Production Engineer
About The Position
The Production Engineer owns day-to-day manufacturing performance at Vantage’s Englewood manufacturing facility, which produces personal care ingredients and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). This is a hands-on, floor-based role working with operators, supervisors, Maintenance, Quality, Planning, R&D, and vendors to monitor processes, solve problems at their root, and improve equipment and workforce performance. Operations include liquid and solid blending, encapsulation, milling, spray congealing, extrusion, and downpacking, with a mix of automated and manual work. The role focuses on learning production processes firsthand, measuring real-world performance, prioritizing opportunities according to safety, quality, and productivity impact, and coordinating improvements through to sustained results. Key outcomes include less unplanned downtime, stronger schedule adherence and Right First Time manufacturing, safer and less labor-intensive operations, and reliable on-time delivery with high product quality. The Production Engineer develops and tightens process parameters, supports quality and compliance activities, improves standard work, and identifies and implements practical automation. The position also establishes production KPIs, applies Lean and Six Sigma methods, supports safety reviews, and scopes and executes capital and expense projects. The role is based on-site in Englewood and is full-time, five days per week, with a flexible schedule and periodic off-shift or weekend support as production needs require.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Chemical, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering.
- At least 2 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, including at least 1 year in process or production engineering.
- Hands-on experience with one or more of liquid or powder blending, encapsulation, milling or size reduction, spray congealing or spray drying, extrusion, or packaging/downpacking operations.
- Ability to coach, train, and influence hourly teams and supervisors without direct authority, and to develop practical standard work.
- Strong structured, data-driven troubleshooting and root cause problem-solving skills, including use of SPC, trend analysis, or designed trials.
- Practical knowledge of powder and liquid processing, including mixing, particle size reduction, heat transfer, and effects of process conditions on product quality and stability.
- Working knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, controls, material handling equipment, mechanical systems, utilities, and reliability practices.
- Proficiency with Excel and data analysis tools.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to urgent safety, quality, or equipment issues, and maintain progress on longer-term improvement and project work.
- Clear communication and ability to work across Production, Maintenance, Quality, Planning, R&D, and with customers when needed.
- Willingness to work on-site at the Englewood manufacturing facility, five days per week, with periodic off-shift or weekend support as production needs require.
Nice To Haves
- Pharmaceutical or API manufacturing experience, including cGMP, batch records, deviations/CAPA, change control, and validation.
- Experience in personal care, cosmetics, nutraceutical, food, or specialty chemical manufacturing.
- Experience implementing manufacturing automation, such as material handling, dispensing, controls, or packaging automation.
- Lean or Six Sigma training or certification at Green Belt level or higher.
- Experience working with automation integrators and equipment vendors.
- ERP and MES experience.
Responsibilities
- Monitor production processes daily on the manufacturing floor, review batch records and process data, and respond promptly to deviations.
- Collect and analyze floor-based information, including observations, time studies, downtime and deviation records, and operator input; prioritize improvement opportunities by safety, quality, and productivity impact.
- Specify and conduct plant trials with R&D and technical service to establish process parameters, then translate results into batch instructions, SOPs, and operating windows.
- Lead structured root cause analysis of equipment failures, process upsets, and batch deviations; partner with Maintenance on preventive and predictive maintenance and critical spares, and trend downtime to prevent repeat events.
- Work with Planning and Production supervision to remove constraints affecting schedule execution, including changeovers, cleaning, material staging, equipment availability, and staffing.
- Improve Right First Time performance by eliminating sources of rework, reprocessing, off-spec material, and documentation errors through process controls, error-proofing, and work instructions.
- Learn manual operations alongside operators, map processes, measure labor content and variability, and identify safety, ergonomic, and quality risks.
- Identify, justify, and implement automation opportunities, including material handling, powder conveying, bulk bag unloading, weighing and dispensing, recipe-driven controls, and packaging automation; support specification, vendor selection, installation, and startup.
- Develop standard work, visual instructions, and hands-on operator training; involve operators in improvement and automation design and support them through changes.
- Support deviation investigations, CAPAs, and change control with Quality, and ensure processes meet cGMP expectations for API manufacturing and personal care ingredient quality standards.
- Support customer complaint investigations and monitor process capability for critical quality attributes to maintain consistent and stable products.
- Coordinate improvement actions across Production, Maintenance, Quality, Planning, and vendors; establish owners and timelines, remove roadblocks, and follow through until results are sustained.
- Establish and maintain production KPIs, including unplanned downtime, OEE, schedule attainment, RFT, OTIF, and customer complaints, and review them in tier meetings and operations reviews.
- Apply Lean and Six Sigma tools, including standard work, 5S, SMED, SPC, and value stream mapping, to improve capacity, cost, and consistency.
- Participate in PHA/HAZOP reviews and Management of Change, focusing on powder handling, dust hazards, and ergonomic risks.
- Scope, justify, and execute capital and expense projects; support commissioning, startup, operator training, budgeting, and project close-out.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts (limited purpose, dependent care, and commuter/parking)
- Life and AD&D insurance
- Accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness insurance
- Short- and long-term disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Identity theft protection
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- 401(k) with company match
- Eligibility to participate in a short-term incentive program
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
