Plant Engineering Lead: Drive Maintenance & Efficiency

Smithfield Foods, Inc.; Nashville, Northern (TN, KY); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is seeking a Plant Engineer in Nashville to lead the maintenance and engineering functions of a fast-paced food manufacturing plant.

You will drive capital projects from concept through execution, implement preventive and predictive maintenance programs, and lead a team to ensure peak equipment reliability and safe production. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering with 8+ years of relevant experience and strong leadership, problem-solving, and communication

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field with 8+ years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 2+ years of team management or project leadership experience.
• Strong leadership, planning, teamwork, analytical reasoning and adaptability.
• Advanced technical skills in mechanical/electrical fields (PLCs, instrumentation).
• Knowledge of maintenance systems, work orders, preventive/predictive maintenance, TPM.

Responsibilities

• Own capital projects from concept to completion with clear schedules and budgets.
• Lead development and implementation of maintenance systems including Preventive/Predictive Maintenance and TPM.
• Manage maintenance staff, delegate tasks, enforce policies, and ensure safety and compliance.
• Provide short- and long-term solutions to operational challenges and minimize downtime.
• Develop and track KPIs to measure maintenance performance and plant efficiency.
• Demonstrate leadership and flexibility to cover tasks during absences.

Skills

Leadership

Project Leadership

Mechanical & Electrical

PLC & Instrumentation

MS Excel

MS Word

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering

Tools

Maintenance Systems

MS Excel

MS Word

PLC programming

Instrumentation

Job description

Smithfield Foods, Inc. is seeking a Plant Engineer in Nashville to lead the maintenance and engineering functions of a fast-paced food manufacturing plant.

You will drive capital projects from concept through execution, implement preventive and predictive maintenance programs, and lead a team to ensure peak equipment reliability and safe production. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering with 8+ years of relevant experience and strong leadership, problem-solving, and communication