Regional Project Engineer

8th Avenue Food & Provisions is a growing organization made up of businesses that produce and sell quality products including pasta, peanut butter, granola, and fruit and nut trail mixes to retail, foodservice and ingredient customers. The company was formed in October 2018 through a combination of Post Holdings’ private brands businesses and is owned by Post Holdings and funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (“THL”), a private equity firm.

About the Role

We are looking for a driven Engineering leader with deep expertise and demonstrated results in capital project management and execution. As a key part of the Corporate team, you will be the technical resource who leads complex and strategic Capital projects for your region, driving improvements to optimize the system performance, safety, quality, delivery, and cost of our manufacturing sites. You will be a key leader in driving engineering maturity across the region, partnering with other engineers for best practice sharing and standardization. Travel required is 30-50%.

Key Responsibilities

• Owns the region’s capital project portfolio – leads and manages the execution of processing/packaging/infrastructure capital projects ranging from $500,000 to $10 million each
• Develop technical solutions for all large, complex, and strategic projects within the region
• Be a mentor and leader to Plant Engineers, Maintenance managers, and others who are executing CAPEX projects
• Lead the development the 3-5 Year Capital Plan strategy and prioritization of future projects
• Partner with other cross-functional departments to provide technical solutions and input towards operational challenges
• Identify and capture major rebuild for equipment that qualify for CAPEX
• Identify advancements in automation and new technology that will provide cost saving to the business
• Participates in capital feasibility studies, budget cost estimates, timelines and business justifications supporting the Capital Approval Request submission and approval process
• Presents capital project submissions to senior leadership for approvals
• Identifies and proposes equipment and processing options to meet business objectives and standardization
• Leads the Engineering Work Process for assigned Capital projects, including project scope and user requirements definition, engineering design, equipment specification and procurement, factory acceptance testing, bid tender process, OEM and contractor management, site acceptance testing, construction and equipment installation, commissioning/qualification/verification (CQV) and initial operation

• Develop tools, standards, and guidelines to enhance the company maturity in the engineering process. Examples are (but not limited to) cost estimation tools, RFP development, design reviews, project timelines, FAT protocols, SAT protocols, cost management, etc.
• Manages and coordinates site project teams and contractors to ensure successful project outcomes

• Communicates clearly, both written and verbally, with contractors, plant personnel, peers, and management.
• Prioritizes and ensures that projects fulfill all relevant regulatory and company standards, specifications, and policies, including people safety, sanitary design and food safety, and equipment standardization
• Identify, support and participate in manufacturing process improvements, continuous improvement projects and cost savings initiatives

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelors Science in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or equivalent degree is required
• 7-10 years of progressive experience in Capital Project Management and food process design
• 3-5 years’ experience in Continuous Improvement; TPM methodology preferred
• Background and experience in Food & Beverage / Chemicals / Pharma preferred
• Knowledge of sanitary design and food engineering principles preferred
• Professional certification as Project Management Professional (PMP) preferred
• Experience in controls, automation, preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated capability and successes in Project Management, Process Engineering, CQV and start-up
• Experienced in developing AutoCAD drawings
• Experience in other modeling softwares such as Sketchup
• Knowledge and ability in Front End Loading (FEL) design and Early Equipment Management (EEM)
• Knowledge and ability in statistical data analysis and continuous improvement methodology; TPM preferred
• Results oriented and ability to deliver successful project outcomes regarding Time, Cost, Quality, and manufacturing performance and reliability
• Strong planning skills, and the ability to follow-up and successfully execute plans
• Demonstrated ability to drive change, influence multiple plants, and comfortable working on the factory floor
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, with demonstrated experience in effectively coaching and influencing teams not in a reporting relationship
• Ability to work independently across multiple sites and stakeholders, both internal and external
• EQ (emotional quotient) awareness in self-management and engagement of others

Physical Requirements: Qualified candidates must be able to perform the following physical job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds for 1+ hours per day
• Must be able to sit, stand and walk for 7+ hours per day
• Must be able to perform simple grasping for 7+ hours per shift
• Must be able to express and exchange written or spoken word