Job Description

Engineering Manager - Food Manufacturing

Location: Southern Wisconsin
Compensation: $120,000 - $150,000 base salary
Job Type: Full-time, direct hire
Work Arrangement: Onsite, with occasional travel to another company facility

A growing food manufacturing company is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead engineering initiatives across a fast-paced production environment. This role is responsible for capital projects, process improvement, equipment upgrades, facility improvements, and cross-functional engineering support for operations, quality, safety, and maintenance teams.

This is a strong opportunity for an engineering leader with food, beverage, dairy, or related manufacturing experience who enjoys being close to the plant floor, managing projects from concept through execution, and improving reliability, efficiency, safety, and overall plant performance.

Key Responsibilities

Lead engineering projects related to equipment installations, facility upgrades, process improvement, and production line optimization.

Manage capital projects from planning through execution, including scope, budget, timeline, vendor coordination, installation, startup, and handoff to operations.

Partner closely with operations, maintenance, quality, safety, supply chain, and outside vendors to support plant performance and business objectives.

Identify and implement improvements related to equipment reliability, process flow, utility usage, waste reduction, and production efficiency.

Support food safety, quality, OSHA, and regulatory compliance through strong engineering practices and project execution.

Evaluate new technologies, equipment, automation opportunities, and best practices that can improve manufacturing performance.

Support continuous improvement efforts, including layout improvements, lean manufacturing initiatives, and process standardization.

Manage engineering-related budgets, resources, outside contractors, and project priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing setting.

Provide leadership and technical direction to engineering resources, including controls/automation support.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required, ideally Mechanical, Electrical, or a related discipline.

7+ years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.

3+ years of leadership experience within engineering, project engineering, plant engineering, or a similar function.

Food, beverage, dairy, or related regulated manufacturing experience strongly preferred.

Strong capital project management experience, including equipment installations, facility upgrades, and process improvement projects.

Working knowledge of mechanical systems, electrical systems, automation, controls, PLCs, and plant utilities.

Experience with CAD, CMMS, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement tools preferred.

Ability to work cross-functionally with operations, maintenance, quality, safety, and senior leadership.

Strong communication, organization, project management, and problem-solving skills.

Comfortable working in a hands-on manufacturing environment with changing priorities and operational demands.

Why This Role

Direct impact on plant performance, equipment reliability, and long-term operational improvements.

Opportunity to lead meaningful capital projects and engineering initiatives.

Stable food manufacturing environment with strong brands and continued growth.

Visible leadership role reporting into senior operations leadership.

Compensation

The expected base salary range is $120,000 - $150,000, depending on experience.