Senior Manager, Engineering & Maintenance

Lazarus-Naturals; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Lazarus Naturals in Portland, Oregon seeks an experienced Engineering and Maintenance Leader to oversee new production line installations, automation, continuous improvement, and facility build-outs across our CBD manufacturing operation.

You will partner with Production Leadership to plan annual capital expenditures, ROI analyses, and SOPs, while directing maintenance, safety and uptime, ensuring compliance with our quality requirements and fast-paced growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of leadership experience managing Engineering and Maintenance functions.
• 5+ years of experience in food, beverage, or supplement manufacturing.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Applied Science.
• Experience designing or maintaining fluid‑handling and formulation processing equipment.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Passionate and skilled at recruiting, developing, coaching, and leading teams.
• Self‑starter with excellent prioritization in a fast‑paced environment.
• Proficiency with Excel/Google Sheets and ERP systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage all Engineering projects including new production line install, automation, continuous improvement, and facility build‑out.
• Develop the annual facility, capital expenditure and engineering plans with Production Leadership and execute ROI analyses.
• Analyze existing production workflow, equipment and processes to improve output, quality and reduce loss.
• Partner with Production Leadership to identify improvement opportunities, vet equipment, and manage implementation.
• Manage facilities projects, contractors and construction across Portland facilities.
• Maintain & design CAD drawings for utilities, building systems, production layouts and warehouse layouts.
• Maintain equipment maintenance, repair, cleanliness and compliance with Quality requirements.
• Develop preventive maintenance plans and budgeting for uptime.
• Develop and maintain SOPs and training protocols for equipment operation and troubleshooting.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight of production, equipment, and facility systems.
• Develop KPIs for Maintenance and report on equipment uptime and KPI performance.

Skills

Leadership

Engineering maintenance

Food/beverage manufacturing

Analytical thinking

Communication

Team development

ERP systems

Excel/Google Sheets

Prioritization

Self-starter

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

CAD software

ERP systems

Fluid-handling equipment knowledge

Job description

About the Company

Etz Hayim owns and operates the brands Cycling Frog and Lazarus Naturals, as well as a sprawling operation that spans from farming over 300 acres of hemp, extraction, chemical processing, packaging, supply chain and warehousing to support both brands and private label customers.

Lazarus Naturals was founded in 2016 to make quality hemp‑based CBD accessible to everybody. It's why we own our manufacturing process from start to finish - beginning at our hemp farms in Central Oregon to our extraction, formulation, and packaging - all to deliver safe, effective CBD at an affordable price. We provide a 60% Assistance Program to veterans, individuals with disabilities, or those experiencing income challenges, because we believe everybody should be able to experience the benefits of CBD regardless of their financial situation.

Cycling Frog is normalizing the consumption of casual use THC products. We are on a mission to make THC convenient, affordable, and fun by making a sessionable THC beverage the same price as a beer or soda. We want to change the way THC is consumed and viewed by our society by focusing on lower potency, ready‑to‑drink beverages that can easily fit into anyone’s lifestyle. Under the Federal Farm Bill it is legal to sell these low potency THC products across all 50 states via the internet, and anywhere you can grab a beer.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage all Engineering projects including new production line install, automation, continuous improvement, and facility build‑out.
• Develop the annual facility, capital expenditure and engineering plans with Production Leadership. Develop and execute upon the planning, ROI analysis, risk analysis and execution for production and facilities projects.
• Analyze existing production workflow, equipment and processes to determine how we can improve and optimize output, quality and minimize loss. Develop a deep understanding of all processes and fundamental chemical and physical processes that need to be done, and how we can improve them.
• Partner with Production Leadership to identify production line improvement opportunities, vet equipment suppliers, determine the ROI, and manage the execution of the implementation. Responsible for developing all operating SOPs, maintenance guidelines, and standards for new equipment and production lines.
• Manage facilities projects, contractors and construction projects across Portland facilities.
• Maintain & design CAD drawings for utilities, building systems, production layouts and warehouse layout.
• Manage facility and equipment maintenance, repair, cleanliness and good operation in compliance with our Quality requirements and operational needs.
• Develop and execute an annual preventative maintenance plan for all pertinent equipment. Lead the team to develop longer planning horizons for maintenance against forecasted use and known equipment lifetimes, and build contingencies and proper budgeting to ensure operational continuity.
• Develop and maintain SOPs and training protocols for the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment and systems. Ensure that the maintenance team and operators are properly trained and capable.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight of all production, equipment, and facility systems. Responsible for uptime, reduced failure rate and optimization of equipment.
• Develop KPIs for the Maintenance team. Implement weekly and monthly reporting on equipment functionality, uptime, and KPIs.

Leadership

• Be a hands‑on leader who isn't afraid to jump into the weeds to understand our systems, enjoys working on the production floor, and prioritizes strategic leadership.
• Manage, train, and inspire your team. Develop an environment that promotes and rewards initiative, open communication, accountability and excellence.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of leadership experience managing Engineering and Maintenance functions.
• 5+ years of experience in food, beverage, or supplement manufacturing.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Applied Science.
• Experience designing or maintaining fluid‑handling and formulation processing equipment (pumps, mixers, blenders, and piping systems).
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Passionate and skilled at recruiting, developing, coaching, and leading high‑performing teams.
• Self‑starter with excellent prioritization skills and ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, growth‑oriented environment.
• Proficiency with Excel/Google Sheets, ERP systems, and the interest and ability to learn new software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering or Applied Science.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing complex automation systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading large‑scale capital projects and managing equipment lifecycles.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, or Reliability Engineering experience.
• Experience supporting highly automated food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods operations.