Plant Engineer

Bachem; Vista (CA); On-site; USD 128,560 - 176,770; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Medical/Dental/Vision coverage

401(k) with employer contribution

Paid vacation

Personal and sick days

Job summary

Bachem in Vista, CA is seeking a Plant Engineer to lead technical operations, maintain plant readiness, and drive improvements across facilities. You will manage maintenance strategy, budgets, and small to mid-scale projects, ensuring GMP, safety, and environmental standards are met.

The role requires GMP experience, a chemical or mechanical engineering background, and strong collaboration with TechOps, OE, and Engineering teams. Excellent communication in English and German is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemical or mechanical engineering or comparable discipline.
• 6+ years' experience in a GMP-regulated environment.
• 4+ years in a manufacturing facility.
• Experience collaborating with stakeholders and managing cross-functional interfaces.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical plant design, construction, maintenance.
• Hands-on, analytical, and strong communication skills.
• Knowledge of maintenance strategy, CMMS master data, spare parts management, and budgets.
• Proficient in SAP or similar ERP systems and CMMS.
• Fluency in German and English (written and spoken).

Responsibilities

• Maintain operational readiness of the plant with high standards and GMP/HSE compliance.
• Own maintenance strategy and planning for all production facilities.
• Direct maintenance activities, budgets, CMMS data, and spare parts management.
• Lead small to medium-sized site projects from idea to commissioning.
• Ensure GMP documentation, safety, environment, and energy-use compliance.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for the site and monitor project budgets.
• Drive innovations with TechOps and Engineering to reduce costs and improve availability.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Hands-on mentality

Strong communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Budget control

MS Office proficiency

German language skills

English language skills

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in chemical or mechanical engineering

Tools

SAP

CMMS systems

ERP systems

Job description

The Plant Engineer serves as the technical leader for the facility, with responsibilities comparable to a department head within Technical Operations and Production. This role is accountable for maintaining reliability, efficiency, and continuous improvement of manufacturing facilities and infrastructure. This position acts as the primary technical resource for the site, ensuring plant readiness, leading maintenance planning and strategy, managing small-\u2011and medium-scale engineering projects, and implementing technical improvements in collaboration with Technical Operations, Operational Excellence, and Engineering teams.

What you will do

• Economically and efficiently maintain the operational readiness of the plant while considering high plant standards and meeting HSE/GMP requirements within applicable laws and company guidelines.
• Own the maintenance strategy and maintenance planning for all production facilities in the Site, including ordinary and extraordinary maintenance activities.
• Instruct, organize, implement, and monitor maintenance activities; control relevant budgets; maintain CMMS master data; and secure and provide required spare parts.
• Manage and engineer small and medium-sized projects at the site from initial project idea and cost estimate through commissioning and qualification.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, safety, environmental, and energy-use requirements; lead proper GMP documentation practices; and promote good housekeeping.
• Serve as the first contact person for the Site in all technical matters.
• Monitor all ongoing engineering projects and control project budgets and schedules.
• Drive technical innovations and improvements in close coordination with TechOps, Operational Excellence, and Engineering, including identifying and eliminating vulnerabilities, standardizing and developing processes and equipment, reducing energy, maintenance, operating, and installation costs, and ensuring technical system availability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemical or mechanical engineering, or comparable discipline
• 6+ years' experience in a GMP-regulated environment
• 4+ years of work experience in a manufacturing facility
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders and manage cross-functional interfaces
• Extensive knowledge of the design, construction, engineering, and maintenance of pharmaceutical plants
• Analytical thinking, hands-on mentality, and strong communication skills.
• Ability to maintain plant operational readiness while balancing cost efficiency, high plant standards, and HSE/GMP requirements.
• Knowledge of maintenance strategy, maintenance planning, CMMS master data, spare parts management, and budget control.
• Ability to manage small and medium engineering projects from concept and estimate through commissioning and qualification.
• Knowledge of technical innovation, continuous improvement, process and equipment standardization, and cost reduction opportunities.
• Very good German and English language skills, both written and spoken.
• Confident handling of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and digital collaboration tools.
• Knowledge of SAP or other ERP systems.
• Experience with CMMS systems.

Base Annual Salary Range:

$128,560 - $176,770

Placement of new hires in this wage range is based on several factors including education, skill sets, experience, and training.

Total Rewards

• competitive pay
• annual performance bonus
• a generous benefit package with comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
• 401(k) plan with employer contribution
• paid vacation
• personal and sick days

Corporate Social Responsibility

Bachem takes responsibility for future generations by a careful handling of resources and avoiding environmental risks. We continually improve our ecological performance and develop and implement new approaches for enhancing employees' environmental awareness. EcoVadis has awarded Bachem Gold Medal status in their assessment of Bachem.

Bachem Americas is an Equal Opportunity Employer

As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate the diversity of our team and are committed to building an inclusive workplace where individuals are hired and advanced based on merit, skills, and qualifications. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or other legally protected status.