You know our brands, The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Boursin, Kaukauna, Merkts and Price's, which elicit smiles across America. They are daring, responsible and deliver dairy goodness. As you imagine, this mindset is contagious! Bel Brands USA is part of an international family company, which has led an ambitious growth strategy for 150 years and is today the world's third largest branded cheese company. If like our 12,000 employees globally, you want to have an impact in an entrepreneurial and demanding company, and share smiles around the world, dare to live the Bel experience!

Be you. Be ambitious. Be Bel.
Bel Brands USA has been named Chicago's "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" for 10 years in a row. The company is headquartered in Chicago and operates three manufacturing plants in Little Chute, WI, Leitchfield, KY, and Brookings, SD.

Job Description Summary

This position is responsible for managing and coordinating all engineering and maintenance activities including production equipment and utilities to ensure and maintain optimum operation of the plant. Responsible for developing and delivering yearly CAPEX and maintenance budget as well as managing Maintenance and Engineering Departments. Develop and implement investment plan for the plant, in conjunction with the Group Engineering Department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaborate with plant leadership and departments related to planning, organizing and prioritizing plant projects and priorities, including scheduling and planning projects.

• Define a preventive maintenance strategy to avoid breakdowns and impacts to production.

• Comply with legislation in relation to machine conformity and environmental protection.

• Ensure appropriate corrective or preventive action plans based on safety, quality and/or environmental issues identified within the plant.

• Assist Production Department as needed to plan shutdowns and alterations, upgrade equipment, and ensure breakages are addressed appropriately.

• Participate in the development of the Master Plan for the site and formalize the annual investment plan with the Plant Manager.

• Ensure technical documentation is updated and work to ensure necessary spare parts and consumable inventory relevant to maintenance and project engineering is available.

• Provide leadership to project engineering and maintenance staff, including developing training plans to optimize and build technical skills.

• Enforce safety regulations for staff and/or external stakeholders; safety regulations are understand and adhered to, including hot work, energy control procedures, forklift driving permits, lockout tagout, machine guarding, etc.).

• Coordinate security policies and practices within the plant in collaboration with HR and Safety Department.

• Establish and adhere to operating budgets for department, including analysing costs associated with technical solutions, defining budget priorities and adhering and collaborating with the Procurement Department for supplier selection and evaluation to ensure best value for money.

• Design and implement automation solutions for various manufacturing processes, such as assembly, testing, packaging, and inspection.

• Develop and program PLCs, robots, and other automation devices to control and monitor the production equipment and systems.

• Troubleshoot and debug automation issues and perform root cause analysis and corrective actions.

• Document and maintain automation specifications, diagrams, manuals, and reports.

• All other duties as assigned.

Safety, Environmental and Quality

• Follows all safety rules and procedures by working safely and ensuring safety of others.

• Follows all environmental protocols as applicable to the job.

• Follows all Good Manufacturing Practices as stated within the policy.

• Follow all food safety procedures.

• Maintains a sanitary and safe work area; performs housekeeping duties as necessary and/or required.

• Detects potentially hazardous conditions and problems and takes appropriate action to report and/or correct.

Knowledge and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering: Electrical, Automation or other related field is required.

• A minimum of 5 years of maintenance and/or engineering experience in manufacturing is required.

• Previous formal leadership experience is required.

• Food and/or dairy industry experience is preferred.

• IT Tools management (data analysis experience) is required.

Competencies and Abilities

• Ability to communicate and develop good working relationships with team members.

• Strong management skills with the ability to clearly communicate expectations and motivate peers, and other interested parties.

• Excellent communication skills; understands audience and adjusts communication to drive desired results.

• Must be able to accurately and efficiently perform all job duties with a sense of urgency.

• Exhibit Bel’s core values of:

• CARE

o Inspire and grow self and others by developing yourself and others through challenge and support with honest constructive feedback

o Act with people and planet front of mind in all decisions and actions.

• DARE

o Think bold, act fast by being ambitious with ideas and initiatives. Make decisions and deliver quickly.

o Simply and focus by prioritizing what delivers the most value. Promote simplicity and remove complications.

• COMMIT

o Play to win as a team by taking accountability to deliver on results and maximize impact by actively collaborating.

o Make customers smile by improving internal and external customer satisfaction in everything we do.

Performance Expectations: Must demonstrate excellent interpersonal and written communication skills. Must exude a professional attitude; be courteous, friendly and exceptionally organized. Confidentiality, quality, accuracy, timeliness, reliability, and thoroughness of work performed; ability to gain the trust and respect of management, coworkers; maintain the integrity of confidential business and product information; ability to communicate effectively and develop good working relationships with other employees is essential to accomplish goals and objectives of the Department.

Working Conditions: Work is performed largely in the Little Chute, WI manufacturing environment. Hours of work will generally be during regular plant business hours with a minimum 40 hours a week. At times there will be some variation in work hours due to special projects, deadlines and other concerns. Position is based in Little Chute, Wisconsin

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Protective Equipment: Employees must wear safety glasses, safety toe shoes, hair net, Tyvex gown, hearing protection and protective gloves as required.

Relationships: Has strong relationships with all departments.

Acknowledgement: This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by employee assigned to this position. It does not state or imply that these are the only duties and responsibilities assigned to the job. The employee may be required to perform other job-related duties as requested by management. All requirements are subject to change over time and to possible modifications to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.

Bel Brands is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Bel Brands also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is also Bel Brand’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.

Bel Brands is committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting people with disabilities and veterans. If you need an accommodation or assistance in using the website, please call 312-462-1500.

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