Plant Engineering Manager

DSJ Global; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

DSJ Global is partnering with a leading food and consumer products manufacturer in the Chicago area to recruit an Engineering Manager. This role will develop and execute the facility's technical strategy, oversee capital projects, reliability programs, and maintenance initiatives to drive engineering excellence and operational performance.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership across manufacturing functions, lead cross-functional teams, and mentor engineering staff while

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing experience in a food manufacturing environment and progressive leadership responsibility.
• Experience supporting industrial utility systems (refrigeration, ammonia, steam, compressed air, natural gas).
• Experience working within Process Safety Management (PSM) environments.
• Proven leadership experience supervising teams and collaborating across multiple functional groups.

Responsibilities

• Champion a strong safety culture and support site-wide safety initiatives.
• Lead development and execution of the facility's capital improvement plan with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Environmental, Finance, and other key stakeholders.
• Coordinate engineering resources and project management activities to support capital projects and operational improvements.
• Support internal audits, compliance initiatives, and continuous improvement programs.
• Develop and implement both short and long-term engineering and reliability strategies for the facility.
• Provide technical leadership for plant and enterprise-level engineering projects.
• Lead and participate in cross-functional teams focused on improving safety, quality, productivity, cost performance, sanitation, and customer service.
• Drive collaboration between departments to maximize operational efficiency and resource utilization.
• Manage plant utility systems and ensure compliance, reliability, and performance of critical infrastructure.
• Lead team meetings and communication efforts that support employee engagement and organizational effectiveness.
• Partner closely with Maintenance, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, and Warehouse teams to achieve business objectives.
• Provide leadership, direction, and coordination for maintenance-related technical and administrative activities.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Cross-functional teamwork

Safety culture

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

DSJ Global is currently partnered with an industry leading food and consumer products manufacturer who is looking to add a new Engineering Manager to their team. The Engineering Manager will be responsible for developing and executing the facility's technical strategy, including capital projects, maintenance initiatives, reliability programs, and continuous improvement efforts. This leader will drive engineering excellence, support operational performance, and provide technical guidance across manufacturing functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion a strong safety culture and support site-wide safety initiatives.
• Lead the development and execution of the facility's capital improvement plan in partnership with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Environmental, Finance, and other key stakeholders.
• Coordinate engineering resources and project management activities to support capital projects and operational improvements.
• Support internal audits, compliance initiatives, and continuous improvement programs.
• Develop and implement both short and long-term engineering and reliability strategies for the facility.
• Provide technical leadership for plant and enterprise-level engineering projects.
• Lead and participate in cross-functional teams focused on improving safety, quality, productivity, cost performance, sanitation, and customer service.
• Drive collaboration between departments to maximize operational efficiency and resource utilization.
• Manage plant utility systems and ensure compliance, reliability, and performance of critical infrastructure.
• Lead team meetings and communication efforts that support employee engagement and organizational effectiveness.
• Partner closely with Maintenance, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, and Warehouse teams to achieve business objectives.
• Provide leadership, direction, and coordination for maintenance-related technical and administrative activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of manufacturing experience within a food manufacturing environment and progressive leadership responsibility.
• Experience supporting industrial utility systems, including refrigeration, ammonia, steam generation, compressed air, natural gas, and related infrastructure.
• Experience working within Process Safety Management (PSM) environments.
• Proven leadership experience managing or supervising teams and collaborating across multiple functional groups.