engineering manager - Poultry

The Engineering Manager is responsible for providing technical leadership, strategic oversight, and hands-on guidance to ensure that all plant facilities, utilities, and equipment operate safely, efficiently, and reliably. This role oversees the maintenance and engineering teams, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and ensures compliance with all regulatory, environmental, and food-safety requirements. A key focus is maximizing equipment uptime, optimizing asset performance, and supporting production goals through effective planning, training, and resource management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and develop maintenance supervisors, technicians, and engineering staff to build a high-performing, safety-focused team.

• Oversee daily maintenance operations to ensure equipment reliability, reduced downtime, and alignment with production goals.

• Manage the plant's capital projects, ensuring completion within budget, scope, and timeline expectations.

• Maintain and improve plant utilities, including ammonia refrigeration systems, boilers, HVAC, wastewater treatment, and other critical infrastructure.

• Ensure all maintenance and engineering activities comply with environmental, OSHA, USDA, and company standards.

• Develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs to enhance equipment performance and reduce operational costs.

• Collaborate with production, quality assurance, safety, and technical services teams to support plant operations and long-term growth initiatives.

• Maintain accurate documentation, maintenance records, and regulatory reporting for inspections and audits.

• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for equipment issues, process inefficiencies, and safety concerns.

• Build strong vendor and contractor relationships to support equipment upgrades, repairs, and service agreements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

• Minimum 5 years of engineering or maintenance management experience in the food processing industry, preferably poultry or protein manufacturing.

• Strong technical background in mechanical systems; electrical and automation knowledge highly valued.

• Experience with ammonia refrigeration, wastewater systems, and hazardous materials management.

• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage budgets, and oversee complex projects.

• Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.

• Proficient with maintenance management systems, standard office software, and engineering tools.

• Strong commitment to safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.