Process Engineering Manager

Kerry; Rochester (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kerry Rochester, the world's leading taste and nutrition company, is seeking a Process Engineering Manager to lead the Rochester Process Engineering team. You will drive process optimization for fermentation, evaporation, and spray drying, and partner with R&D and corporate engineering on new product introductions and capital projects.

You will establish a strong technical leadership, ensure safety and quality, and mentor a team of engineers while delivering cost-efficient improvements and

Qualifications

• Minimum BS in Engineering with at least 10 years of engineering experience in the food, chemical, or pharmaceutical industries.
• Expert knowledge of manufacturing systems including fermentation, sterilization, spray drying, evaporation and related subsystems.
• Lean six sigma certification and continuous improvement experience preferred.
• Strong problem solving and interpersonal skills; ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead Rochester process engineering team to improve OEE, fermentation kinetics, and solids targets.
• Identify contamination sources and work with Engineering to improve processes.
• Develop capital plans to drive growth and cost efficiency.
• Provide techno-economic analyses and support R&D/pilot trials.
• Lead capital projects under $500k with PM processes and ensure safety.
• Develop SOPs for new equipment and update existing SOPs.
• Reduce downtime using 1 Kerry Plant System and root-cause analyses.
• Lead Kaizen events and promote sustainability initiatives.
• Travel up to 10-15% for benchmarking and site support.

Skills

Fermentation

Process optimization

Lean manufacturing

Project management

Problem solving

Communication

Education

BS in Engineering

Tools

PLCs

SCADA

P&ID

Job description

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

Process Engineering Manager -- Biofermentation

Our process engineering manager is responsible for leading the process engineering team in support of Kerry Rochester’s safety, quality, production, cost, and maintenance goals. The process engineering manager also works closely with process technology and research and development on new product introductions and process optimization and with corporate engineering on capital projects exceeding $500k.

This role provides leadership and direction to the Rochester Process Engineering team, with responsibility for process optimization and supporting new product and process introductions from design through project installation and commissioning. The Process Engineering Manager will establish a strong, visible, and team-oriented technical focus. It is expected that the process engineering manager is the technical authority of fermentation, evaporation, and spray drying processes. A deep command of the engineering and scientific principles underpinning fermentation, evaporation, and spray drying is a core requirement of the role.

Key responsibilities

• Leads the Rochester process engineering team to identify opportunities to improve equipment overall equipment effectiveness (availability – unplanned downtime, performance – fermentation kinetics, quality – solids target). The leader will create a continuous improvement focus through use of the scientific method to reduce process variability and lean manufacturing principles to eliminate the 8 forms of waste.
• Apply deep knowledge in aseptic processing to identify and reduce sources of contamination and improve the reliability of processing steps. Partner with Engineering to design and implement improved process equipment as needed for new processes.
• Development of appropriate capital plans to deliver business growth and cost efficiency ensuring alignment with the overall capital strategy for the business.
• Conducts techno-economic analysis with technical feasibility studies including heat and energy balances and recommends the most cost-effective approach for development projects. Provides engineering support to R&D/process science activities during pilot and production trials.
• Lead capital projects typically under $500k using traditional project management from project initiation/scope, requirements capture, design, cost estimation, equipment procurement, and installation with subcontractor management to meet scope, schedule, and cost. Responsible in assuring compliance with safety, environment, quality, and food safety. Assures that projects have detailed project specifications, process flow diagrams (PFD’s), piping and instrumentation drawings (P&ID’s), site and floor plans, elevation drawings, utilities matrices, and other project documentation, as applicable. Process engineering team typically supports corporate engineering who leads projects greater than $500k.
• Process engineering team will lead the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that detail operations of new equipment and revises SOP’s to reflect changes to operations.
• Leads elimination of systemic unplanned downtime events using continuous improvement tools and the 1 Kerry Plant System 8 step problem solving process to drive to root cause and eliminate future occurrences through corrective actions. Maintains the plant’s process failure mode and effects analysis that manages the plants highest risks in terms of severity, detection, and probability calculating a risk priority number to prioritize risk reduction actions.
• Lead Kaizen events as needed to gather team of experts including the operators and production supervisors to solve large scale problems and also for conceptual design projects.
• Promotes projects to reduce water, electricity, carbon burning fuels, and waste to meet Kerry’s sustainability targets.
• Regularly explores new technology and equipment and subsequently develops projects to drive process improvement. Fosters a culture of process innovation with key partners in R&D, Quality, Operations and Finance. Key technologies include fermentation, sterilization, centrifugation, evaporation, spray drying, and packaging.
• Leads team in accordance with the Kerry values and with a growth mindset to direct energy into identifying new solutions instead of wasting energy justifying why process improvements are not possible. Holds the team accountable to using the scientific method and making data-based decisions using statistics and lean six sigma tools such as gage R&Rs, hypothesis testing, capability analysis, design of experiments, etc.
• Builds a high performing team through talent management that includes employee development, succession, and retention planning. May include 10-15% travel for benchmarking, development, and other Kerry plant support.

Qualifications and skills

EDUCATION:

Minimum BS in Engineering with at least 10 years of engineering experience preferably in the food, chemical, or pharmaceutical industry.

EXPERIENCE:

Must have expert knowledge of manufacturing systems including fermentation, sterilization, spray drying, evaporation and associated sub systems such as refrigeration, wet scrubbers, high voltage power, electric motors/drives, standby power, fluid dynamics with pump/piping/filtration, programmable logic controller (PLCs), supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) and demonstrated aptitude to quickly learn new processes.

SKILLS

• Continuous improvement/change agent experience (lean and six sigma certification strongly preferred).
• Strong problem solving and interpersonal skills.
• Able to manage multiple priorities.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Able to work and achieve results under pressure.
• Must be able to work independently, without direct supervision.
• Able to translate a concept into a workable manufacturing process.