Senior Engineering Manager

Dairy Farmers of America•Montgomery Township, PA

About The Position

The Senior Engineering Manager oversees the engineering and maintenance functions and staff within the plant or plants. This role leads engineers and maintenance managers or supervisors to support smooth plant operations, optimize productivity, and maintain facility infrastructure and equipment. The manager develops and executes plans for current and future plant requirements, establishes systems for preventive maintenance, spare-parts inventories, and work orders, and works closely with plant management, employees, and DFA enterprise-wide functional departments. The role promotes best practices in maintenance and ensures compliance with quality, safety, environmental, repair, food safety, and sanitation requirements. The position is responsible for maintenance programs, capital and expense projects, equipment and process changes, vendor relationships, plant reliability improvements, departmental budgeting, employee management, and reporting. It also ensures staff are informed about changes and that maintenance, engineering, and compliance documentation is maintained.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in engineering or a related curriculum, technical training in related mechanical or electrical studies, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 8 years of engineering or maintenance experience in a food manufacturing environment.
At least 1 year of management experience.
Experience with environmental compliance, PLC programming, capital projects, and budget management.
Strong leadership and team-management skills, including the ability to motivate and guide a diverse team.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes and equipment, plant manufacturing or industrial regulations, and safety protocols.
Knowledge of architectural, mechanical, electrical, and process production engineering.
Knowledge of continuous improvement tools and the ability to use them in projects.
Strong organization, planning, execution, and follow-through skills.
Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
Critical-thinking, analysis, mathematical-calculation, and statistical-evaluation skills.
Ability to develop scope, schedules, and budgets and lead plant capital projects.
Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills for diverse internal and external audiences.
Ability to collaborate effectively and foster teamwork.
Ability to handle challenging or conflict situations with tact and professionalism.
Ability to adapt to and manage change effectively.
Ability to read, write, and speak English.
Certification and/or license may be required during employment.

Responsibilities

Manage engineering and maintenance functions, directly supervising engineers and maintenance managers or supervisors and supporting employee development.
Maintain effective predictive and preventive maintenance programs for plant assets to reduce unscheduled downtime, extend asset life, and control breakdown costs.
Oversee preventive maintenance for the facility, electrical distribution, utility systems, architecture, process instrumentation, production machinery, and equipment, using staff and outside contractors.
Collaborate with senior management to identify and prioritize capital improvement projects and recommend expense or capital projects to improve productivity, safety, or operational efficiency.
Oversee the design, planning, and execution of capital and expense projects within defined budgets and timelines.
Work with others to resolve ongoing or escalated problems and implement procedures, processes, equipment installations and layouts, and new products or product lines.
Analyze equipment replacement options using space costs, depreciation, service life, and maintenance costs; advise production management and recommend actions.
Maintain effective business communications so stakeholders are informed and able to respond appropriately.
Ensure affected employees understand process, equipment, and product changes in a timely manner; regularly engage with staff and address their questions and concerns.
Source and evaluate vendors, contractors, and suppliers; secure quality products and services at competitive prices and negotiate external contracts and agreements as needed.
Develop and use maintenance KPIs to improve plant reliability; lead continuous improvement initiatives to optimize operations and reduce waste.
Identify opportunities to apply new technologies, processes, and methodologies to improve plant performance.
Conduct or coordinate safety inspections, risk assessments, and safety training.
Prepare reports on plant performance, maintenance activity, and project updates for management review.
Maintain accurate maintenance records, engineering plans, and compliance documentation.
Prepare and manage the department budget and allocate resources cost-effectively.
Ensure compliance with quality, safety, environmental, and repair requirements for engineering-owned equipment and infrastructure.
Manage assigned employees, including recruitment, scheduling, development, evaluation, performance management, and career development; hold self and employees accountable for results.
Ensure plant environmental policies and procedures reflect current DFA guidelines and regulatory requirements, and ensure proper reporting.
Follow DFA good manufacturing practices and corporate regulatory, food safety, quality, and sanitation requirements.
Perform other duties as assigned.