Manufacturing Project Engineer

At Eagle Foods we are builders.  We are builders of brands, categories, and people.  Eagle Foods enjoys a rich heritage with brands that have proven category leadership for more than 150 years.  Eagle is a diversified food company producing and marketing sweetened condensed and evaporated milk, snacks and convenient meal solutions products.  As a company, Eagle Foods is passionate about fostering an entrepreneurial spirit that boldly builds better people and better brands while focusing on the positive impact our company, our products and our people have on the world.  Eagle Foods has a bold family of brands that consumers have come to rely on for decades, including Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk, Magnolia® Sweetened Condensed Milk, PET® Milk, Popcorn Indiana, Cretors Popcorn, Helper and Suddenly Salad.  Eagle Foods products are marketed and distributed across all U.S. retail channels, including grocery stores, club stores and mass-merchandisers, as well as foodservice and export, U.S. military, and private label business.

Job Description Summary

The Manufacturing Project Engineer is a corporate employee and will play a pivotal role in executing capital and focused improvement projects, optimizing production processes, and driving operational reliability across Eagle Foods’ manufacturing facilities, including both internal and co-manufacturing sites.  Supported products include Snacks, Meals, and Milk, among others.

This role includes understanding the business need for capacity, the intended transformation and process flow for new items, identifying potential manufacturing solutions, evaluating and selecting assets to best meet these needs, retaining 3rd parties to design, cost and execute projects, owning the budgeting and capital request process and leading Commissioning/Qualification/Verification (CQV) in our operations. This role may require interactions with 3rd party contract manufacturers in partnership with R&D to understand their proposed solutions and evaluate the feasibility and fit of what is proposed. 

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Project Management: Lead and manage capital and process improvement projects, including planning, scheduling, resource allocation, budgeting, risk assessment, and reporting. Ensure successful delivery of projects on time, on budget, and within scope.
• Process Optimization: Analyze the technical manufacturing processes, identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and implement innovative engineering solutions to enhance productivity, reduce waste, and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Reliability Engineering: Develop and implement reliability strategies for critical assets, collaborate with maintenance teams to improve equipment uptime, and utilize root cause analysis to address recurring failures.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with operations, maintenance, quality assurance, safety, and supply chain teams to ensure seamless project execution and knowledge transfer.
• Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance and support to junior engineers and technicians. Stay abreast of industry best practices, new technologies, and regulatory requirements relevant to food manufacturing.
• Continuous Improvement: Champion continuous improvement initiatives such as Lean, Six Sigma, and TPM, driving cost savings, process standardization, and culture change throughout the organization.
• Documentation & Compliance: Prepare detailed engineering documentation, including process flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment specifications, validation protocols, and project closeout reports. Ensure compliance with internal standards, food safety regulations, and environmental policies.
• Safety & Quality: Uphold Eagle Foods’ commitment to safety and quality by integrating EHS principles into all engineering activities and ensuring project deliverables meet applicable standards and specifications.

Essential Functions

• A combination of knowledge, experience, and proficiencies in process systems for the food or pharmaceutical industries applicable to Eagle Foods manufacturing processes, construction practices, standards, and codes to support manufacturing
• Develop a deep understanding of our products, production platforms, asset base, process flow and transformations.
• Ability to understand product and production needs and leverage industry resources to identify possible technical solutions to support manufacturing.
• Ability to leverage CI and Problem-Solving Tools in cross-functional teams to diagnose root cause issues and provide options for resolution.
• Ability to analyze information and convert related activities into a work plan.
• Ability to communicate and make recommendations.
• Ability to multi-task and help with a wide range of projects.
• Ability to manage workload in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate with cross functional teams.
• Ability to deal with confidential information.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and strong PC skills

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 3+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably within the food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods industries.
• Demonstrated project management skills with experience leading multiple projects simultaneously.
• Solid understanding of process engineering, reliability methodologies, and continuous improvement tools.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or other engineering design software.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or TPM is highly preferred.
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory standards (e.g., SQF, FDA, USDA, OSHA).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong troubleshooting capabilities and a data-driven approach to problem solving.

Additional Information

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing tasks and responsibilities of the job.

Intermittent overnight travel of 50%.

The ability to work in a plant environment at an Eagle or co-manufacturing facility.

Eagle Foods will provide reasonable accommodation to allow an employee to perform the essential functions of the job.

Protective Equipment: When in manufacturing facilities, employees must wear personal protective equipment, as required, which could include an assigned work uniform, hair and beard net, safety glasses, designated shoes, and hearing protection.

Additional equipment may be required to follow all GMP and safety rules and procedures by working safely and ensuring the safety of others.

This role offers a salary range of $104,018.35 – $136,866.00, along with eligibility for an annual performance bonus and, for certain leadership roles, Long-Term Incentive (LTI) opportunities. Eagle Foods provides a comprehensive benefits package featuring two medical plan options, two dental plan options, and two vision plan options, as well as company-paid life and disability insurance. Employees also receive a 401(k) with a 100% company match up to 5% and immediate vesting, plus access to additional voluntary benefits. Paid time off, personal days, parental leave, company holidays, and a variety of other programs further support the wellbeing of our team members and their families.