Production Engineer

Kerry; City of Niagara Falls (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid time off

401(k) plan with employer contribution

Employee Share Plan

Life

Disability

Accident insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Kerry in Niagara Falls, NY is seeking a qualified Process Engineer to operate and optimize a designated production unit. You will ensure compliance with permits, drive continuous improvement, and collaborate with operations teams to maximize efficiency and product quality.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering (chemical preferred) and 3–5 years of chemical/manufacturing engineering experience. On-site work with occasional off-hours support is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering required.
• Chemical engineering preferred.
• 3–5 years of engineering experience in chemical/manufacturing industry.

Responsibilities

• Operate assigned production unit in compliance with policies, procedures, permits and regulatory requirements.
• Meet or exceed production rate, on-stream time, and raw material efficiency targets.
• Ensure product quality specifications are met and maintain process documentation.
• Collaborate with operations team to apply problem-solving and technical expertise.
• Prioritize and resolve manufacturing difficulties (process or mechanical).
• Drive continuous improvement to enhance product quality, reliability and responsiveness to customers.
• Utilize Process Technology Excellence and automation to optimize plant performance.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting with experts and document operating discipline.
• Diagnose root causes of asset utilization losses and implement corrective actions.
• Understand procedures and maintain strong field presence to reinforce safety and quality.
• Review daily logbooks and alarms to monitor plant operation.
• Maintain KPI trends and ensure optimum performance.
• Act as unit technical expert during unplanned events and drive improvements.
• Work with senior production engineer on raw material efficiency optimization.

Skills

Technical Problem-Solving

Process Optimization

Collaboration and Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Chemical preferred)

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.

Key responsibilities

• Operation of assigned production unit in compliance with established policies, procedures, permits and regulatory requirements.
• Meeting or exceeding performance standards of assigned production unit including production rate, on-stream time, and raw material efficiency.
• Meeting or exceeding quality specifications for manufactured products.
• Work closely with the operations team leveraging their problem-solving skills and technical expertise.
• Prioritization and resolution of manufacturing difficulties (process or mechanical).
• Continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product quality, reliability and responsiveness to the customer.
• Ensure Process Technology Excellence (PTE) is understood and utilized and that process automation is used as a tool to optimize plant performance.
• Partner with experts to perform advanced troubleshooting and improve and document operating discipline.
• Diagnose and document root causes of asset utilization losses in the facility.
• Understand why specific procedure steps and precautions are needed and keeps a strong field presence to reinforce the importance.
• Conduct daily review of logbook and alarm history to better understand the plant operation and stay engaged with daily activities.
• Maintain, own, and review daily Key Process Indicators (KPI)/ trends to ensure optimum performance.
• Act as a unit technical expert during unplanned events and drive implementation of effective corrective and preventative actions.
• Work with the senior production engineer on optimization in plant raw material efficiency, which may include yield or waste generation.
• Ensure compliance with plant operating permits. Understand site integration and provides input to optimize the overall system.
• Respond urgently to plant issues and emergencies.
• Support the plant through off hours and call rotations.

Qualifications and skills

• Education: A minimum of a bachelor's degree in engineering required. Chemical preferred.
• Required Knowledge: This role requires conceptual and knowledge from experience in a chemical manufacturing facility of theories, practices, and procedures within engineering and chemical plant operations. Capable of doing chemical process engineering design and troubleshooting.
• Experience needed: 3-5 years of engineering experience in chemical or other manufacturing/processing industry.
• Skills and Abilities:
  • Technical Problem-Solving: Ability to diagnose and resolve plant issues using engineering principles and standard procedures.
  • Process Optimization: Leverage Continuous Improvement and process automation to improve plant performance and efficiency.
  • Collaboration and Communication: Work closely with operations teams and subject matter experts, documenting findings and sharing insights effectively.

Compensation Data

The pay range for this position is $70,100 - $109,050 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on December 13th, 2026.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• paid time off
• a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities
• Employee Share Plan
• Life
• disability
• accident insurance
• tuition reimbursement

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our recruitment and leadership teams.

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).