Director of Engineering & Multi-Site Automation

US02 Solina USA Inc.

Bolingbrook (IL)

On-site

USD 150,000 - 210,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Solina USA in Bolingbrook, Illinois, is seeking a Director of Engineering to lead engineering, capital projects, and multi-site maintenance strategies across all facilities. The role owns the CAPEX plan and ensures projects are delivered safely, on schedule, and within budget.

The Director provides functional leadership to maintenance leaders, drives reliability with standardized KPIs, and supports electrical, controls, and automation initiatives as part of Solina’s automation roadmap.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field) required.
10+ years of progressive engineering, maintenance, and/or capital project leadership experience within food manufacturing or similarly regulated process manufacturing; multi-site experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience building CAPEX plans and executing capital projects from concept through commissioning while maintaining budget and schedule adherence.
Proven people leadership experience, including direct management of professional staff and functional leadership of site leaders.
Strong understanding of preventative maintenance, reliability fundamentals, and KPI-driven performance management.
Working knowledge of electrical systems, industrial automation, PLCs, instrumentation, VFDs/servo drives, and SCADA concepts; ability to lead troubleshooting and partner effectively with integrators.
Strong sanitary design and hygienic engineering knowledge applicable to sauce/seasoning and food processing facilities.
Commitment to worker safety, food safety, quality systems, and environmental compliance.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for executive summaries and facilitation.
Willingness and ability to travel regularly to all US sites.

Responsibilities

Develop the annual and multi-year CAPEX plan for all Solina USA facilities; lead governance and execution discipline across all projects, including scope definition, design review, budget development, procurement strategy, schedule management, change control, commissioning/start-up, turnover, and closeout documentation; ensure budget adherence and risk escalation.
Directly manage one Project Manager, providing coaching, prioritization, and accountability for project planning, execution, contractor management, and documentation.
Provide functional leadership to maintenance leaders at each US site; standardize and continuously improve preventative and predictive maintenance programs; establish a multi-site spare parts strategy.
Serve as a technical liaison and escalation resource for troubleshooting, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and decision-making; lead support of future automation plans, electrical and controls expertise, partner with integrators, and maintain robust PLC/SCADA standards.
Embed sanitary design and hygienic engineering principles in all projects; champion environmental, safety, and worker safety mindset; facilitate cross-functional meetings to align scopes, risks, and execution.
Develop and maintain multi-site engineering standards, templates, and vendor qualification expectations; manage key suppliers; provide executive-ready updates and plans; travel to sites as required.