Principal Engineer - Food Manufacturing

Principal Engineer - Food Manufacturing

Alsip, IL 60803 - Griffith Foods Manufacturing Facility, One Griffith Center, Alsip, Illinois, United States of America
Req #3707

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Griffith Foods is a global manufacturer of food products. We provide a wide range of taste and texture components for food industry customers throughout the world. Our products include seasoning blends, dry mixes, coating systems, dough blends, crumbs, flavors, sauces and food bases that are used in an extensive variety of application from snack foods and processed meat and poultry to ready meals. Our customers include food processors, restaurant operators and grocery retailers. While our name may not be familiar to consumers, our products are key components of foods offered by many of the world's best-known companies.

Location: Alsip, IL or Lithonia, GA

Pay Scale: Min $115K - Max $160K (US Currency)

Summary: This position is responsible for regional investment, environmental, and maintenance programs; development of factory engineers' competencies; lead and assist standards development and application; execution of projects end to end, from concept development through project closing and operational support, utilizing Project Management Principles and Early Management Principles. Also, responsible for resource strategy development and execution.

This role does not have direct reports; however, this position exercises functional authority over the factory and Business Unit CAPEX plans and site's Project Managers accountable/responsible for capital projects. This may include, but is not exclusive to Maintenance Managers, Production Supervisors, Process Improvement Engineers, etc. Works with internal plant teams including, but not limited to Operations, Plant Management, Maintenance and Finance.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Project Management

• Responsible for the management, planning through execution, of the overall CAPEX process and project outcomes of the plant team. This includes overall control of expenditures within unit & specific project budget. Responsible for capital cash flow forecasting and spending.
• Coordinates, and exercises functional authority for planning, organization, control, integration, and completion of engineering projects within the assigned facility (or facilities).
• Exercises functional authority over personnel that work on projects, such as Maintenance, Continuous Improvement, and outside contractors; this includes coordinating and negotiating project staffing requirements.
• Provides integral communication with the broader team to enable planning, troubleshooting, and execution of key initiatives. This includes the preparation and presentation of plans to project stakeholders / Steering Committee depending on the size of each capital initiative.
• Conducts process improvement initiatives through Capital Projects. Coordinates the launch of manufacturing upgrades including establishing goals, training team members and evaluating results, as well as being responsible for project integration into the plant operation.

Strategic Planning Support

• Prepares and maintains detailed layouts of buildings and equipment, in support of the development of Master Plans for the assigned site(s). Such Master Plans shall be updated at least once a year.
• Maintains interface with Business Unit and Supply Chain Leadership to provide Capital Plan updates and ensure customer needs are met.
• Supports standards development/application. Support development/application of ways of working.

Early Management &Vertical Startup Up Expertise

• This position is the subject matter expert for Project Management Principles and Early Management and VSU within the assigned site and incorporates its concepts to each initiative. As such, this position owns the VSU roadmap for each project, as necessary.
• Responsible for Project Management Principles training/coaching project engineers.
• Responsible for Early Management Principles, training/coaching project engineers.
• Additionally, this position is the subject matter expert for Maintenance Prevention, Design FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), TT&T (Technology Transfer and Training), FAT (Factory Acceptance Testing), SAT (Site Acceptance Testing) and CQV (Commissioning, Qualification and Verification) methodologies.
• This position assigns and oversees project personnel over each specific phases of the VSU cycle of a project, documenting all aspects of project execution within the VSU framework, such as project deliverable definition, design lock (Integrated Design Brief & Scope) document elaboration, FAT, SAT and CQV checklists elaboration and execution, etc.
• This position would mentor other project engineers and provide daily guidance.

Other

• Participates in special projects, other duties or tasks that may be assigned as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, or related fields like Mechatronic Engineering.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in capital project engineering within a food manufacturing or process industry environment.

• Strong execution and business acumen in manufacturing processes for improvements in all Supply Chain dimensions (Safety & Sustainability, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Morale), based on technological knowledge.
• Proven track record of successfully managing capital projects.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing equipment selection, evaluation, and installation.
• Proficiency in electrical and mechanical system design, scope development, and execution.
• Experience in collaborating with contractors, vendors, and cross-functional teams to drive project success.
• In-depth understanding of food manufacturing processes, industry regulations, and safety standards.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills with a purposeful mindset.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies and tools, such as MS Project, AutoCAD, or similar.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification or equivalent experience.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Familiarity with automation, PLCs, and process controls within a food manufacturing setting.
• Must be able to travel 50%.

Benefits:

Benefits for this role include Medical, Rx, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts, EAP, Health Advocacy, Financial Planning, Parental Leave, Care.com, Adoption & Surrogacy Assistance, Education Assistance/Tuition Reimbursement, Safety Reimbursement, Lifestyle Spending Account, Group Life & AD&D, Voluntary Life Insurance, Short Term & Long Term Disability, 401(k) Plan with Company Match, ESOP, PTO, Holiday's & Leaves, Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Hospital Indemnity, Home & Auto Insurance, Pet Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, Long Term Care + Life Insurance & Legal Assistance. There is also potential for a discretionary bonus, this bonus is based on personal & company performance and is not a guaranteed bonus plan.

LI#DNI

• Alsip, IL 60803 - Griffith Foods Manufacturing Facility, One Griffith Center, Alsip, Illinois, United States of America