Project Engineer, Manager

Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Iberica SA.; Ilhéus; On-site; BRL 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Iberica SA. seeks an accomplished Project Engineer to oversee capital projects within Brazil's Cocoa Operations, based in Itabuna with support to Ilhéus. You will manage concepts through implementation, align with safety standards, and drive stakeholder collaboration across plants.

You will lead cross-functional teams, manage timelines and budgets, and mentor engineers, while coordinating with corporate COE and global teams for best practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required; Master’s degree is a strong asset.
• 10+ years of progressive engineering project management in FMCG, food process, or consumer goods industries.
• Strong leadership of multidisciplinary technical teams and execution of large-scale CapEx projects.
• Advanced/Fluent English; Portuguese fluency required; PMP certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal and outsourced engineering teams on capital projects.
• Establish priorities, track budgets, deploy governance and direct consultants/contractors.
• Review designs, technical reports, and ensure approvals from main stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Procurement to drive cost-effective project execution.
• Foster an inclusive, high-performance engineering culture.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

English

Portuguese

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

SAP

MS Project

Primavera

Job description

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At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business-to-business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate. We have a long-standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide.We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

About the role:

Under the direction of the Senior Regional Engineering Manager, the Project Engineer will play a pivotal role in overseeing and executing capital projects (CapEx) within a dynamic multinational food industry environment. This role sits within a multidisciplinary Engineering department that supports the Manufacturing Operations for Barry Callebaut’s Cocoa Business Units in Brazil.

This role encompasses the full spectrum of project management responsibilities, beginning with the initial concept and feasibility studies, extending through engineering design, procurement, and into the implementation phase of the project lifecycle. The individual will be instrumental in translating business needs into actionable project plans, ensuring successful project delivery while adhering to industry standards and company policies. The Senior Project Engineer is expected to foster a culture of excellence and innovation, driving teams towards achieving strategic objectives, and preparing themselves as a natural pipeline for engineering management.

This position will be based in Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil, but will also support a second factory in Ilhéus, Bahia, requiring travel between the plants when necessary. As part of the Engineering organization, active information and data exchange with Corporate and Global COE teams will be a core aspect of the position.

The main stakeholders for this position will be all the departments present at the sites, including Plant Managers, Quality Assurance, HSE, HR, Maintenance, R&D, Supply Chain, and Production teams.

The core mission of this position relies on deep technical and managerial skills to ensure the adoption of high-level engineering standards in all capital projects. It requires strong management of timeline and costs, owning a robust and well-designed communication plan, creating synergy between departments, and securing the buy-in of all teams involved. This position will lead internal and outsourced teams working on a wide range of capital projects, from layout improvements to complex brownfield or greenfield project execution.This is a high-visibility position within the organization, offering a solid career path and succession pipeline to engineering management within Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead, mentor, and oversee the work of internal engineers, outsourced engineering companies, and technical staff, exercising strong technical and administrative leadership;
• Improve existing frameworks and establish new engineering standards, internal work instructions, and quality control procedures for the department;
• Act as the lead Project Manager on construction and infrastructure expansion projects; establish priorities, track project budgets, deploy robust project governance (such as staged-gate processes), and direct the work of consultants and contractors;
• Administer contracts, evaluate engineering deliverables, and approve milestone payments to contractors and vendors;
• Foster and promote an equitable, inclusive, and respectful workplace environment that values multicultural teamwork;
• Review and approve technical designs, engineering studies, technical reports, and specifications, ensuring formal alignment and approval from all main stakeholders;
• Proactively obtain and integrate stakeholder input during planning, design, and construction phases; participate in steering committees and represent the Engineering function in operational decisions;
• Collaborate with the management team to plan, organize, and allocate resources to complete projects within defined budgets and schedules; lead the development of competitive bidding documents and participate in contract awards;
• Ensure project completion in full compliance with work plans, as well as federal, state, and local laws, regulations, environmental ordinances, and safety codes;
• Partner with the Procurement team to drive strategic sourcing, selection, and management of contractors and suppliers, ensuring cost-effective project execution;
• Lead comprehensive Risk Management strategies, identifying potential bottlenecks early, developing mitigation plans, and creating contingency scenarios to manage project uncertainties;
• Lead budget estimation for the site's CapEx Mid-Term Plan (MTP), reporting directly to and validating financial strategies with the Engineering Manager.

Scope :

• The scope of work will be primarily performed at our cocoa plant in Itabuna, with extended support to the Ilhéus facility;
• This role contributes to and supervises the strategic CapEx portfolio for the designated sites, playing a critical role in regional business growth;
• Internal project engineering staff and outsourced engineering teams assigned to the projects will report directly to this position;
• Crucial accountability for establishing a highly communicative environment, utilizing adequate tracking tools, and ensuring that stakeholder needs are fully met throughout the project lifecycle.

About you:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Control & Automation, or related fields) is required. A Master's degree (MS or MBA) is considered a strong asset;
• 10+ years of progressive engineering project management experience within the FMCG, food process, or consumer goods industry;
• Solid, proven experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and executing large-scale CapEx projects;
• Advanced/Fluent proficiency in English (essential for corporate and global communication); fluency in Portuguese is required;
• High proficiency in Project Management tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera) and familiarity with Engineering software (e.g., AutoCAD, SolidWorks) and ERP systems (SAP);
• Strong background in process automation, utilities/infrastructure, or civil/construction within an industrial environment;
• Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and present complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences;
• Experience or exposure to international manufacturing environments and corporate engineering standards is highly desirable;
• PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification is a plus.

At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong.#oneBC - Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.

If you want to learn more about Barry Callebaut, please find further information here .

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