Process Engineer II

Hilmar Cheese Company Inc.•Dodge City, KS

11d•$75,539 - $113,309

About The Position

At Hilmar Cheese Company we improve lives around the world through wholesome dairy products. Since our founding in 1984, Hilmar Cheese Company has been committed to innovation and sustainability. Our state-of-the art production facilities convert an abundance of locally sourced high-quality milk into a variety of nutritious cheeses, whey protein and lactose. The Cheese and Ingredients that we produce create a wide variety of retail and food service products from sliced and shredded cheeses, to protein supplements and infant formula. We are a trusted partner to premier food and beverage brands in more than fifty countries helping bring their vision into reality. Throughout our decades of success and growth we have remained committed to our mission and values and these principles unite our people and guide all that we do. A Typical DayThe Process Engineer II is responsible for supporting the Company’s strategic objectives through development of the optimum, most cost-effective process technologies used to manufacture Hilmar’s products to enhance profitability, market position, and growth. This position will provide Process Engineering support on all aspects of the manufacturing process: maximizing productivity, reducing operating costs, and improving process sustainability through energy and water usage reduction. The work includes troubleshooting problems in existing processes, finding optimization opportunities that improve process capability, evaluating new technologies to determine their applicability, cost, and benefits to Hilmar, and designing new and/or improved processing lines. The Process Engineer II will focus on a specific manufacturing site and/or business area, provide support to other sites on discrete projects, as well as develop specialties based on business needs and accumulated work experience.

Requirements

B.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field plus 2 years’ manufacturing experience, or M.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field plus 1 year manufacturing experience.
Ability to complete energy and mass balances
Ability to collect and analyze production data using statistical techniques
Ability to effectively summarize and present technical information to a variety of audiences
Experience with writing functional descriptions of physical processes
Ability to develop operational models of plant processes
MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint at intermediate level

Nice To Haves

B.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field plus 4 years’ manufacturing experience, or M.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field plus 3 years’ manufacturing experience
Knowledge of unit operations commonly found in the food industry and waste-water treatment
Experience with clean-in-place (CIP) system design and operational principles
Certification or direct experience with Problem Solving methodologies (ex: Root Cause Analysis)
Knowledge of CQV (Commissioning, Qualification, Validation) criteria development and implementation
Experience with statistical analysis or process simulation software
Leadership and teambuilding skills

Responsibilities

Be a critical contributor to manufacturing site Process Improvement teams to deliver industry leading products and processes that help drive the business forward in its quest for operational excellence.
Spends time in production plants, identifying operational pain points and reviewing performance data to find opportunities to improve yield, quality, and throughput.
Lead troubleshooting of persistent, complex operational issues, providing win:win solutions that balance multiple KPIs and optimize total cost of ownership. Implement these in a manner that makes it easier for the business to execute and deliver value successfully and sustainably.
Works with appropriate cross-functional teams such as Operations, FSQA, Training, Maintenance, Engineering, or Operational Technology to implement changes.
Develop and implement process control strategies aimed at improving results and reducing process variability. Collaborate with Controls Engineers to test, debug, and deploy control programs effectively.
Lead Process Engineering components of new product development, experimental equipment and design, and plant trials. Utilize insights gained to guide final process design and commercialization.
Partnering with Project Engineering and cross-functional teams on capital projects, provide design decisions in new Process design. Develop P&IDs, perform mass balances, and develop functional descriptions. Ensure project design aligns with the project's business objectives.
Lead the Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) process within asset / capital investment projects to ensure successful execution, on-time startup, and delivery of business objectives.
Effectively document learnings and best practices; provide technical training to business stakeholders.
Stay up to date on latest available technologies, industry direction, and trends to continuously improve HCC’s technology portfolio. Manage Hilmar’s trade secrets and competitive advantage appropriately.
This role supports a primary manufacturing site, but may require 20 – 40% travel depending on business need and project activity.