Plant Engineering Manager

Dairy Farmers of America•Zumbrota, MN

About The Position

DFA Zumbrota has an opening for a Plant Engineering Manager. The Engineering Manager is responsible for the oversight and performance of the engineering and maintenance staff and functions, engineering, and site facilities. Develop engineering plans to support current and future plant requirements and develop systems in critical areas such as reliability excellence, preventative maintenance, spare parts inventories, and work order systems. Work closely with plant management and plant employees and serve as a liaison with DFA enterprise-wide functional departments such as Quality Assurance and Compliance, Human Resources, Accounting, Engineering, Purchasing, Research and Development, and Risk Management.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or related degree
6+ years of related experience in a manufacturing environment, including 1+ year of management experience
Excellent communication and presentation skills to all levels of the organization
Computer proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
Must be able to read, write and speak English

Nice To Haves

High speed manufacturing and food experience preferred
SAP knowledge preferred

Responsibilities

Establish and manage the department’s budget and accountable for the monthly facility maintenance spend, focusing efforts on closing any gaps to target, by identifying key operating risks, opportunities, and contingencies to achieve target.
Provide technical support and leadership during complex technical issues that arise during plant operations.
Understand the operating principles for the different manufacturing processes in the plant. Troubleshoot issues in the manufacturing processes and make operational improvements
Utilize Plant Core, Historian, SAP and other DFA systems when investigating issues. Pull relevant trends, alarms, or historical data to support troubleshooting.
Responsible for asset management including maximizing utilization, replacement, upgrading, maintenance, and tracking utilizing SAP.
Manage capital and expense projects to meet scope, budget, and timeline as defined.
Develop and utilize maintenance key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive improvements to plant reliability
Drive the implementation of Reliability Excellence as the Reliability Excellence Owner for the facility to maximize plant performance through use of CI Tools, PM, work order systems, etc
Ensure the department’s activities remain in or exceed the standards and specifications established by Quality Assurance
Manage parts inventory, purchasing and inventory control processes.
Coordinate with on-site staff and DFA management or engineering to review and approve plans for new equipment installation and layout to ensure operational efficiency
Engage and interact with maintenance and engineering personnel on a regular basis assisting them with their concerns and questions.
Initiate and drive continuous improvement activities to ensure plant reliability and sustainability.
Manage maintenance and engineering employee’s performance through establishing expectations and holding employees accountable.
Coach and mentor maintenance and engineering employees to develop their skills and instill an appropriate sense of urgency.
Build joint ownership of the facility and equipment by partnering with other facility departments (production, sanitation, shipping, etc.) as well as Reginal Support functions (Engineering, Purchasing, Finance, etc.).
Ensure good business communication practices are engaged at all levels to ensure key stakeholders are well informed and can appropriately respond as needed.
Ensure all process changes, equipment changes, or product changes are understood by affected employees in a timely fashion utilizing communication and management of change process.
Serve as a member of the plant Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) team.
Work any shift(s) if necessary. Must be able to receive calls pertaining to plant issues when not on duty
Must adhere to all safety policies and procedures
Follow all DFA GMP’s and works in a manner consistent with all corporate and regulatory, food safety, quality, and sanitation requirements
The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee; but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.