous improvement, and compliance, while partnering closely with Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation, and QA to support production goals. The ideal candidate combines hands-on technical expertise with engineering leadership, thrives in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, and drives improvements in uptime, safety, and cost control.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related) or equivalent experience
5+ years of engineering experience in food manufacturing, preferably baked goods or high-speed production
Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills
Experience with PLC-controlled equipment (Allen-Bradley preferred)
Knowledge of CMMS systems (SAP, CAMS, or similar)

Nice To Haves

Experience in bakery or dough-based manufacturing environments
Familiarity with ovens, mixers, proofers, conveyors, and packaging systems
Project management experience
Knowledge of Lean, TPM, or Reliability-centered maintenance

Responsibilities

Lead engineering support for all production, packaging, and utility systems in a bakery manufacturing environment
Improve equipment reliability through root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives
Support troubleshooting of complex mechanical, electrical, and PLC-related issues
Ensure proper design, installation, and commissioning of new or modified equipment
Develop, optimize, and sustain preventive maintenance (PM) and predictive maintenance programs
Partner with Maintenance leadership to reduce unplanned downtime and improve asset performance
Support CMMS utilization (SAP, CAMS, or equivalent) to ensure accurate maintenance planning and reporting
Lead and manage capital projects, including budgeting, vendor coordination, installation, and startup
Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve throughput
Support Lean Manufacturing, TPM, or Reliability Excellence initiatives
Oversee plant utilities including boilers, refrigeration, compressed air, HVAC, and electrical distribution
Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements
Maintain facility infrastructure to support food safety and production continuity
Ensure engineering and maintenance practices align with food safety and sanitation requirements
Support audits and inspections (SQF, BRC, FDA, USDA as applicable)
Partner with QA to address equipment-related food safety risks
Serve as a technical resource for Maintenance, Operations, and Production teams
Support training and development of maintenance technicians and supervisors
Work cross-functionally to align engineering priorities with production schedules