Project engineer at Unilever Independence, MO

CDL Labor Logistics; Independence (MO); On-site; USD 69,360 - 104,040; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

Long-Term Incentive (LTI) eligible

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Unilever is seeking an Innovation Project Engineer based in Independence, MO to manage end-to-end technology projects for the Cooking Aids & Mini Meals category. You will lead capital investments, run trials at Indy plant, and support reliability activities while ensuring on-time delivery and adherence to safety and hygiene standards.

Responsibilities include project estimates, plant trials, and collaboration with R&D, marketing, and supply chain teams to drive innovations and savings for

Qualifications

• 2+ years of engineering experience in FMCG/foods or related industries.
• Project management, maintenance, R&D, or continuous improvement experience in manufacturing.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with ability to influence others.

Responsibilities

• Leads technology, capital, innovation, capacity, and value improvement projects for the Cooking Aids & Mini Meals category.
• Provides estimates, options assessments, plant trials, and technical support for projects with limited supervision.
• Ensures compliance with hygiene, equipment, safety standards, specifications, and best practices.
• Interface with R&D, marketing, innovation, and supply chain planning teams to drive on-time delivery of projects.

Skills

Project Management

Continuous Improvement

Technical Communication

Maintenance

R&D

Education

BS in Chemical, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering

Job description

Job Purpose

Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. The Innovation Project Engineer position based in the Independence Factory will manage the end‑to‑end delivery of the technology projects for the Cooking Aids & Mini Meals Category. This includes direct capital project management of innovation and technology changes at Indy. They will support and expertise to the day‑to‑day and reliability activities at the factory and run trials at the factory for all pack and process changes.

What Will Your Main Responsibilities Be

• Leads technology, capital, innovation, capacity, and value improvement projects for the Cooking Aids & Mini Meals category.
• Responsible for providing estimates, options assessment, plant trials, and technical support for projects. Carries out tasks related to project assessment, plant trials, technical support, and implementation with limited supervision.
• Ensures compliance with Unilever hygiene, equipment and safety standards, specifications, and best practices. This includes formulation/process/equipment evaluations, industrial trials, preliminary engineering, project cost controls, timeline, establishment of commissioning plan, plant/equipment commissioning, and production startup.
• Participates in establishing company‑wide best practices and standards for technology changes and commissioning.
• Act as a technical resource to the category engineering team for new products and re‑stages (innovation and renovation).
• Contributes to the technology improvements for the category for processing and packaging equipment.
• Develops and manages checkout, testing, and start‑up protocol for the commissioning of equipment, packaging lines and control systems.
• Participates in cross‑plant improvement teams. Develop strong partnership with plant manufacturing, corporate engineering, and workforce. Team member for innovation, larger restructuring, or supply chain strategic investments. Collaborate with other manufacturing engineers and category engineers in establishing best practices.
• Interface directly with R&D, marketing, innovation, and supply chain planning teams to drive on‑time delivery of innovation and savings projects.
• Bringing new Ways of Working to the Engineering community in our continued pursuit of the lowest installed cost, while living our core values (Unilever Sustainable Living Plan).
• On Time In Full (OTIF) end‑to‑end delivery of assigned capital and innovation projects (typical value €0.1m - 2 Million) adhering to Unilever standards and ensuring safety as our number 1 priority.

Experiences & Qualifications

Required

• Education: BS in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering or equivalent technical degree.
• Experience: 2+ Years of Engineering in FMCG / foods / related Industry or gained in an engineering consultancy environment or equivalent technical experience.
• Project Management, Maintenance, R&D, and/or continuous improvement experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; along with the ability to influence others.

Preferred

• Experience: 3+ Years of Project Engineering in FMCG / foods / related Industry or gained in an engineering consultancy environment.
• Experience in Manufacturing Excellence, Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt), Lean manufacturing, and/or Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a plus.
• Experience working in a Research and Development team is a plus.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $69,360 to $104,040. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus

This position is bonus eligible.

Long‑Term Incentive (LTI)

This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits

Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

Inclusion & Equal Opportunity

At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.

Unilever Is An Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons With Disabilities. For more information on your federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal. Employment is subject to verification of pre‑screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check. If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.