Senior Engineering Project Manager, Food Manufacturing

Vaco by Highspring; West Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 108,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

401(k) with Company Match

HSA and FSA Options

Company-Paid Life Insurance

Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

Paid Holidays

Paid Time Off

Career Development and Growth

Performance-Based Bonus

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring is seeking an Engineering Project Manager to drive capital projects across multi-site manufacturing operations in the Greater Columbia region. You will oversee feasibility, commissioning, budgets, scheduling, and vendor relationships while improving equipment reliability and uptime.

The role requires a hands-on leader who collaborates with operations, maintenance, vendors, and leadership, travels up to 50-75%, and supports safety and regulatory standards. Onsite position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or related)
• 7+ years engineering and project management experience in manufacturing
• 5+ years in food or beverage manufacturing
• Proven success leading capital projects from concept through startup
• Experience managing projects valued at $250K+ across multi-line facilities
• Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to travel up to 50-75%
• Flexibility to support off-hours or weekends when required

Responsibilities

• Lead capital projects from feasibility through commissioning
• Manage project scope, budgets, schedules, and vendor relationships
• Drive equipment reliability and continuous improvement initiatives
• Develop and present capital expenditure requests and updates
• Partner with operations and maintenance teams to implement sustainable engineering solutions
• Support preventive maintenance strategies and asset reliability
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory standards
• Coordinate contractors and third-party resources throughout project execution

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Budget management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SAP

AutoCAD

Job description

Vaco by Highspring is seeking an Engineering Project Manager to drive capital projects across multi-site manufacturing operations in the Greater Columbia region. You will oversee feasibility, commissioning, budgets, scheduling, and vendor relationships while improving equipment reliability and uptime.

The role requires a hands-on leader who collaborates with operations, maintenance, vendors, and leadership, travels up to 50-75%, and supports safety and regulatory standards. Onsite position.