Process Engineer

Hilmar Cheese Company; Dodge City (KS); On-site; USD 69,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Hilmar Cheese Company seeks a Process Engineer I to support strategic objectives by developing cost-effective process technologies for our dairy products, improving productivity, reducing costs, and enhancing sustainability across manufacturing sites.

You will troubleshoot, identify optimization opportunities, design improved processing lines, and collaborate with Operations, FSQA, Maintenance, and Engineering to deliver value and drive capital projects, with occasional travel of 20–40%.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering or other engineering field
• Ability to complete energy and mass balances
• Ability to collect and analyze production data using statistical techniques
• Ability to effectively summarize and present technical information to a variety of audiences
• MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint at intermediate level

Responsibilities

• Contribute to manufacturing site Process Improvement teams to deliver industry leading products and processes that help drive the business forward in its quest for operational excellence.
• Spends time in production plants, identifying operational pain points and reviewing performance data to find opportunities to improve yield, quality, and throughput.
• Participate in the troubleshooting of persistent, complex operational issues, providing win:win solutions that balance multiple KPIs and optimize total cost of ownership.
• Implement these in a manner that makes it easier for the business to execute and deliver value successfully and sustainably.
• Works with appropriate cross-functional teams such as Operations, FSQA, Training, Maintenance, Engineering, or Operational Technology to implement changes.
• Develop and implement process control strategies aimed at improving results and reducing process variability. Collaborate with Controls Engineers to test, debug, and deploy control programs effectively.
• Support Process Engineering components of new product development, experimental equipment and design, and plant trials. Utilize insights gained to guide final process design and commercialization.
• Partnering with Project Engineering and cross-functional teams on capital projects, participate in new Process design. Develop P&IDs, perform mass balances, and develop functional descriptions.
• Support the Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) process within capital projects to ensure successful execution, on-time startup, and delivery of business objectives.
• Stay up to date on latest available technologies, industry direction, and trends to continuously improve HCC’s technology portfolio. Manage Hilmar’s trade secrets and competitive advantage appropriately.

Skills

Energy & mass balances

Data analysis using statistics

Technical communication

Education

BS in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering

MS in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

At Hilmar Cheese Company we improve lives around the world through wholesome dairy products. Since our founding in 1984, Hilmar Cheese Company has been committed to innovation and sustainability. Our state-of-the art production facilities convert an abundance of locally sourced high-quality milk into a variety of nutritious cheeses, whey protein and lactose. The Cheese and Ingredients that we produce create a wide variety of retail and food service products from sliced and shredded cheeses, to protein supplements and infant formula. We are a trusted partner to premier food and beverage brands in more than fifty countries helping bring their vision into reality.

Throughout our decades of success and growth we have remained committed to our mission and values and these principles unite our people and guide all that we do.

A Typical Day

The Process Engineer I is responsible for supporting the Company’s strategic objectives through development of the optimum, most cost-effective process technologies used to manufacture Hilmar’s products to enhance profitability, market position, and growth. This position will provide Process Engineering support on all aspects of the manufacturing process: maximizing productivity, reducing operating costs, and improving process sustainability through energy and water usage reduction. The work includes troubleshooting problems in existing processes, finding optimization opportunities that improve process capability, evaluating new technologies to determine their applicability, cost, and benefits to Hilmar, and designing new and/or improved processing lines. The Process Engineer I will focus on a specific manufacturing site and/or business area as well as provide support to other sites on discrete projects.

Job Responsibilities

• Contribute to manufacturing site Process Improvement teams to deliver industry leading products and processes that help drive the business forward in its quest for operational excellence.
• Spends time in production plants, identifying operational pain points and reviewing performance data to find opportunities to improve yield, quality, and throughput.
• Participate in the troubleshooting of persistent, complex operational issues, providing win:win solutions that balance multiple KPIs and optimize total cost of ownership.
• Implement these in a manner that makes it easier for the business to execute and deliver value successfully and sustainably.
• Works with appropriate cross-functional teams such as Operations, FSQA, Training, Maintenance, Engineering, or Operational Technology to implement changes.
• Develop and implement process control strategies aimed at improving results and reducing process variability. Collaborate with Controls Engineers to test, debug, and deploy control programs effectively.
• Support Process Engineering components of new product development, experimental equipment and design, and plant trials. Utilize insights gained to guide final process design and commercialization.
• Partnering with Project Engineering and cross-functional teams on capital projects, participate in new Process design. Develop P&IDs, perform mass balances, and develop functional descriptions.
• Support the Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) process within capital projects to ensure successful execution, on-time startup, and delivery of business objectives.
• Stay up to date on latest available technologies, industry direction, and trends to continuously improve HCC’s technology portfolio. Manage Hilmar’s trade secrets and competitive advantage appropriately.
• This role supports a primary manufacturing site, but may require 20 - 40% travel depending on business need and project activity.

What You Will Need

• B.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field
• Ability to complete energy and mass balances
• Ability to collect and analyze production data using statistical techniques
• Ability to effectively summarize and present technical information to a variety of audiences
• MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint at intermediate level

What Will Put You Ahead

• B.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field plus 2 years’ manufacturing experience, OR M.S. in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or other Engineering field
• Knowledge of unit operations commonly found in the food industry and waste-water treatment
• Knowledge and/or experience in food processing and process optimization.
• Ability to develop operational models of plant processes
• Experience with statistical analysis software
• Leadership and teambuilding skills

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The work is primarily performed in an office environment and the physical demands are characteristic of a mostly sedentary role. Specific details of the essential functions of the position are available in the Job Safety Analysis, made available on request.

Food safety is a companywide responsibility and each employee must know their role in the manufacture and distribution of safe, wholesome, and high quality products.

This description is a general statement and does not include other duties as assigned

Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer/EEO. We participate in E-Verify.

Salary Range: USD ($68,879.00 - $103,319.00) ANN

The final compensation offered within this range will depend on factors including the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.