senior engineer

Starbucks•Augusta, GA

About The Position

Starbucks is seeking a Senior Engineer to provide technical leadership for manufacturing operations in its Roasting Plants. The role applies engineering principles to address complex process, equipment, and operational challenges, with a focus on designing, optimizing, and supporting soluble coffee manufacturing processes. The engineer works to improve safety, product quality, efficiency, yield, throughput, reliability, and overall plant performance while reducing waste, energy use, operating costs, and variability. The Senior Engineer analyzes process and equipment data, leads troubleshooting and root-cause analysis, develops equipment reliability strategies, and evaluates new technologies and engineering methods. The role also develops and executes capital projects from concept through delivery, managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, commercial activities, contractors, and business results. It leads cross-functional initiatives with Operations, Maintenance, Automation, Quality, Safety, and other stakeholders, provides technical direction to maintenance and automation specialists, and mentors engineering partners.

Requirements

Engineering degree or background in electrical, mechanical, chemical, or industrial engineering (3 years).
Engineering design and implementation in a particular area of specialization (5 years).
Order management system experience (5 years).
Performance metrics development and root-cause analysis experience (5 years).
Warehouse or inventory system implementation experience (3 years).
Project management experience (1 year).
Strategic planning experience.
Consumer products or food company and plant experience, either technical or production.
Supervision experience, including direct supervision of contractors.
Ability to apply multidisciplinary business principles and practices to achieve successful outcomes in cross-functional projects and activities.
Team-building skills.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
Ability to work independently.
Results-oriented approach.
Solid distribution operations or transportation skills.
Ability to provide leadership and coach and mentor team partners.
Project management skills, including measurement, reporting, and financial analysis.

Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership for manufacturing operations and solve complex process, equipment, and operational challenges.
Design, optimize, and support soluble coffee manufacturing processes to improve safety, product quality, efficiency, yield, throughput, and plant performance.
Analyze process and equipment performance data to identify trends, losses, constraints, and improvement opportunities, and make actionable recommendations.
Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for process deviations, equipment failures, and recurring reliability issues; ensure corrective actions address underlying causes.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to increase capacity and reliability and reduce waste, energy consumption, operating costs, and process variability.
Develop and improve equipment reliability strategies, including preventive and predictive maintenance, in partnership with Maintenance and Operations.
Evaluate new technologies, equipment, and engineering methods through technical, operational, and financial analysis.
Develop and execute capital projects from concept through execution, managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, and business results.
Manage commercial aspects of engineering projects, including requests for proposals, bid evaluation, contract negotiations, contractor management, and project expenditures.
Lead cross-functional engineering initiatives and align Operations, Maintenance, Automation, Quality, Safety, and other stakeholders.
Provide leadership and technical direction to maintenance and automation specialists while remaining involved in plant engineering priorities and technical problem-solving.
Build engineering and organizational capability through relationships, mentoring, technical knowledge-sharing, and clear communication of priorities, risks, recommendations, and results.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Basic and supplemental life insurance
Other voluntary insurance benefits
Short-term and long-term disability
Paid parental leave
Family expansion reimbursement
Paid vacation from date of hire
Sick time accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked
Eight paid holidays
Two personal days per year
401(k) retirement plan with employer match for eligible partners
Discounted company stock program (S.I.P.)
Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock)
Incentivized emergency savings
Financial well-being tools
Upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan
Student loan management resources
Access to other educational opportunities
Backup care
DACA reimbursement