Senior Design Project Engineer - Dairy Plant Capital Projects

Hilmar; Dalhart (TX); On-site; USD 119,000 - 179,000; Full time

Job summary

Hilmar Cheese Company is seeking a Senior Design Project Engineer to manage capital projects that drive our Strategic Asset Management Plan and PMO initiatives. You will supervise the design and execution of asset reliability projects under the site engineering manager, overseeing multiple projects and vendor collaborations.

The role blends design engineering with technical project management, requiring experience in hygienic, dairy, or related regulated environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering plus 5 years’ related experience OR Master’s degree in Engineering plus 3 years’ related experience.
• Experience designing, modifying, or supporting manufacturing facilities operating in hygienic, sanitary, food-grade, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, biotech, or similar regulated process environments.
• Demonstrates integrity in relationships and decision-making; be a self-starter who builds strong relationships, leads and collaborates effectively in teams, and consistently seeks excellence and improvement.

Responsibilities

• Manage large scale projects end to end with internal and external resources to deliver business outcomes.
• Budget creation, costing, procurement, and managing 4-5 projects at a time with total investments up to $20M.
• Mentor and develop less experienced engineers by providing guidance and technical support.
• Manage capital projects including design, scope definition, budgeting, scheduling, and compliance.
• Design, develop, and engineer process, utility, infrastructure, and sanitary manufacturing systems.
• Develop and maintain P&ID, PFD, equipment models, layouts, BOMs, and engineering docs.
• Establish relationships across departments to ensure outcomes; coordinate interfaces between mechanical, process, automation, and electrical teams.
• Interface with business units to address reliability and asset risks; vendor engagement and design reviews.
• Manage budget and forecast within +/-10% monthly; monitor schedule, risk and quality.
• Ensure good engineering and project management practices; documentation and quality by design.
• Apply thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, process controls; develop models and mass balances; life-cycle asset costing.

Skills

Project management

Engineering principles

Strong communication

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Microsoft Office

Planview

MS Project

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in Engineering

Tools

Planview

MS Project

Job description

Hilmar Cheese Company is seeking a Senior Design Project Engineer to manage capital projects that drive our Strategic Asset Management Plan and PMO initiatives. You will supervise the design and execution of asset reliability projects under the site engineering manager, overseeing multiple projects and vendor collaborations.

The role blends design engineering with technical project management, requiring experience in hygienic, dairy, or related regulated environments.