Assistant Plant Engineer

Ilocatum; Denison (IA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Ilocatum in Denison, Iowa is seeking an Assistant Plant Engineer on the 1st shift to oversee maintenance and engineering operations, ensuring the building and equipment remain in top condition to minimize downtime. Reporting to the Plant Engineer, you will lead preventive/predictive maintenance, TPM, and OEE improvement efforts.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and 5+ years in manufacturing, plus 2+ years of leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and 5+ years of related manufacturing experience.
• 2+ years in a leadership role including team development and management.
• PLC and ammonia refrigeration experience is a must have.
• Food manufacturing background is a plus.
• Proficiency with CMMS, PLCs, instrumentation, and mechanical systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee capital project development and post-approval management, delivering projects on time and on budget.
• Collaborate with the Plant Engineer to manage scheduling and execution, ensuring safety and environmental standards.
• Lead Maintenance Department in TPM, Preventive/Predictive Maintenance, and related systems.
• Optimize resource scheduling to increase output and reduce downtime; control costs and boost capacity.
• Lead maintenance team, delegate tasks, enforce policies, and ensure clear responsibilities.
• Champion plant safety through training, procedures, and ongoing monitoring.
• Develop and maintain KPIs to track maintenance performance (supplier effectiveness, OEE).
• Foster positive employee experience via leadership, development, and coaching.

Skills

Leadership

Preventive/Predictive Maintenance

Problem Solving

Communication

Safety Compliance

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

5+ years manufacturing experience

2+ years leadership

Tools

CMMS

PLC Programming

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title: Assistant Plant Engineer – 1st shift

Location: Denison, Iowa

Salary: $115K – 140K plus bonus

Job Summary of the Assistant Plant Engineer: As the Assistant Plant Engineer, reporting to the Plant Engineer, you’ll take charge of managing the maintenance and engineering operations within the plant, ensuring the building and equipment remain in top condition. Your efforts will minimize mechanical downtime and keep production lines running at peak efficiency.

Job Duties & Responsibilities of the Assistant Plant Engineer:

• Responsible for capital project development and post-approval management, ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and with minimal disruption to plant operations.


• Collaborate closely with the Plant Engineer, to manage project scheduling and execution, ensuring all projects meet safety, food safety, and environmental standards.


• Lead the Maintenance Department in developing and implementing cutting-edge systems aligned with High-Performing Manufacturing Organizations, including Preventive/Predictive Maintenance, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and more.


• Optimize resource scheduling to ensure maximum work output while minimizing downtime, reducing costs, and boosting plant capacity to decrease the unscheduled downtime and increase plant efficiency.


• Lead the maintenance team by delegating tasks, enforcing policies, and ensuring clear work responsibilities are assigned.


• Act as the champion of plant safety to drive and enforce safety standards through training, procedure implementation, and continuous monitoring.


• Work with the Plant Engineer to develop and maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track and report maintenance performance, including supplier effectiveness, equipment reliability, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).


• Lead a positive employee experience through leadership by way of employee development and coaching.

Education & Experience Requirements of the Assistant Plant Engineer:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Engineering or related field and 5+ years of related experience in a manufacturing environment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience, required.


• 2+ years’ experience in a position of leadership including team development and management, required.


• PLC and ammonia refrigeration experience is a must have.


• Food manufacturing background required, meat or kill floor/harvest floor experience a plus.


• Possess thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and CMMS systems.


• Possess advanced technical skills in the mechanical and/or electrical fields (e.g. PLCs, instrumentation, mechanical systems, etc).


• Must be able to lead resource planning and management efforts in a large manufacturing environment.


• Thorough knowledge of maintenance systems, work order process, preventive/predictive maintenance, TPM, etc.


• Ability to use exposure monitoring equipment, interpret and communicate results.


• Capable of communicating and expressing ideas clearly and concisely, in both written and oral formats.


• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.


• Strong interpersonal, technical and presentation skills required.


• May be required to work long hours and weekends.