Senior Plant Engineer

SunOpta; Allentown (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company dedicated to innovation and sustainability in the food industry. As a Plant Engineer, you will play a crucial role in overseeing the design, development, and management of production lines and equipment. Your expertise will drive improvements and ensure the reliability and efficiency of operations. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead capital projects, collaborate with diverse teams, and contribute to a healthier future of food. If you are passionate about engineering and sustainability, this position is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of engineering experience in production or manufacturing environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related discipline is required.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects related to equipment, production lines, and facility improvements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet production targets.

Skills

Mechanical Skills

Project Management

Communication Skills

Problem-Solving

Math Skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

PLC Systems

MS Word

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

Job description

Allentown Facility, Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description

Posted Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 7:00 AM

SunOpta Overview:

SunOpta (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY) is an innovative and sustainable manufacturer fueling the future of food. With roots tracing back over 50 years, SunOpta drives growth for today’s leading brands by serving as a trusted innovation partner and value-added manufacturer, crafting organic, plant-based beverages, fruit snacks, nutritional beverages, broths and tea products sold through retail, club, foodservice and e-commerce channels. Alongside the company’s commitment to top brands, retailers and coffee shops, SunOpta also proudly produces its own brands, including SOWN, Dream, and West Life. For more information, visit SunOpta and LinkedIn.

SunOpta is looking for talented individuals that demonstrate our most valued behaviors: Passion, Dedication, Speed, Entrepreneurship, Customer-Centricity, and Problem-Solver, to help create a brighter, healthier, and sustainable future of food!

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for planning, overseeing, coordinating, and managing all activities with development, design, construction, and modification of equipment, production lines and facility. The mission of the Plant Engineer is to support the growth of the business by leading capital projects, analyzing systems, and introducing ideas for innovation and improvement into our systems and processes to enhance our performance indicators. Key areas of responsibility include equipment reliability, sustainability and energy conservation, food safety and cost savings, process improvement and utility utilization.

Essential Functions of the Job:

• Provides reliability engineering expertise that supports our maintenance and reliability efforts and assures asset life at or beyond the standards.
• Manages and owns the project and equipment capital plan and budget with final recommendations made to the plant director on use of capital assets, equipment, modifications, and process improvements.
• Hands-on automation and controls experience.
• Ensures required licenses and permits are obtained and maintained (air, water, fire, etc.).
• Prepares bid sheets and contract specifications.
• Tests newly installed equipment to ensure fulfillment of contract specifications.
• Develops and owns our PSM program.
• Manages on-site wastewater treatment plant serving as a liaison with local authorities to ensure wastewater discharge and BODs are within agreed upon limits.
• Collaborates with cross-functional groups including Safety, Production, Maintenance, Human Resources, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehouse, and Finance to meet production targets.
• Develops, recommends, and implements measures to improve machines and plant equipment to maximize efficiency.
• Oversees installation, modifications, quality control testing, operating procedure, and inspection processes adhering to engineering principles and safety regulations.
• Models a strong sense of ownership and accountability. Shows flexibility and a “whatever it takes” attitude to get the job done right, including being on-call at nights and weekends as needed.
• Responsible for ensuring work area is clean and organized.
• Serves as a safety model, promoting a high level of safety awareness and continuous improvement in safety practices.
• Ensure effective employee relations.
• Provides employee coaching and development.
• Resolves employee issues through problem resolution.
• Follows engineering standards on sanitation design for food safety and quality of food. Demonstrates a commitment to quality.
• Facilitates coordination between maintenance and operations in solving process issues.
• Adheres to company GMPs (good manufacturing practices), safety procedures and all other quality processes.
• Wears PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) when required.
• All other duties, as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Technology or related engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of engineering and maintenance experience in a production or manufacturing environment, food, or processing industries.
• Prior experience driving improvements in a production facility via sound engineering practices and capital deployment.
• Experience with utilities; chiller systems; cooling towers; boilers; wastewater.
• Aseptic experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified/Licensed Professional Engineer.
• Automation and controls experience.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Exceptional mechanical skills and aptitude are required.
• Knowledge of high-speed fillers in an aseptic plant preferred.
• Solid technical capability is required.
• Must possess excellent math skills and computer skills (experience with PC, AutoCAD, and PLC driven components is needed).
• Project management skills are a must.
• Experience and demonstrated knowledge of thermodynamics and mechanics is required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Must have a working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint software.
• SQF practical experience and training preferred.
• TPM and/or LEAN manufacturing experience is preferred.
• Experience with utilities; chiller systems; cooling towers; boilers; wastewater treatment plants required.
• Experience in thermodynamics and mechanics.

Additional Considerations:

• Travel Expectation: Up to 10%.
• Location: This position will be at our Plant in Allentown, PA.
• Work Environment: Approximately 40% of the work is performed in an office environment; 60% in a production or manufacturing environment.
• Relocation or international remote working arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

Allentown Facility, Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States of America