{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"4e3bb9fb17ca69c59acd7523","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/4e3bb9fb17ca69c59acd7523","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/4e3bb9fb17ca69c59acd7523","title":"Senior Process Engineer","description":"Job Title: Senior Process Engineer\n\nDepartment: Maintenance / Engineering\n\nReports To: This position typically reports to the President of Engineering and the Vice President of Engineering and serves as a key member of the site leadership team. The role works closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, vendors, contractors, and external regulatory or auditing partners. This Position does not have any direct reports.\n\nJob Summary: The Director of Engineering provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all engineering, maintenance, reliability, automation, utilities, facilities, and capital project activities within a sous vide food manufacturing environment. This role ensures that plant equipment, infrastructure, and technical systems support safe, compliant, efficient, and high-quality production of refrigerated and ready-to-eat food products. The Director partners closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, and Executive Leadership to drive equipment reliability, production uptime, process improvement, regulatory compliance, and long-term manufacturing capability.\n\nKey Responsibilities:\n\nDevelop and execute the plant engineering strategy to improve safety, quality, food safety, throughput, labor efficiency, equipment uptime, sanitation effectiveness, and cost performance.\nAssist with capital planning and execution, including project scope development, budget management, vendor selection, contractor oversight, installation, commissioning, startup, and post-project performance validation.\nProvide technical leadership for sous vide processing systems, cook tanks, chill systems, vacuum packaging equipment, boilers, refrigeration, compressed air, water systems, wastewater systems, conveyors, automation, controls, PLCs, HMIs, and facility infrastructure.\nPartner with Quality Assurance and Food Safety to ensure engineering practices support HACCP, GMP, GFSI/SQF or BRC requirements, USDA/FDA expectations as applicable, allergen controls, sanitation design, hygienic zoning, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.\nDrive continuous improvement initiatives using root cause analysis, 5-Why, A3, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, standard work, and data-driven problem solving.\nEnsure all engineering and maintenance activities comply with OSHA, LOTO, electrical safety, ammonia or refrigeration safety requirements where applicable, environmental regulations, company safety standards, and local building codes.\nLead the engineering, maintenance, reliability, facilities, utilities, and automation functions for a high-volume sous vide food manufacturing plant.\n\nBuild, coach, and develop a high-performing technical team, including maintenance managers, engineers, supervisors, planners, technicians, controls specialists, and project resources.\nManage engineering and maintenance budgets, capital expenditures, contractor spend, utilities usage, MRO inventory, and cost-reduction initiatives.\nSupport new product introductions, line extensions, process validations, packaging changes, capacity expansions, and automation improvements.\nEstablish engineering standards, project management practices, sanitation-ready equipment design expectations, documentation controls, and technical training programs.\nServe as a key member of the plant leadership team, providing clear communication, risk assessments, project updates, and technical recommendations to senior leadership.\n\nQualifications:\n\nBachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field required; advanced degree preferred.\n15 or more years of progressive engineering, maintenance, reliability, or technical operations experience in food manufacturing, refrigerated foods, ready-to-eat foods, protein processing, sous vide, aseptic, pharmaceutical, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.\n7 or more years of leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, reliability, automation, or facilities teams in a 24/7 manufacturing operation.\nDemonstrated experience leading capital projects, plant expansions, equipment installations, automation upgrades, and commissioning activities.\nStrong knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance, CMMS systems, maintenance planning, reliability-centered maintenance, root cause analysis, and spare parts management.\nWorking knowledge of food safety and regulatory programs, including HACCP, GMPs, sanitation design, allergen control, environmental monitoring, GFSI standards such as SQF or BRC, and OSHA requirements.\nExperience with refrigeration, boilers, thermal processing, chilled water systems, vacuum packaging, cook/chill operations, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, conveyors, utilities, and plant infrastructure required.\nStrong financial acumen, including budget preparation, capital justification, return-on-investment analysis, vendor management, and cost control.\nExcellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.\n\nPhysical Requirements:\n\nWork is performed in both office and food manufacturing plant environments, including refrigerated, wet, hot, and high-noise production areas.\nMust be able to regularly walk production floors, access equipment areas, inspect utilities and mechanical spaces, and respond to operational issues.\nWill require availability outside normal business hours to support plant operations, critical downtime events, project installations, audits, inspections, or emergency response needs.\nTravel required: 40-60% as needed.\nMust comply with all company safety, food safety, GMP, personal protective equipment, and sanitation requirements.\n\nCompetencies:\n\nStrategic thinker who can translate business goals into practical engineering priorities.\nHands-on technical leader comfortable working on the plant floor and engaging directly with equipment, technicians, operators, and supervisors.\nStrong change leader with the ability to build structure, accountability, and consistency in a fast-paced production environment.\nCollaborative partner who can balance production needs, food safety requirements, capital constraints, and long-term reliability goals.\nData-driven decision maker with a focus on measurable improvements in safety, uptime, quality, yield, labor efficiency, utilities usage, and maintenance cost.\nExperience with ROI capitol analysis, Standardized subcontractor RFQ, Technical OEM approval drawing reviews, OEM FAT & PAT.\nSubcontractor competitive bid review and analysis.\nStandardizing plant material selection and means and methods for equipment install.\nAbility to read and interrupt PFD, P&ID, ISO and DWG drawings. Working Knowledge of AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Procore, Microsoft Excell, Project and other software as required.\nContinuous improvement mindset with experience standardizing processes and developing technical talent.","company":"Cuisinesolutions","rawCompany":"cuisinesolutions","city":"Sterling","state":"VA","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-29T11:18:15.511Z","occupations":[{"code":"11-9041.00","title":"Architectural and Engineering Managers","slug":"architectural-and-engineering-managers"},{"code":"17-2112.03","title":"Manufacturing Engineers","slug":"manufacturing-engineers"},{"code":"17-2112.00","title":"Industrial Engineers","slug":"industrial-engineers"}],"industries":[{"code":"311991","title":"Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing","slug":"perishable-prepared-food-manufacturing"},{"code":"333241","title":"Food Product Machinery Manufacturing","slug":"food-product-machinery-manufacturing"},{"code":"311412","title":"Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing","slug":"frozen-specialty-food-manufacturing"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Senior Process Engineer","description":"Job Title: Senior Process Engineer\n\nDepartment: Maintenance / Engineering\n\nReports To: This position typically reports to the President of Engineering and the Vice President of Engineering and serves as a key member of the site leadership team. The role works closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, vendors, contractors, and external regulatory or auditing partners. This Position does not have any direct reports.\n\nJob Summary: The Director of Engineering provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all engineering, maintenance, reliability, automation, utilities, facilities, and capital project activities within a sous vide food manufacturing environment. This role ensures that plant equipment, infrastructure, and technical systems support safe, compliant, efficient, and high-quality production of refrigerated and ready-to-eat food products. The Director partners closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, and Executive Leadership to drive equipment reliability, production uptime, process improvement, regulatory compliance, and long-term manufacturing capability.\n\nKey Responsibilities:\n\nDevelop and execute the plant engineering strategy to improve safety, quality, food safety, throughput, labor efficiency, equipment uptime, sanitation effectiveness, and cost performance.\nAssist with capital planning and execution, including project scope development, budget management, vendor selection, contractor oversight, installation, commissioning, startup, and post-project performance validation.\nProvide technical leadership for sous vide processing systems, cook tanks, chill systems, vacuum packaging equipment, boilers, refrigeration, compressed air, water systems, wastewater systems, conveyors, automation, controls, PLCs, HMIs, and facility infrastructure.\nPartner with Quality Assurance and Food Safety to ensure engineering practices support HACCP, GMP, GFSI/SQF or BRC requirements, USDA/FDA expectations as applicable, allergen controls, sanitation design, hygienic zoning, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.\nDrive continuous improvement initiatives using root cause analysis, 5-Why, A3, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, standard work, and data-driven problem solving.\nEnsure all engineering and maintenance activities comply with OSHA, LOTO, electrical safety, ammonia or refrigeration safety requirements where applicable, environmental regulations, company safety standards, and local building codes.\nLead the engineering, maintenance, reliability, facilities, utilities, and automation functions for a high-volume sous vide food manufacturing plant.\n\nBuild, coach, and develop a high-performing technical team, including maintenance managers, engineers, supervisors, planners, technicians, controls specialists, and project resources.\nManage engineering and maintenance budgets, capital expenditures, contractor spend, utilities usage, MRO inventory, and cost-reduction initiatives.\nSupport new product introductions, line extensions, process validations, packaging changes, capacity expansions, and automation improvements.\nEstablish engineering standards, project management practices, sanitation-ready equipment design expectations, documentation controls, and technical training programs.\nServe as a key member of the plant leadership team, providing clear communication, risk assessments, project updates, and technical recommendations to senior leadership.\n\nQualifications:\n\nBachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field required; advanced degree preferred.\n15 or more years of progressive engineering, maintenance, reliability, or technical operations experience in food manufacturing, refrigerated foods, ready-to-eat foods, protein processing, sous vide, aseptic, pharmaceutical, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.\n7 or more years of leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, reliability, automation, or facilities teams in a 24/7 manufacturing operation.\nDemonstrated experience leading capital projects, plant expansions, equipment installations, automation upgrades, and commissioning activities.\nStrong knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance, CMMS systems, maintenance planning, reliability-centered maintenance, root cause analysis, and spare parts management.\nWorking knowledge of food safety and regulatory programs, including HACCP, GMPs, sanitation design, allergen control, environmental monitoring, GFSI standards such as SQF or BRC, and OSHA requirements.\nExperience with refrigeration, boilers, thermal processing, chilled water systems, vacuum packaging, cook/chill operations, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, conveyors, utilities, and plant infrastructure required.\nStrong financial acumen, including budget preparation, capital justification, return-on-investment analysis, vendor management, and cost control.\nExcellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.\n\nPhysical Requirements:\n\nWork is performed in both office and food manufacturing plant environments, including refrigerated, wet, hot, and high-noise production areas.\nMust be able to regularly walk production floors, access equipment areas, inspect utilities and mechanical spaces, and respond to operational issues.\nWill require availability outside normal business hours to support plant operations, critical downtime events, project installations, audits, inspections, or emergency response needs.\nTravel required: 40-60% as needed.\nMust comply with all company safety, food safety, GMP, personal protective equipment, and sanitation requirements.\n\nCompetencies:\n\nStrategic thinker who can translate business goals into practical engineering priorities.\nHands-on technical leader comfortable working on the plant floor and engaging directly with equipment, technicians, operators, and supervisors.\nStrong change leader with the ability to build structure, accountability, and consistency in a fast-paced production environment.\nCollaborative partner who can balance production needs, food safety requirements, capital constraints, and long-term reliability goals.\nData-driven decision maker with a focus on measurable improvements in safety, uptime, quality, yield, labor efficiency, utilities usage, and maintenance cost.\nExperience with ROI capitol analysis, Standardized subcontractor RFQ, Technical OEM approval drawing reviews, OEM FAT & PAT.\nSubcontractor competitive bid review and analysis.\nStandardizing plant material selection and means and methods for equipment install.\nAbility to read and interrupt PFD, P&ID, ISO and DWG drawings. Working Knowledge of AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Procore, Microsoft Excell, Project and other software as required.\nContinuous improvement mindset with experience standardizing processes and developing technical talent.","datePosted":"2026-08-29T11:18:15.511Z","dateModified":"2026-08-29T11:18:15.511Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Cuisinesolutions","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Sterling","addressRegion":"VA","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"4e3bb9fb17ca69c59acd7523"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/4e3bb9fb17ca69c59acd7523"}}