Plant Engineer: Lead Maintenance & Automation (Food Processing)

JBS Foods; Council Bluffs (IA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

JBS Prepared Foods in Council Bluffs, IA seeks a Plant Engineer to lead maintenance execution, oversee preventative maintenance, and manage automation and electrical teams. The role focuses on driving reliability and safety in a high‑speed food manufacturing setting.

Qualified candidates bring extensive industrial maintenance experience, knowledge of ammonia refrigeration, SAP/CMMS, and strong staff development abilities, with a tie to operations and safety compliance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in industrial maintenance with at least 5 years in food processing.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with ammonia refrigeration, air compressors, VFDs, and sanitary maintenance.
• PSM/RMP experience preferred.
• SAP experience preferred.
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering preferred.
• Experience in electrical, electronics, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatics in food processing.

Responsibilities

• Lead, support and direct maintenance execution at the Council Bluffs facility.
• Oversee the Preventative Maintenance program using SAP CMMS.
• Lead Automation Technicians and Electrical/Instrumentation teams.
• Develop and manage Maintenance Supervisors and Planning Supervisor.
• Collaborate with Operations, Procurement, QA and Shipping to hit KPIs.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis, Focused Improvement and FMEA.
• Support startup planning and new project development with proper documentation.
• Partner with EHS on safety and ergonomic requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

People skills

Project management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Excel

Job description

JBS Prepared Foods in Council Bluffs, IA seeks a Plant Engineer to lead maintenance execution, oversee preventative maintenance, and manage automation and electrical teams. The role focuses on driving reliability and safety in a high‑speed food manufacturing setting.

Qualified candidates bring extensive industrial maintenance experience, knowledge of ammonia refrigeration, SAP/CMMS, and strong staff development abilities, with a tie to operations and safety compliance.