Senior Process Engineer - Decatur, IL

Senior Process Engineer  - Decatur, IL

Position Summary: 
The Improvement Engineer is responsible for implementing process and technology improvement opportunities within their process area; applying analytical gap analysis and problem solving techniques to develop an opportunity landscape for the unit. The Improvement Engineer leads the team in evaluating and prioritizing improvements from the opportunity list for implementation and works cross-functionally with technology experts and operations, reliability and maintenance teams to collect data required to complete scope definition for improvement projects and activities.

The Improvement Engineer will develop a portfolio of capex and non-capex improvement projects for their area as an output of the above process and owns the capex portfolio full scope of work for their process area; including scope definition, prioritization, interfacing with operations, guiding and directing the project engineering team, and has accountability for the delivery and performance of improvement projects.  The Improvement Engineer also drives the 1-year and 5-year capex plans within their process area.

Job Responsibilities: 

• Partner with Plant Operations leadership on driving and leading the improvement process; analyzing production loss and accounting data to develop and prioritize a list of opportunities to improve processes
• Ensure that holistic ideation involving all functions and stakeholders is effective and aggregated, and that the resulting list of capex and non-capex projects is aligned with strategic goals. 
• Collaborate with plant leadership to implement and track performance metrics to maintain or improve the effectiveness of operating assets. 
• Develop the process knowledge required to guide production teams in the optimization of unit operations and the achievement of production targets. 
• CAPEX planning, prioritization and tracking. Active Participation in the portfolio management process and accountable for capex portfolio integrity within their process unit.
• Guide and drive the technical scope for capex projects.
• Partner with operations leadership and portfolio manager in the development of site capital budgeting
• Act as a super user of WAVE for oversight and managing the portfolio of initiatives within the region.
• Drive accountability of initiative and project execution.
• Support the prioritization of the Project portfolio in cooperation with the Plant Manager and Business stakeholders.
• Function as a manufacturing technology resource for plant operations leaders. 
• Actively participate in the operations performance management process
• Function as a champion to propose new technologies.
• Drive a culture of Safety and Food Safety by partnering with operations teams on technology solutions. 

Job Requirements: 

• BS in engineering, preferably Chemical, Mechanical, Agricultural or similar
• 5 years of experience in a project or process engineering role in the food industry
• Operations leadership experience is preferred.
• Dedication to working safely and to the awareness for the safety of others. 
• Excellent communication and people skills for working with plant personnel and regional management. 
• Willingness to spend time in plant areas – tolerate extreme temperatures, walk long distances, stand, climb stairs and ladders and move through close spaces. 
• Ability to work effectively on a team as well as independently while traveling to remote plant locations. 

Skills: (Languages, computer skills etc.) 

• Demonstrated problem solving, diagnostic and analytical skills, with a result focused approach. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills 
• Team player with a propensity for collaboration
• Demonstrated strategic mindset.
• Self-motivated work habits and capable of prioritizing and balancing resources between multiple simultaneous initiatives 
• General knowledge of software applications
• Direct experience in applicable manufacturing unit operations preferred, for example: soybean extraction/refining, spray drying, dry blending, emulsions, reactions, separations, distillation, filtration, corn wet milling.
• Controls and plant automation knowledge or experience