Director of Engineering

The Director of Engineering is responsible for leading engineering strategy, capital planning, and project execution across meat processing operations. This role oversees plant engineering, maintenance reliability, and capital improvement initiatives to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient production. The Director partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality/Food Safety, and Finance to support long-term growth, capacity expansion, and operational excellence in a USDA-regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Strategy & Capital Planning

• Develop and execute short- and long-term engineering and capital investment strategies aligned with business objectives.

• Lead capital budgeting, prioritization, and ROI analysis for plant expansions, new lines, automation, and infrastructure upgrades.

• Standardize engineering practices, equipment specifications, and design standards across facilities where applicable.

Capital Projects & Execution

• Lead end-to-end execution of capital projects, including scope development, vendor selection, budgeting, scheduling, and commissioning.

• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet operational, food safety, and regulatory requirements.

• Oversee installation and startup of new processing, packaging, refrigeration, utilities, and automation systems.

• Manage relationships with OEMs, contractors, architects, and engineering firms.

Plant Engineering & Reliability

• Provide leadership and direction to plant engineering and maintenance teams.

• Support reliability programs focused on reducing downtime, improving asset performance, and extending equipment life.

• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance strategies in partnership with Maintenance leadership.

• Support root cause analysis for equipment failures and chronic operational issues.

Food Safety, Regulatory & Compliance Support

• Ensure engineering designs and installations comply with USDA-FSIS regulations, OSHA, EPA, and local codes.

• Partner with Quality and Food Safety to ensure hygienic design principles are incorporated into equipment and facility layouts.

• Support audit readiness and corrective actions related to engineering or facility deficiencies.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations to improve throughput, yields, labor efficiency, and ergonomics.

• Partner with Finance on capital planning, cost controls, and post-project performance reviews.

• Collaborate with IT/Automation teams on controls, data systems, and smart manufacturing initiatives.

• Mentor and develop engineering leaders and high-potential talent.