Senior Plant Engineering & Maintenance Manager

Tillamook County Creamery Association; Kennewick (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tillamook County Creamery Association in Washington state seeks a Senior Plant Engineering & Maintenance Manager to helm all aspects of plant maintenance, controls and engineering. You will drive equipment reliability, food safety compliance, and budget adherence while leading capital projects and a high-performing team.

Reporting to the Director of Plant Operations, you will develop maintenance strategies, oversee SOPs, and champion continuous improvement to boost production efficiency and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering; technical certification with significant related experience can substitute for the degree.
• 10+ years of experience in maintenance and repair of production equipment, preferably in a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing facility and grounds maintenance.
• May be required to work at night or on weekends.
• Some travel is required.

Responsibilities

• Direct maintenance activity and overall maintenance strategy within the plant to allow the highest level of production efficiency while ensuring equipment longevity and product quality.
• Work closely as a team and in support of the Director of Plant Operations and other department managers. Show a united front as a team when strategies and direction are given.
• Lead, supervise, and mentor a team of supervisors and engineers, providing technical guidance and fostering a collaborative work environment. Administers the maintenance proficiency pay program with department staff.
• Maintain regulatory compliance with ammonia and electrical safety programs and provide leadership on safety compliance and initiatives in the plant.
• Manage capital projects, including planning, budgeting, and execution for the site. Lead engineering projects to improve production efficiency, reduce downtime, and enhance product quality. Evaluate new technologies and equipment to optimize production processes. Work with the Finance department and Corporate Director of Engineering to bring capital projects from budgeting and planning through execution.
• Oversee development and execution of site’s maintenance and repair plans and budgets.
• Oversee development and execution of departmental SOPs for maintenance, parts inventory, energy management, and other departmental functions.
• Provide leadership, management and direction to plant’s automation and controls team. Maintain current and implement new controls equipment and strategies to ensure equipment is available to enhance manufacturing processes and overall performance.
• Provide oversight and direction to plant’s engineering staff to ensure projects are designed and installed to meet regulatory and food safety requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance manufacturing processes and overall performance. Through a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, technologies, and engineering principles, identify and resolve equipment issues that arise during the manufacturing process and develop and implement innovative solutions to improve equipment operations and reliability.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Team management

Safety compliance

Capital projects

Automation & controls

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Job description

About you

What does real food mean to you? Is your favorite dish a cheesy casserole? Perhaps a decadent and indulgent ice cream? Either way, your identification with food is important to us. People who fit well here at Tillamook have a commitment to quality in everything they do. Our team members understand our vision, contribute to our mission, thrive on innovative thinking, hard work and good, honest values.

About us

Our team members understand our vision, contribute to our mission, thrive on innovative thinking, hard work and good, honest values. We live by these shared values: We are Good Stewards, We believe in Uncompromising Quality, We work as One Team, We Play to Win, and We Genuinely Care for each other.

What you will do

The SR Plant Engineering & Maintenance Manager oversees all aspects of plant maintenance, controls, and engineering, ensuring equipment reliability, efficiency, and adherence to food safety standards while managing budgets and personnel. Additionally, this position manages capital projects, including planning, budgeting, engineering, and execution for the site. Working with the Director of Plant Operations and the plant’s department managers, the Engineering Manager ensures the success of the manufacturing plant.

Here’s a day in the life

• Direct maintenance activity and overall maintenance strategy within the plant to allow the highest level of production efficiency while ensuring equipment longevity and product quality.
• Work closely as a team and in support of the Director of Plant Operations and other department managers. Show a united front as a team when strategies and direction are given.
• Lead, supervise, and mentor a team of supervisors and engineers, providing technical guidance and fostering a collaborative work environment. Administers the maintenance proficiency pay program with department staff.
• Maintain regulatory compliance with ammonia and electrical safety programs and provide leadership on safety compliance and initiatives in the plant.
• Manage capital projects, including planning, budgeting, and execution for the site. Lead engineering projects to improve production efficiency, reduce downtime, and enhance product quality. Evaluate new technologies and equipment to optimize production processes. Work with the Finance department and Corporate Director of Engineering to bring capital projects from budgeting and planning through execution.
• Oversee development and execution of site’s maintenance and repair plans and budgets.
• Oversee development and execution of departmental SOPs for maintenance, parts inventory, energy management, and other departmental functions.
• Provide leadership, management and direction to plant’s automation and controls team. Maintain current and implement new controls equipment and strategies to ensure equipment is available to enhance manufacturing processes and overall performance.
• Provide oversight and direction to plant’s engineering staff to ensure projects are designed and installed to meet regulatory and food safety requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance manufacturing processes and overall performance. Through a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, technologies, and engineering principles, identify and resolve equipment issues that arise during the manufacturing process and develop and implement innovative solutions to improve equipment operations and reliability.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. Technical certification with significant related experience can be substituted for the degree.
• 10+ year experience in maintenance and repair of production equipment, preferably in a food manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience managing facility and grounds maintenance.
• May be required to work at night or on weekends.
• Some travel is required.

Facility Safety Responsibilities

Follow and uphold Employee Safety policies and procedures outlined in the employee safety meetings, employee handbook, CBAs, posted in the work environment, and/or as directed by supervisory staff.

Food Safety Responsibilities

• Report any food safety and quality problems to personnel with authority to initiate action.
• Follow and uphold procedures outlined in the Food Safety Plan and the Food Quality Plan and any other programs that support the SQF system and other 3rd party programs/audits.
• Responsible for taking necessary action on all food safety and quality problems reported or observed.
• Insure a trained designee is appointed to cover for absences or vacancies.

Physical requirements

• Sitting
• Standing and/or walking
• Lifting 55 lbs.
• Vision for machine or computer operations
• Hearing
• Ability to climb stairs
• Some travel is required.

Industry leading benefit and reward programs

We offer outstanding benefits to our employees. For more information, please visit the careers page: www.tillamook.com/careers. We are committed to creating a diverse culture and inclusive conditions where all employees are heard, valued and feel a sense of belonging. We rely on different perspectives, thoughts, backgrounds and cultures to inform our work, to help us be better as a brand and as an employer and to fuel our success. We are seeking talent from a wide range of diversity, perspectives and backgrounds to join our exceptional organization and help us build our future.

Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is a Drug-Free Workplace. Tillamook is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin/ancestry status, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.