Senior Principal Project/Process Engineer

Paradise Tomato Kitchen•Louisville, KY

6d•$112,500 - $165,000

About The Position

The Senior Principal Project/Process Engineering position is responsible for leading end-to-end engineering strategy, facility design, process optimization, and capital project execution to support safety, food safety, operational excellence, and business growth. This requires a highly experienced engineering leader with deep expertise in greenfield and/or brownfield build outs, capital projects, process engineering, and manufacturing systems within the food production industry. A strong combination of technical depth, leadership capability, and hands-on experience implementing scalable manufacturing processes in complex food production environments is essential.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Food Engineering from an ABET-accredited school.
A minimum of 10 years of experience in a similar role in a manufacturing environment, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the food & beverage and/or bioprocessing sectors, including experience with hygienic and sanitary/sterile design of equipment and systems.
Demonstrated experience leading greenfield and brownfield capital projects.
Experience with automation, controls systems (PLC/SCADA), and digital manufacturing.
Strong expertise in process engineering principles and industrial systems design.
Proven track record of delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
Knowledge of safety and food industry regulatory requirements (e.g., OSHA, OFDA, USDA, HACCP, GMPs).
Demonstrated ability to function effectively in stressful, fast-paced situations, with the personal leadership to influence and positively motivate self and peers.
Experience walking down industrial and manufacturing sites and providing high-level condition assessments.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Expert knowledge of thermal processing requirements for foods in hermetically sealed containers.
Strong leadership skills are necessary to perpetuate and grow the mechanical engineering discipline
Experience in GMP design and compliance by other governing agencies.
Knowledge and experience in design of personal care, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, renewable energy, chemical and industrial facilities.
Experience with fabrication drawings including welding and NDE maps.
Experience with ASME Section IX weld procedures.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineering License (PE) or a “Recognized” Thermal Process Authority (PA) preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead planning, design, and execution of greenfield (new builds) and brownfield (facility expansions, retrofits, and upgrades) projects.
Facilitate the annual capital process from idea generation through project hand off and start up.
Develop project scope, budgets, timelines, and resource plans, ensuring successful delivery from concept through commissioning and startup.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Safety, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, IT and others) to align engineering solutions with business objectives.
Manage external partners including EPC firms, contractors, and equipment vendors.
Design and optimize food manufacturing processes to improve safety, food safety, efficiency, yield, throughput, and sustainability.
Apply process engineering principles such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
Evaluate and implement new technologies, automation systems, and process innovations.
Ensure processes meet safety, regulatory, food safety, and quality standards (OHSA, FDA, USDA, HACCP, 3A Sanitary Design etc.).
Drive reliability engineering strategies including preventative and predictive maintenance systems.
Identify constraints and bottlenecks and implement solutions to improve plant performance.
Standardize best practices across sites for engineering and operations.
Ensure all designs and processes comply with safety, food safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
Partner with Quality and Food Safety teams to integrate hygienic design and contamination control into plant layouts and processes.
Provide technical guidance to project engineering staff and partner with Senior Engineering Manager to provide leadership and guidance to staff processing, electrical and design engineers.
Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for engineering and process design within the organization.