Plant Engineering Manager

JonnyPops•Elk River, MN

3d•$140,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Engineering Manager role is critical for ensuring the smooth operation of our Elk River plant, which runs 24/7. This position is responsible for integrating the maintenance, parts planning, and manufacturing engineering functions into a cohesive system to minimize unplanned downtime and maximize efficiency. The manager will be the primary point of accountability for plant reliability, focusing on equipment uptime, disciplined parts spending, and tight synchronization of technical plans with production schedules. Additionally, this role serves as the direct technical leader for the plant engineering team, responsible for setting priorities, reviewing work, and developing team capabilities to support plant scaling. This is a hands-on leadership position focused on building a disciplined and well-run plant reliability operation, with a strong emphasis on human and food safety.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience in lieu of degree.
7–10 years of progressive experience in plant maintenance, reliability, or engineering leadership within a manufacturing environment; food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing strongly preferred.
Proven experience leading a multi-discipline team (maintenance, planning/scheduling, engineering) in a fast-paced, 24/7 production environment.
Experience directly leading and developing degreed engineers — able to set technical direction, review engineering work, and grow engineering talent, not just manage schedules.
Demonstrated track record of improving uptime and reducing maintenance/parts costs with measurable results.
Experience managing a maintenance and engineering department budget and capital project execution.
Working knowledge of a CMMS platform (e.g., Fiix) for work order management, PM scheduling, and parts inventory tracking.
Strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration systems used in food manufacturing (packaging equipment, wrappers, conveyors, freezers).
Familiarity with GMPs, SQF, and food safety standards required in a food manufacturing environment.
Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets and driving cost efficiency.
Excellent cross-functional communication skills, able to align maintenance, engineering, and production scheduling priorities.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with competing priorities — adaptable, resilient, and hands-on.

Nice To Haves

Experience with vision system implementation or other automated inspection technology on production lines.
Familiarity with HTST or similar thermal processing systems.
Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) training or certification.

Responsibilities

Own equipment uptime as the primary reliability metric for the Elk River plant, driving root-cause resolution on recurring downtime events.
Direct the preventative maintenance program across all production lines, packaging equipment, refrigeration systems, and critical facility assets.
Establish and track reliability KPIs (uptime, MTBF, MTTR) and report performance trends to plant and operations leadership.
Champion continuous improvement in maintenance practices, adopting proven tools and technologies (e.g., CMMS, vision systems, HTST equipment standards) to reduce unplanned downtime.
Lead, coach, and develop a team of five direct reports: the Maintenance Lead Supervisor, the Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner, and three Manufacturing Engineers.
Set clear role expectations, accountability standards, and performance goals for each function, ensuring role clarity across shifts.
Foster a collaborative, safety-first team culture that gets “dirt under its fingernails” — staying close to the equipment, the line, and the people running it.
Build bench strength and succession depth within the maintenance and engineering team as the plant scales.
Directly lead JonnyPops’ Manufacturing Engineering function at Elk River, setting the team’s technical priorities, project queue, and standards of work.
Work hand-in-hand with the three Manufacturing Engineers on the floor — reviewing designs, capital project plans, and troubleshooting approaches, and stepping into hands-on problem-solving alongside them when it counts.
Review and approve engineering project scope, timelines, and technical approach before work moves to execution, keeping the team's output aligned with plant priorities.
Mentor and develop the engineering team's technical capability, building the bench strength JonnyPops needs as the plant scales.
Own cost reduction on maintenance parts and MRO spend as a core, measurable KPI, partnering with the Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner on sourcing, vendor negotiation, and inventory discipline.
Oversee parts inventory strategy to balance uptime protection (critical spares on hand) against carrying cost.
Own and manage the maintenance and engineering department budget, identifying and executing cost-saving initiatives without compromising reliability or safety.
Evaluate vendor and contractor relationships for maintenance services, capital repairs, and parts supply to ensure cost-effective, timely support.
Ensure maintenance and engineering planning is fully synced with production scheduling, so planned work orders and PMs are executed with minimal disruption to line attainment.
Partner with Plant Operations, Production Scheduling, R&D (Tech Services), and Quality to align capital projects, line changes, and equipment upgrades with plant goals and the annual operating plan.
Represent maintenance and engineering priorities in plant-level planning meetings (e.g., L10s), keeping reliability work visible and integrated with broader plant objectives.
Lead and coordinate engineering projects — capacity, productivity, and capital improvements — from scoping through completion, on time and on budget, in close partnership with the engineering team.
Ensure all maintenance, engineering, and reliability work is performed in full compliance with human safety standards, including lockout/tagout, confined space, electrical, and machine guarding requirements.
Build a proactive safety culture within the maintenance and engineering team, including regular training, audits, and prompt corrective action on incidents or near-misses.
Ensure equipment and facility conditions in all areas under this role’s ownership support, rather than compromise, food safety and sanitation standards.
Ensure all maintenance, repair, and engineering work performed on production equipment and facilities protects food safety, sanitation, and allergen control standards (SQF, GMP, HACCP).
Partner with FSQA leadership on equipment design, repair, and maintenance decisions that affect product contact surfaces, sanitation access, or contamination risk.
Support audits and inspections of maintenance and engineering practices, addressing any food safety findings promptly and thoroughly.