Staff Engineer - SME Packaging

Agropur, inc.; Eden Prairie (MN); On-site; USD 124,200 - 155,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Travel 50%

Health benefits (medical, dental, vis)

Job summary

Agropur Cooperative in Minnesota seeks a Staff Engineer – Membrane Systems to act as the enterprise technical authority for membrane separation technologies across the manufacturing network, guiding design, operation, optimization, and troubleshooting.

You will lead capital project reviews, establish engineering standards and roadmaps, collaborate with R&D, Operations, and the broader Engineering organization, and ensure safe, reliable, and efficient membrane system implementations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering.
• 10+ years in packaging equipment engineering or capital execution.
• Expertise in line design, equipment selection, and integration.
• Experience developing technical standards and specifications.
• Strong understanding of packaging operations in food/dairy environments and hygienic design principles.

Responsibilities

• Act as the enterprise technical authority for membrane separation technologies across the manufacturing network.
• Provide technical leadership during concept development, process design, equipment selection, detailed engineering, and commissioning/validation planning.
• Establish and maintain enterprise standards, design guidelines, best practices, and technology roadmaps for membrane systems.
• Collaborate with Commercial, R&D, Operations, and broader Engineering organization to support development of future products and identify technology-enabled growth opportunities.
• Assess feasibility and translate membrane technology requirements into practical, scalable solutions.
• Support capital project reviews, provide technical due diligence, and contribute to project decision-making.
• Lead or participate in the development of safe, reliable, and efficient membrane system implementations across sites.
• Engage with operations to troubleshoot high-impact issues and provide ongoing technical support.
• Develop and maintain enterprise standards for equipment, integration, and hygienic design with a focus on food safety.
• Monitor emerging membrane technologies and evaluate applicability to Agropur’s processing needs.

Skills

Membrane systems design

Capital project leadership

Hygienic design

Equipment selection

Standards development

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering

Tools

Controls & automation strategies

OEMs & integrators coordination

Job description

Overview

The Staff Engineer – Membrane Systems serves as the enterprise technical authority for membrane separation technologies across Agropur’s manufacturing network. This role provides deep subject matter expertise in the design, operation, optimization, troubleshooting, and strategic application of membrane systems supporting dairy processing operations. The Staff Engineer supports capital project development and execution by providing technical leadership during concept development, process design, equipment selection, detailed engineering, and planning commissioning/validation protocols. The role establishes and maintains enterprise technical standards, design guidelines, best practices, and technology roadmaps for membrane systems to ensure safe, reliable, efficient and consistent implementation. The position resides within the global engineering organization and collaborates with Commercial, R&D, Operations, and the broader Engineering organization to support development of the future product pipeline by identifying technology-enabled growth opportunities and evaluating capabilities of current and emerging membrane technologies. The Staff Engineer provides strategic insight into what is technically feasible today, what may become possible, and what investments are required to enable new products, ingredients, and manufacturing capabilities. This role emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, transparency, and accountability to generate value and achieve sustainable results.

Location, work arrangement details, and compensation are determined based on skills, education, training and experience related to the position.

Responsibilities

• Act as the enterprise technical authority for membrane separation technologies across the manufacturing network.
• Provide technical leadership during concept development, process design, equipment selection, detailed engineering, and commissioning/validation planning.
• Establish and maintain enterprise standards, design guidelines, best practices, and technology roadmaps for membrane systems.
• Collaborate with Commercial, R&D, Operations, and broader Engineering organization to support development of future products and identify technology-enabled growth opportunities.
• Assess feasibility and translate membrane technology requirements into practical, scalable solutions.
• Support capital project reviews, provide technical due diligence, and contribute to project decision-making.
• Lead or participate in the development of safe, reliable, and efficient membrane system implementations across sites.
• Engage with operations to troubleshoot high-impact issues and provide ongoing technical support.
• Develop and maintain enterprise standards for equipment, integration, and hygienic design with a focus on food safety.
• Monitor emerging membrane technologies and evaluate applicability to Agropur’s processing needs.

Packaging Systems SME (additional focus)

• Act as enterprise technical authority for packaging equipment and line systems across the manufacturing network.
• Provide technical leadership for full packaging line design and integration for bulk/B2B, retail lines, liquid filling, and solid product packaging.
• Lead technical reviews of capital projects (layout, selection, integration, operability) and serve as final authority for packaging system engineering decisions.
• Support line design, capacity planning, and automation strategy; translate packaging requirements into practical equipment solutions.
• Participate in feasibility studies focused on equipment and operational performance; make high-quality technical decisions in complex scenarios.
• Provide targeted technical support to Operational Excellence and act as escalation resource for critical or high-impact events.
• Build and maintain enterprise standards for equipment, integration, and automation; establish best practices for hygienic equipment design and food safety.
• Provide expertise in equipment/material compatibility and guidance on line efficiency and sustainability considerations.
• Monitor emerging packaging equipment and automation technologies; work with OEMs and integrators; understand controls and automation strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering.
• 10+ years in packaging equipment engineering or capital execution.
• Expertise in line design, equipment selection, and integration.
• Experience developing technical standards and specifications.
• Strong understanding of packaging operations in food/dairy environments and hygienic design principles.
• Understanding of OEE and performance metrics.
• Strong communication and influencing skills; experience with large-scale packaging capital projects and high-speed automated lines.
• Experience working with OEMs and integrators; familiarity with controls and automation strategies.
• Knowledge of packaging materials and equipment-focused aspects; ability to implement enterprise standards.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: $124,200 - $155,300 (dependent on skills, education, training & experience).
• Monday - Friday; Remote work arrangement where applicable.
• Travel: 50%
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short and Long-term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) with 7% company contributions
• Paid Time Off, paid holidays and 2 floating holidays, and paid parental leave
• Advancement opportunities

Additional Information

Agropur welcomes people from all backgrounds and origins. We are committed to providing a respectful and inclusive experience for all employees and applicants, and will work with candidates who request accommodation. An adequate knowledge of French is required for positions in Quebec. Agropur uses artificial intelligence technology to assist our recruiters in screening, assessing, or selecting applicants for this position. The text includes references clarifying gender usage and applies to the job descriptions.