Principal Systems Engineer - Cedar Rapids Plant

General Mills, Inc; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Principal System Engineer to provide technical leadership and optimize system performance in Cedar Rapids. This role is pivotal in enhancing product quality and driving strategic improvements across the platform. You'll collaborate with various teams, mentor peers, and lead initiatives that ensure operational excellence and safety. If you have a strong background in engineering and a passion for continuous improvement, this opportunity offers a chance to make a significant impact in a dynamic environment focused on innovation and growth.

Qualifications

• 16+ years of experience in system engineering and manufacturing improvement roles.
• Proven technical leadership with expertise in data analysis and loss elimination.

Responsibilities

• Lead food and human safety through Safety 2.0 principles.
• Coach and develop SEs and Operations Leaders to improve reliability.
• Facilitate execution of Loss Tree and Glidepath efforts.

Skills

System Engineering

Data Analysis

Loss Elimination

Coaching

Manufacturing Systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

The Principal System Engineer provides technical leadership and serves as a system and product specialist. They are responsible for building the team's packaging and processing technical skills through a hands-on approach. They are accountable for the operational foundational systems across their system, plant, and business platform to secure basic conditions and drive out losses. The System Engineer plays a critical role in continuous improvement by optimizing system performance and product quality while driving strategic productivity and capacity solutions for the platform and the business. They are the system, product, and process expert for their peers and business team.

Performing at this level includes accountability for the Center of Excellence, Community of Practice, or similar for a technology, tool, etc. The role may involve working beyond the site and partnering with Innovation, Technology & Quality (ITQ), Corporate Engineering, External Supply Chain (ESC), and other business units for strategic technologies, improvements, investments, or transformations. This role leverages skills across local and network levels, either plant-focused with network responsibilities or corporate-based, focusing on key business platforms. Approximately 25% of the time supports broader technical needs while maintaining strong local plant connections. The role provides platform expertise and leadership, collaborating with business and plant leaders on key metrics (Spring Plan, CPC, etc.) and improvement initiatives (Growth, HMM, Flexibility, etc.). It also involves mentoring and developing team members and assessing System Engineering (SE) talent.

To learn more about our Cedar Rapids plant and the surrounding area, CLICK HERE!

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Safety:

• Lead food and human safety through Safety 2.0 principles and standards.
  • Cultivate a Human Safety Culture that reduces risk to our people and communities by increasing capability to proactively discuss, identify, and control risk.
  • Cultivate a Food Safety Culture committed to manufacturing safe food that complies with policies and regulations.

People Leadership & Capability Building:

• Coach to build capability of others within and outside the plant through loss elimination tasks to improve system and equipment reliability.
• Contribute to connections and networking across platforms via SE Calls, O&T calls, SEAT membership, SCD program, etc.
• Guide and develop SEs, Maintenance, Project Engineers, Operations Leaders, and peers at the site.
• Assess and support SE talent; lead site and platform-wide initiatives involving plant operations, finance, corporate engineering, R&D, and business teams.

Process Leadership and Ownership:

• Facilitate and coach execution of Loss Tree and Glidepath efforts to enhance site skills and impact on improvement plans.
• Lead and execute HMM initiatives and strategies at site and platform levels.
• Deliver strategic improvements in data and information efforts, partnering with organizational experts (performance metrics, financial data, data historian, maintenance systems, etc.).
• Oversee Operations Foundational Systems (CIL, Centerlines, TOOs) across the platform to secure basic conditions and eliminate losses.
• Lead improvement projects, HMM, and strategic initiatives; support planning and startup activities.

Know Your Technology, Data, and Operations:

• Master the 4Ms (machine, materials, methods, humans) and serve as a key decision-maker in R&D and Sourcing collaborations.
• Demonstrate system mastery through application of system, food, and material science, providing technical expertise.
• Ensure material balance and unit operation expertise to optimize production parameters and formulas, engaging with R&D on formulations and HMM efforts.
• Act as a technical leader and communicator across the site, advocating for current and future system states with corporate engineering, R&D, and business teams.
• Articulate the financial impact of decisions to support financial planning and capacity management.

Back-Up Support:

• Provide backup support as needed to ensure business continuity and operational efficiency, collaborating with platform teams (PLT, SE, QE, Maintenance).

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 16+ years of experience in system engineering, processing/packaging, or manufacturing improvement roles across multiple systems.
• Proven technical leadership with expertise in manufacturing systems, data analysis, loss elimination, coaching, and engineering principles.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Consumer Products or Process Industry, food or packaging science, statistical analysis.
• Leadership, influence management, collaboration, and self-starting capabilities.

Additional Considerations:

• No international relocation or remote work arrangements; must be authorized to work in the US.

We are committed to making food the world loves, fostering a culture of learning, innovation, and growth. Our salary range is $124,200 - $186,400 annually, reflecting experience, skills, and performance, complemented by a comprehensive Total Rewards package.