Plant Engineer

Our client is a leading U.S. meat and protein manufacturer, recognized for delivering premium products to retail, foodservice, and export markets. With a reputation built on operational excellence, food safety, innovation, and continuous investment in its people and facilities, the business operates some of the most advanced protein processing plants in North America.

As part of its ongoing commitment to engineering excellence and operational performance, we have been retained to recruit an experienced Plant Engineer to join a flagship manufacturing facility.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a forward-thinking engineering professional to lead capital projects, improve plant reliability, optimize manufacturing assets, and play a key role in driving continuous improvement across a high-volume processing operation.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Plant Manager, the Plant Engineer will be responsible for leading engineering initiatives that improve safety, reliability, efficiency, and productivity across the facility. You will oversee capital projects from concept through commissioning while partnering closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Food Safety, and Corporate Engineering to ensure manufacturing assets perform at their highest level.

This role is ideal for an engineering leader who combines strong technical expertise with excellent project management skills and a passion for solving complex operational challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of capital engineering projects, ensuring completion on time and within budget.
• Identify and implement equipment upgrades, automation initiatives, and process improvements that enhance operational performance.
• Support plant reliability by working closely with Maintenance to improve equipment performance, reduce downtime, and extend asset life.
• Manage engineering aspects of new equipment installations, facility expansions, production line modifications, and commissioning activities.
• Develop technical specifications, scope of work, and contractor management plans for engineering projects.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, throughput, yield, energy efficiency, and cost reduction.
• Ensure all engineering projects comply with USDA, OSHA, FSIS, environmental, and company food safety standards.
• Provide technical expertise in troubleshooting complex mechanical, electrical, utility, refrigeration, and process-related issues.
• Support preventive and predictive maintenance strategies through equipment design improvements and root cause analysis.
• Manage engineering budgets, capital expenditure planning, and project reporting.
• Collaborate with corporate engineering teams to implement best practices, standardization, and new technologies across the site.
• Champion engineering innovation while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure is advantageous but not required.
• 5+ years of engineering experience within meat processing, poultry, protein manufacturing, food manufacturing, or other high-volume industrial environments.
• Proven experience managing capital projects within a manufacturing setting.
• Strong knowledge of industrial mechanical systems, electrical systems, refrigeration, steam, ammonia, utilities, hydraulics, pneumatics, and automated production equipment.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma, TPM, or Operational Excellence methodologies.
• Working knowledge of USDA, FSIS, OSHA, GMP, HACCP, and food manufacturing regulatory requirements.
• Strong project management, budgeting, contractor management, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, project management software, CMMS platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite is preferred.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving abilities with a collaborative leadership style.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role will be measured by your ability to successfully deliver capital projects, improve plant reliability, enhance manufacturing efficiency, reduce operational costs, and support long-term engineering strategies that strengthen overall plant performance.

You will be viewed as a trusted technical leader who partners effectively across the business to solve complex engineering challenges while driving continuous improvement and innovation.

What's on Offer

Our client offers the opportunity to join one of the most respected names in the U.S. meat and protein industry, where engineering is viewed as a strategic driver of operational success.

In return, you'll receive:

• Competitive base salary with annual performance bonus.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid vacation and company holidays.
• Relocation assistance where applicable.
• Ongoing professional development and leadership training.
• Significant exposure to large-scale capital investment projects and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Long-term career progression within a growing, industry-leading organization.