Staff Engineer - Utilities

Agropur•Appleton, WI

3d•Remote

About The Position

The Staff Engineer – Utilities Systems serves as the enterprise technical authority for utility systems across Agropur’s manufacturing network. The role covers refrigeration, steam and boiler systems, thermal fluid systems, compressed air, water systems, and energy infrastructure critical to food and dairy processing operations. It provides subject matter expertise in the design, operation, optimization, troubleshooting, and strategic application of these systems. The Staff Engineer provides technical leadership for utilities system design, integration, and optimization; leads technical reviews of major capital projects; and serves as the final technical authority for utilities-related engineering decisions. The role supports system selection, capacity planning, redundancy, and resilience, and makes technical decisions in ambiguous or high-risk situations. It also supports concept development, feasibility studies, engineering design reviews, and Operational Excellence initiatives addressing complex reliability, capacity, and performance issues. The position builds and maintains enterprise utilities design and operating standards, establishes safe-operation best practices—including ammonia refrigeration safety and boiler integrity—and provides technical guidance on energy management and sustainability, including heat recovery and efficiency. It supports energy-aware design principles for capital projects and monitors emerging utilities technologies. The role is regular, Monday through Friday, remote, with a 50% travel requirement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering; Mechanical or Chemical Engineering preferred.
10+ years of experience in utilities systems engineering or capital project execution.
Demonstrated expertise in one or more utilities systems, with working knowledge across others.
Experience developing technical standards and specifications.
Strong understanding of industrial utilities in food or dairy environments.
Working knowledge of safety and regulatory requirements.
Strong understanding of energy systems and efficiency drivers.
Strong communication and influencing skills.
Experience facilitating technical reviews.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting central utilities systems design.
Experience with refrigeration and/or boiler systems.
Experience implementing enterprise standards.
Experience with energy optimization programs.
Experience working with OEMs and engineering firms.
Familiarity with digital tools for utilities optimization.

Responsibilities

Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for utilities systems, including refrigeration (ammonia/CO₂), boilers and steam systems, cooling towers, chilled water, compressed air, and plant water systems.
Provide technical leadership for utilities system design, integration, and optimization across utilities infrastructure.
Lead technical reviews of major capital projects involving utilities systems.
Serve as the final technical authority for utilities-related engineering decisions.
Support strategic decisions about utilities system selection, capacity planning, redundancy, and resilience.
Make high-quality technical decisions in ambiguous or high-risk situations.
Participate in concept development, feasibility studies, and engineering design reviews.
Support Operational Excellence initiatives by addressing complex reliability, capacity, and performance issues.
Build and maintain enterprise utilities system design and operating standards.
Establish best practices for safe operation of utilities systems, including ammonia refrigeration safety and boiler integrity.
Provide technical guidance on energy management and sustainability considerations, including heat recovery and efficiency.
Support development of energy-aware design principles across capital projects.
Monitor and evaluate emerging utilities technologies.