Staff Engineer - Product Engineering

Niagara Bottling; Diamond Bar (CA); On-site; USD 123,641 - 176,189; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Flexible Spending Accounts

Job summary

Niagara Bottling is seeking a Staff Engineer – Product Engineering to spearhead groundbreaking product introductions for top brands and private labels. This role involves leading high-impact projects that will shape the success of the company. The ideal candidate will possess a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience and strong project management skills.

The position offers competitive compensation, including a salary range of $123,641.54 to $176,189.21 annually, along with various benefits designed to support employees' well-being and work-life balance.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in a similar manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record of managing high-impact programs.
• Expert-level project management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple high-impact programs.
• Partner with Finance on commercial proposals.
• Drive structured risk management practices.

Skills

Commercial Insight

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering

Master’s Degree in Engineering (Preferred)

Tools

MS Project

Excel

PowerBI

Job description

At Niagara, we’re looking for Team Members who want to be part of achieving our mission to provide our customers the highest quality most affordable bottled water. Consider applying here if you want to: Work in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment with a chance to make an impact, develop lasting relationships with great people, and build a satisfying career. We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages for our Team Members.

Staff Engineer – Product Engineering

As a member of the Product Engineering team, you’ll play a pivotal role in introducing groundbreaking products for both leading brands and private label partners. Your work will directly shape Niagara’s success and growth, driving the launch of new beverages that delight customers and set industry trends. This is your opportunity to lead high‑impact projects, collaborate with talented teams, and make a visible difference in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment where your ideas and expertise fuel the future of beverage manufacturing.

Essential Functions

• Program Ownership & Delivery: Independently lead multiple high‑impact programs, owning scope, capital plans, timelines, and cross‑functional alignment; set execution standards and hold teams accountable.
• Strategic Technical Influence: Use deep experience across Product, Process, and Packaging to shape program strategy and change outcomes; frame trade‑offs for senior leaders with clear technical and commercial implications.
• Commercial Insight & Advising: Partner with Finance, Commercial, and Procurement to evaluate proposals (COGS, capex, yields, run rates, MOQs/lead times). Quickly advise what’s feasible, what isn’t, and the business impact.
• Systems‑Level Integration: Understand how product characteristics, processing technologies (e.g., beverage processing, thermal/non‑thermal, CIP/SIP), and packaging lines (filling, capping, labeling, secondary/tertiary) interact; design plans that optimize end‑to‑end flow, quality, and cost.
• Manufacturing Partnership & Commercialization: Lead rigorous technical reviews and readiness assessments across the full manufacturing process; perform site assessments to identify gaps (capacity, capability, utilities, tooling, quality systems) and co‑create mitigation plans.
• Quality & Science Advocacy: Translate development science and quality guidelines into practical manufacturing controls (CTQs, process windows, sampling/inspection, SPC), explaining “why it matters” to drive adoption and compliance.
• Risk & Decision‑Making: Drive structured risk management (FMEA‑style thinking, decision logs), escalade early with options and recommendations, and make tough calls for the good of the business.
• Tooling & Process Modernization: Build and standardize tools, templates, and dashboards that improve forecasting, capacity planning, and issue resolution; share broadly and train teams.
• Supplier Strategy & Acceleration: Cultivate supplier partnerships, qualify alternates, and creatively compress lead times while transparently communicating risk, contingencies, and change control.
• NPD Process Improvement: Refine Stage‑Gate/Governance, propose policy and KPI updates, and streamline workflows without compromising ethics, safety, or quality.
• Mentorship & Role Modeling: Coach Senior/LevelII/LevelI engineers in program leadership, technical depth, commercialization excellence, and professional ownership; model respectful influence and integrity.
• Stakeholder Communication: Provide succinct, insight‑rich updates to senior leaders; convert technical complexity into clear choices with quantified impact.

Travel: 15%

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • 6Years – Experience in Field or similar manufacturing environment
  • 6Years – Experience in Position
  • 6Years – Experience managing people/projects (experience may include a combination of work experience and education)
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • 10+Years – Experience in Field or similar manufacturing environment
  • 10+Years – Experience working in Position
  • 10+Years – Experience managing people/projects (experience may include a combination of work experience and education)
• Demonstrated mastery in end‑to‑end commercialization, including site readiness, scale‑up, and post‑launch stabilization.
• Expert‑level project/program management; able to lead through influence across functions and external partners.
• Proficiency with PM and data tools (e.g., MS Project/Planner, Excel/PowerBI, PLM/ERP); experience creating custom tools/dashboards.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills; executive‑ready presence.

Core Competencies

• Lead Like an Owner: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer‑centric solutions. Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them to breakthrough strategies. Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• InnovACT: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both success and failures as learning fodder.
• Find a Way: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Acting with urgency and high energy: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Decision and critical thinking: Making fast, sound decisions with imperfect data; documenting rationale and adjusting as new data emerges.
• Change Leadership: Improves processes, eliminates waste, and streamlines work ethically and responsibly.

Education

• Minimum Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Product Design, Manufacturing or other related field.
• Preferred: Master’s Degree in Engineering, Product Design, Manufacturing or other related field.

Certification / License

• Required: N/A
• Preferred: Project Management Professional (PMP)

Typical Compensation Range

• Pay Rate Type: Salary $123,641.54 – $176,189.21 / Yearly
• Bonus Target: 10%

Benefits

• Paid Time Off for holidays, sick time, and vacation time
• Paid parental and caregiver leaves
• Medical, including virtual care options
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k) with company match
• Health Savings Account with company match
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Expanded mental wellbeing benefits including free counseling sessions for all team members and household family members
• Family Building Benefits including enhanced fertility benefits for IVF and fertility preservation plus adoption, surrogacy, and Doula reimbursements
• Income protection including Life and AD&D, short and long‑term disability, critical illness and an accident plan
• Special discount programs including pet plans, pre‑paid legal services, identity theft, car rental, airport parking, etc.
• Tuition reimbursement, college savings plan and scholarship opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer

Niagara Bottling LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, veteran status or disability in relation to our recruiting, hiring, and promoting practices.

LosAngeles County applicants only. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the LosAngeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the California Fair Chance Act, and any other applicable local and state laws.