Plant Engineering

Bachem Americas, Inc.; Vista (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 177,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Annual performance bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

401(k) plan with employer contribution

Paid vacation, personal and sick days

Job summary

Bachem Americas, Inc. is seeking a Plant Engineer to lead the technical reliability and maintenance strategy for the facility in the US.

You will drive maintenance planning, oversee budgets, and coordinate small to mid-size projects in collaboration with Technical Operations and Engineering teams. The role requires a strong background in GMP environments, cross-functional collaboration, and a focus on continuous improvement, energy efficiency, and safe operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemical or mechanical engineering.
• 6+ years in a GMP-regulated environment.
• 4+ years manufacturing facility experience.
• Ability to collaborate with stakeholders and cross-functional interfaces.
• Extensive knowledge of pharmaceutical plant design, construction, maintenance.
• Strong analytical thinking and communication skills.
• Knowledge of maintenance strategy, CMMS data, spare parts management, and budget control.
• Experience with small/medium engineering projects, commissioning and qualification.

Responsibilities

• Maintain plant readiness while meeting GMP/HSE requirements.
• Own maintenance strategy and planning for all production facilities.
• Organize maintenance activities, budgets, CMMS data, and spare parts.
• Manage small/medium site projects from idea through commissioning.
• Ensure GMP, safety, environmental, and energy-use compliance.
• Lead technical innovations with Ops and Engineering teams.
• Serve as the first technical contact for the site.

Skills

GMP environment

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Budget control

CMMS maintenance

SAP / ERP systems

Mechanical or chemical engineering

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in chemical or mechanical engineering

Tools

SAP

CMMS software

Job description

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

Bachem Americas, Inc.

Bachem is a leading, innovation-driven company specializing in the development and manufacture of peptides and oligonucleotides. With over 50 years of experience and expertise Bachem provides products for research, clinical development and commercial application to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide and offers a comprehensive range of services. Bachem operates internationally with headquarters in Switzerland and locations in Europe, the US and Asia. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. For further information, see www.bachem.com.

A brief overview

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- and 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

We offer all Team Members a total rewards package including competitive pay, annual performance bonus, a generous benefit package with comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision coverage, 401(k) plan with employer contribution, and 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.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.