Associate Engineer Technical Services

Mars Incorporated; Burr Ridge (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 102,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars Incorporated is seeking an Associate Engineer Technical Services to drive technical leadership across ice cream manufacturing platforms. The role focuses on packaging escalations, process optimization, scale-up, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure compliant, high-quality products.

The position is an on-site plant role with flexibility for occasional evenings or weekend hours to support site needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Engineering, or related technical discipline or scientific field.
• HS Diploma/GED with 5+ years of technical experience or manufacturing related role.

Responsibilities

• Lead investigation and troubleshooting for packaging escalations.
• Coordinate with external suppliers to resolve out-of-spec materials.
• Own statistical process control system implementation.
• Develop process verification for key product parameters.
• Ensure monitoring and reporting tools maintain compliance.
• Drive continuous quality improvements and waste reduction.
• Lead line trial plans to validate process capability.
• Ensure proper documentation for new launches and compliance.

Skills

Problem solving

Communication

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/Engineering or related technical field

HS Diploma/GED with 5+ years technical experience

Tools

SPC software

Data analysis tools

Line trial management tools

Job description

Job Description:

The Associate Engineer Technical Services serves as a technical resource for Ice Cream manufacturing technologies. This role provides technical leadership across process & packaging to deliver advanced troubleshooting, commercialization, scale-up, manufacturing support, and capability building across the Ice Cream platforms.

The position is responsible for managing packaging escalations, driving continuous improvement initiatives, enabling successful communication cross-functionally, and statistical process control implementation. As part of managing packaging escalations, this role will be required to liaison with both internal partners and external suppliers to resolve out of specifications materials.

This is an on-site, plant-based role which on occasion requires flexibility of working hours to support the needs of the site and business which can minimally include evenings, overnight, or weekend support.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Engineering, or related technical discipline or scientific field

OR

• High School Diploma/GED with 5+ years of technical experience or manufacturing related role

Preferred Qualifications:

• Six Sigma Green Belt or proven experience leading with problem solving tools
• Experience with implementing Statistical Process Control Concepts & Software
• Experience in commercialization, scale-up, manufacturing capability, and data analysis

What will be your key responsibilities?

Technical Support & System Authority

• First point of contact for packaging escalations by leading investigation and troubleshooting.
• Communicate with External Suppliers when materials are outside specifications and follow-through to ensure resolution.
• Own statistical process control system implementation.
• Leverage specifications and standard run conditions to maintain and develop ongoing process verification for key product parameters.
• Ensure monitoring and reporting tools are available to ensure product meets compliance.
• undefined

Advanced Problem Solving & Operational Excellence

• Through the application of complex problem-solving techniques, drive continuous quality improvements, efficiency gains, and waste reduction supporting the overall site and business goals.
• Perform trend analysis to identify opportunities for optimization.
• undefined

Commercialization, Scale-Up, & Risk Management

• Act as a liaison between R&D, Engineering, and Supply to ensure planning and risk management for initiatives on both existing and new products and processes.
• Lead and Support execution of line trial plans to deliver critical success factors and validate hypothesis on process capability.
• Create and execute data collection sampling plan for validation of design to specification, capturing process parameters to ensure repeated performance.
• Ensure successful start-up of new launches through proper documentation to ensure compliance with Quality & Food Safety, Legal, and Human Safety requirements.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

Mars does not sponsor visas for this role.

This position is not eligible for relocation benefits.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits.Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range listed is applicable to IL:USD 74,511.00 - USD 102,453.00