Senior Process Engineer — Beverage Automation & Throughput

Bolthouse-Farms-1; Bakersfield (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision

401(k)

Paid Time Off

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Gym Membership Discounts

Job summary

Bolthouse Farms is seeking a Sr. Process Engineer in Bakersfield, CA to lead and optimize sanitary beverage processing lines. You will work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality/Food Safety, and Engineering to reduce downtime, improve throughput, and enhance product quality.

The role emphasizes hands-on manufacturing engineering, root-cause analysis, and collaboration with Controls/Automation to implement durable changes. Travel ~15% and an exempt, full-time schedule are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical/Mechanical/Food/Process Engineering or related.
• 7+ years of process/manufacturing engineering in automated sanitary liquids.
• Experience with automated process systems and control improvements.
• Ability to partner with Controls/Automation personnel on changes.
• Proficiency reading P&IDs, process diagrams, and PLC logic.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and documentation skills.
• Commitment to plant safety, PPE, and change-control practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide floor-level technical support for beverage processing systems.
• Lead technical direction for assigned systems and coordinate cross-functional actions.
• Troubleshoot processing problems by evaluating flow, temperatures, pressures, and equipment performance.
• Collaborate with a Controls Engineer to develop and test control changes.
• Develop process centerlines, recipes, and operating standards.
• Own commissioning, startup, and validation of process changes.
• Create SOPs, process specifications, and troubleshooting trees.
• Support planned shutdowns and urgent production issues.

Skills

Sanitary processing

Troubleshooting

P&ID interpretation

Controls collaboration

Thermal processing

CIP troubleshooting

Process data analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Prioritization

Safety & compliance

Education

Bachelor’s in Engineering

Tools

Rockwell/Allen-Bradley

Siemens

AutoCAD

SCADA

Job description

Bolthouse Farms is seeking a Sr. Process Engineer in Bakersfield, CA to lead and optimize sanitary beverage processing lines. You will work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality/Food Safety, and Engineering to reduce downtime, improve throughput, and enhance product quality.

The role emphasizes hands-on manufacturing engineering, root-cause analysis, and collaboration with Controls/Automation to implement durable changes. Travel ~15% and an exempt, full-time schedule are expected.