Process Engineer - Dairy

Albertsons • Boise, ID

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

ACI is seeking an experienced Dairy Process Engineer to support manufacturing line optimization, process standardization, and continuous improvement initiatives across its operations. This is a corporate position that will work directly with plant leadership, operations, and engineering teams to improve throughput, reduce variability, and establish scalable, best‑practice process standards. The Dairy Process Engineer will take a hands‑on, data‑driven approach to evaluating current‑state operations, identifying performance gaps, and supporting the design and execution of practical improvements. The role will report to the Director of Corporate Engineering. This is a full-time role, intended to accelerate near‑term operational results while building sustainable process capabilities within ACI. The position requires regular travel to ACI sites as business needs dictate. This role owns process standards and standard work for assigned process areas and is expected to influence capital, automation/controls, and operating strategy decisions through technical leadership and change management.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or a related discipline
• 5 plus years of experience in dairy or refrigerated food manufacturing environments, supporting fluid milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream, or related dairy processes
• Hands on experience with dairy unit operations, including pasteurization (HTST/UHT), homogenization, separation/standardization, fermentation, freezing, and packaging
• Exposure to industrial controls and automation in dairy processing environments (e.g., PLC/SCADA systems such as Rockwell, Siemens, Wonderware) and recipe management / process control limits
• Experience extracting and working with manufacturing/process data from systems such as FactoryTalk, Ignition, or similar; basic SQL or data-extraction skills preferred
• Familiarity with dairy regulatory and quality frameworks, including FDA/PMO requirements, HACCP, and internal quality standards
• Demonstrated experience optimizing production lines in a regulated or quality‑driven manufacturing environment
• Strong understanding of dairy mass balance, yield drivers, and loss points (e.g., cream losses, trim, rework, CIP interface losses)
• Experience working directly on the plant floor to diagnose issues and implement improvements
• Proven ability to translate analytical findings into practical, operator‑ready solutions
• Experience supporting multi‑site manufacturing organizations or standardized production platforms
• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing or similar improvement frameworks
• Proficiency with statistical analysis tools (advanced Excel and/or similar) and process mapping software
• Exposure to change management and operator training during process rollouts

Nice To Haves

• Manufacturing process optimization and continuous improvement
• Process standardization and documentation (SOPs, standard work, control plans)
• Data analysis and performance monitoring (KPIs, throughput, yield, downtime)
• Manufacturing controls/automation collaboration (recipes, process control limits) and data extraction (historian/SCADA; basic SQL)
• Structured problem solving and root‑cause analysis
• Cross‑functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement
• Clear technical communication with both engineering and operations audiences
• Ability to work independently in a delivery‑focused role

Responsibilities

• Assess existing manufacturing lines and process flows to identify constraints, inefficiencies, and sources of variability (including CIP, changeovers, and transition losses)
• Lead and support process optimization initiatives focused on throughput improvement, yield enhancement, and cycle‑time reduction
• Develop, document, and standardize best‑practice operating procedures, process parameters, and control strategies
• Support process definition and requirements for capital projects, including scope development and user requirements
• Participate in equipment selection, commissioning/FAT support where applicable, and startup optimization for new or modified lines
• Collaborate with plant engineering managers on line modifications and process/controls change to improve performance and reliability
• Partner with controls/automation resources to define recipes, process control limits, and data collection needs; leverage PLC/SCADA and historian tools to extract and analyze process data
• Optimize CIP circuits, recovery, and sanitation effectiveness; ensure process improvements maintain or improve food safety and sanitation performance
• Ensure process changes comply with safety standards and safe-work practices; participate in risk assessments where applicable and champion safe implementation of process changes
• Partner with operations, maintenance, quality, and engineering teams to implement process improvements with minimal disruption to production
• Support line balancing, capacity analysis, and performance benchmarking across sites or production areas
• Apply continuous improvement methodologies to drive measurable operational gains
• Analyze production and performance data to track results, identify trends, and inform decision‑making
• Assist in root‑cause analysis for chronic process issues, quality defects, or reliability challenges
• Support operator training and change management associated with new or updated process standards
• Contribute to the development of scalable process templates and playbooks deployable across ACI operations

Benefits

• Competitive wages paid weekly
• Access to up to 50% of your earned wages before payday, via our partnership with Stream
• Associate discounts
• Health and financial well-being benefits for eligible associates (Medical, Dental, 401k and more!)
• Time off (vacation, holidays, sick pay)
• Leaders invested in your training, career growth and development
• An inclusive work environment with talented colleagues who reflect the communities we serve

What This Job Offers

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