SBU Engineering Manager

Greif; Alsip (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Greif is seeking an experienced SEM to balance business partnership, leadership, and engineering execution across the assigned SBU. You will help translate strategy into priorities, investments, and capabilities, leading a global engineering team toward safe, reliable, and scalable outcomes.

The role reports to the VP Engineering and requires strong cross-functional collaboration with Operations, EH&S, Finance, and Supply Chain. Local presence matters with travel up to 50% across the region.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Engineering Required.
• 10+ years of engineering and project management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of experience leading engineers or technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a key engineering and business partner to SBU leadership, contributing to strategy, capital planning, and priorities.
• Translates business needs into engineering roadmaps, capital plans, and resource strategies balancing near-term execution with future capability.
• Leads major SBU, regional, and network engineering projects and monitors KPIs, capital spend, and performance.

Skills

Leadership

Engineering

Strategic planning

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

Greif is a global leader in performance packaging located in 40 countries. The company delivers trusted, innovative, and tailored solutions that support some of the world’s most in demand and fastest-growing industries.

With a commitment to legendary customer service, operational excellence, and global sustainability, Greif packages life’s essentials - and creates lasting value for its colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders.

Learn more about the company’s Customized Polymer , Sustainable Fiber , Durable Metal , and Integrated Solutions at www.greif.com and follow Greif on Instagram and LinkedIn.

OUR VISION:

To Be the Advantage That Helps Our Customers Win.

OUR PURPOSE:

Creating packaging solutions for life’s essentials.

Job Requisition #:

035451 SBU Engineering Manager (Open)

Job Description:

The SBU Engineering Manager (SEM) is a senior engineering leader responsible for balancing business partnership, people leadership, and engineering execution across the assigned Strategic Business Unit (SBU).

This role leads the SBU engineering organization to deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective, and scalable engineering outcomes, while serving as a trusted business partner to SBU leadership. The SEM is accountable not only for project and technical execution, but also for developing engineering capability and future leaders, strengthening cross-functional alignment, and enabling long-term organizational performance.

The SEM reports to the VP Engineering and works in close partnership with the SBU Leadership Team and other functional leaders to translate business strategy into engineering priorities, investments, and capabilities.

Local presence matters - Local candidates preferred within one of the specified locations. Significant travel is required throughout the assigned region to drive business engagement, lead teams, and support ongoing development.

• Chicago, IL
• Delaware, OH
• Atlanta, GA
• Houston, TX

Business Engagement & Organizational Leadership

• Serves as a key engineering and business partner toSBUleadershipteam, actively contributing to SBU strategy, capital planning, and operational priorities.
• Translates business needs into engineering roadmaps, capital plans, and resource strategies that balance near-term execution with long-term capability.
• Leads and participates in SBU, regional, and enterprise strategic planning, including growth initiatives, cost optimization, and network investments.
• Builds strong cross-functional relationships with Operations, Maintenance, EH&S, Finance, Supply Chain, and other enabling functions to drive alignment and execution.
• Seeks and integrates feedback from SBU leadership and peers to continuously improve engineering value delivery.
• Shows and promotes a Global Engineering mindset. This specifically shows inleveragingthe global footprint of Greif.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Leads, coaches, and develops the SBU engineering organization, creating a strongengineeringbench and succession pipeline.
• Establishes clear expectations, performance goals, and development plans for engineering team members.
• Creates a culture of empowerment, accountability, continuous improvement, safety, and collaboration.
• Responsible for staffing, onboarding, training, performance management,andcolleagueengagement.
• Coaches engineeringteamon project management,standards, and effective cross-functionalinteractions.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensures engineering execution acrossSBUdelivers:
• Reliable equipmentsolutions
• Safety and regulatory compliance
• Quality, cost, and schedule adherence
• Selectionofequipment for the right purpose
• Provides leadership oversight for:
• Plant facilities, equipment, tooling, automation, and machine standards
• Design, development, acquisition, installation, maintenance, and upgrades
• Leads major SBU, regional, and network engineering projects as assigned.
• Establishes andmaintainsa cadence of accountability for project execution, capital deployment, and engineering performance.
• Monitors engineering KPIs, project performance, and capital spend; drives corrective actions and continuous improvement.Owns SBU engineering budget execution, variance management, and forecasting in partnership with Finance.
• Supports Maintenance Excellence and Lean Manufacturing initiatives across the SBU.
• Develops and manages external engineering partners, suppliers, and contractors to support SBU priorities.
• Ensures equipment safety standards are implemented andmaintainedin coordination with EH&S, reinforcing commitment-based safety practices.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Engineering Required
• 10+ years of engineering and project management experience in a manufacturing environment
• 5+ years of experience leading engineers or technical teams
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives and capital programs

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong leadership capability with experience developingtechnical talentandfuture leaders
• Ability to balance business strategy, people leadership, and functional execution
• Strong project and capital managementexpertise
• Experience with lean manufacturing, maintenance excellence, and process improvement
• Financial acumen including budgeting, forecasting, and capital justification
• Strong communication, presentation, and influencing skills
• Ability to build trust and alignment across functional and organizational boundaries
• Proficiencyin MS Office Suite
• Willingness to travel extensively asrequiredup to 50%with uneven distribution andpossibly shortnotice.

Compensation Range:

The pay range for this position is $129,500.00 - $220,500.00 annually. Typically, a competitive wage for new hires will fall between175,000.00 to195,000.00 annually. Offers for this position may vary based on market data and other factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographic location. The position may also be eligible for a short-term incentive.

Benefits Statement:

Greif offers a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive core benefits, paid time off, and a range of local benefits for eligible colleagues.

EEO Statement:

https://www.greif.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/HR-101-Equal-Employment-Opportunity-Policy-English.pdf

We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits and opportunity for growth. Greif is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, national origin, color, disability, veteran status or any other any other legally protected characteristic.

For more information read Greif’s Equal Opportunity Policy.