PLANT ENGINEERING MANAGER

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

AMPI owns six Midwest-based manufacturing plants where 10 percent of the nation’s American-type cheese and processed cheese is produced. The cooperative’s award-winning cheese and powdered dairy products are marketed to foodservice, retail and food ingredient customers. In 2019, the co-op launched its Dinner Bell Creamery brand and accompanying Co-op Crafted promise, highlighting more than 50 years of dairy farm families partnering with skilled cheesemakers.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time:

1. Safety & Quality Responsibility - All AMPI employees are responsible for reporting any employee safety, food safety, or product quality concerns to the appropriate authority.
2. Heightened Safety & Quality Role - As a technical leader, this role carries elevated responsibility for ensuring engineering solutions, equipment systems, and facility designs support the highest standards of food safety and product quality.
3. Operational Engineering Support - Provides daily engineering support to optimize plant operations, improve process reliability, and drive continuous improvement through collaborative problem solving.
4. Safety Leadership - Promotes a “safety-first” culture by working closely with teams to identify hazards, support behavior-based safety initiatives, investigate concerns, and implement engineering-focused corrective actions.
5. Cost Management - Manages engineering and maintenance related budgets responsibly while partnering with cross-functional teams to identify and implement cost-saving process improvements.
6. Cross-Functional Team Collaboration - Works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and Sanitation teams to align engineering priorities, support troubleshooting, and build shared understanding of system performance.
7. Strategic Alignment - Develops engineering strategies that support organizational goals, ensuring process and facility improvements align with long-term business needs.
8. Adaptability - Adjusts engineering approaches as operating conditions change, balancing multiple priorities while supporting team needs.
9. Collaborative Problem Solving - Leads structured problem-solving efforts, gathering data, engaging cross-functional teams, and developing effective, team-driven solutions.
10. Team Culture & Morale - Supports a positive, collaborative engineering and operations culture built on trust, shared accountability, and open communication.
11. Project Management - Leads engineering and capital projects by developing clear plans, coordinating team involvement, communicating updates, and working collaboratively to overcome obstacles.
12. Quality Improvement - Drives process and equipment improvements that enhance product quality, reduce variability, and strengthen overall manufacturing performance.
13. Controls and Automation – Lead the two onsite controls technicians in site support and process improvements for the controls and automation systems. Work with corporate controls division to ensure following corporate standards and overall long-term direction.
14. Continuous Improvement-Lead CI Engineering efforts with CI Engineer to ensure that facility is lowering costs, reducing waste, standardizing processes, and improving operational efficiency.
15. Business & Financial Acumen - Understands the financial impact of engineering decisions and works with plant leadership to ensure improvements support organizational performance.
16. Sound Judgment & Inclusion - Applies strong technical judgment while involving appropriate team members in decision-making to ensure well-rounded, timely solutions.
17. Planning & Prioritization - Develops realistic engineering plans, prioritizes work based on risk and impact, and collaborates with teams to secure required resources.
18. Employee Engagement & Development - Supports skill development across Maintenance and Operations by sharing engineering expertise and providing coaching and development to the Reliability Center of Excellence, including Maintenance and CI, while engaging employees in continuous improvement activities.
19. Customer-Focused Problem Resolution - Participates in customer complaint investigations by providing engineering expertise, identifying root causes, and implementing long-term corrective actions.
20. Feedback & Continuous Improvement - Uses feedback from internal and external partners to strengthen equipment performance, processes, and engineering practices.
21. Professionalism Under Pressure - Maintains composure, respect, and accountability when troubleshooting under pressure, ensuring teams feel supported during urgent situations.
22. Safety Compliance - Ensures engineering activities follow all safety and regulatory requirements, promptly addresses unsafe conditions, and promotes proper use of equipment and materials.
23. Other duties as assigned. 

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. The above list reflects the general details necessary to describe the principle and essential functions of the position and shall not be construed as the only duties that may be assigned for the position.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, or a related field OR a proven track record of 10 years of progressive technical experience in manufacturing operations.
• Minimum 5 years of supervisory or leadership experience (required).
• 10 years of experience in a dairy operations environment (preferred).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Basic accounting knowledge, including accounts payable and receivable (preferred).
• Knowledge of SQF, HACCP, GMPs, OSHA, and loss control programs (highly desirable).

BENEFITS/REWARDS

AMPI offers competitive starting pay, PTO, 401k, short-term disability, health, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, employee assistance programs and more.

Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Military service members, veterans, and qualified individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.