Process Engineering Manager

Bell & Associates, Inc.; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Bell & Associates, Inc. is hiring a Process Engineering Manager to lead the process engineering discipline for custom food and beverage processing equipment. This role entails collaboration with various teams to ensure that all designs meet customer specifications and industry standards. Candidates should have over 10 years of engineering experience, including 5 years in leadership roles, and a relevant engineering degree.

This position emphasizes continuous improvement, safety, and collaboration, requiring strong knowledge of food safety and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in engineering roles within food & beverage or related.
• 5+ years in a leadership or management role.
• Understanding of PLC-based automation and control systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the process engineering team.
• Oversee project lifecycle from concept to delivery.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and process robustness.

Skills

Process engineering

Fluid mechanics

Sanitary design principles

CAD software proficiency

Project management tools

Leadership

Food safety regulations

Education

BS in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering

Job description

Bell & Associates is looking for a Process Engineering Manager to lead and oversee the process engineering discipline for custom food and beverage processing equipment manufacturer with integrated with automation and control systems. This role ensures process designs meet customer specifications, food safety and regulatory requirements, and performance expectations while driving standardization, innovation, and continuous improvement.

The Process Engineering Manager is a technical leader who collaborates closely with Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Project Management, Manufacturing, and Sales teams to deliver successful engineered-to-order projects.

• Lead, mentor, and develop the engineering team, fostering technical excellence and professional growth.
• Set priorities, allocate resources, and establish clear expectations to ensure projects meet scope, schedule, and budget
• Promote a culture of safety, collaboration, accountability, and continuous
• Support workload planning and resource forecasting to align with project
• Own and approve process engineering deliverables, including process flow diagrams, equipment sizing, utility requirements, and sanitation
• Validate process designs for performance, cleanability, safety, and manufacturability within engineered-to-order systems.
• Ensure process intent is fully integrated with mechanical layouts, automation architectures, and control strategies.
• Oversee the full project lifecycle from concept development through commissioning and customer acceptance.
• Partner with Project Managers and Engineering Leads to review progress, resolve issues, and maintain alignment with project goals.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical and process-related risks that could impact quality, schedule, or cost.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on labor efficiency, cost reduction, and design standardization.
• Improve process robustness and repeatability while balancing customization
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for process deviations or performance
• Champion risk assessments, process capability studies, and post-project reviews to capture lessons learned and improve future
• Ensure all process designs meet company, customer, and industry best
• Maintain accurate and complete documentation, including SOPs, sanitation procedures, technical manuals, and training materials.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, and applicable food safety and sanitary design
• Support adherence to relevant mechanical, electrical, and safety standards (e.g., ASME, UL, NFPA) as they relate to process systems.
• Partner closely with Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Manufacturing, Quality, Service, and Operations teams.
• Provide process engineering leadership during customer reviews, FATs, SATs, and commissioning activities
• Support Sales and Applications teams during quoting and concept development with process expertise.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Operations to ensure successful project execution and delivery timelines.

Required Experience:

• 10+ years in engineering roles within food & beverage or related
• 5+ years in a leadership or management
• BS in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering (or related field)
• Strong knowledge of process engineering, fluid mechanics, and sanitary design principles
• Experience sizing and specifying food and beverage process equipment
• Understanding of PLC-based automation and control systems
• Proficiency with CAD software and project management tools
• Knowledge of food safety, regulatory, and sanitary standards
• Ability to travel up to 15% (Primarily North America with some International)