Reliability Engineer

At Emmi Roth, we’re passionate about creating exceptional cheeses. As a leader in the specialty cheese industry, we blend traditional craftsmanship with innovation. Our commitment to local sourcing and quality makes us a trusted brand in the food industry.

Joining Emmi Roth means becoming part of a team that values creativity, collaboration, and a shared dedication to excellence. You’ll have the opportunity to work with some of the finest cheeses in the world while contributing to a company that prides itself on both heritage and progress. If you're passionate about food, craftsmanship, and making an impact, we’d love for you to be a part of our journey!

Job Summary

The Reliability Engineer is accountable for establishing a proactive, data-driven reliability culture across a 5-site network (3 cheese make plants, 1 converting facility, 1 distribution center). This role reduces unplanned downtime and cost by leading RCM/FMEA, PM optimization, reliability analytics, and sustainability-driven equipment improvements—translating asset performance data into measurable gains in uptime, energy efficiency, and total cost of ownership.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain equipment criticality rankings across all sites and establish reliability governance, KPIs, and performance routines aligned to supply chain objectives.
• Lead RCM and FMEA efforts on critical equipment and chronic loss areas to optimize preventive and predictive maintenance strategies using failure mode data.
• Standardize PM libraries, maintenance practices, and reliability tools across all sites to improve consistency, scale, and execution quality.
• Serve as the network subject matter expert on machine reliability and maintenance strategy, improving lubrication, inspection, condition monitoring, failure mode identification, and equipment design improvements.
• Partner with maintenance teams to improve wrench time, job quality, and repeatability, and bridge maintenance and engineering to ensure design-for-reliability in new CAPEX projects.
• Lead structured root cause analysis using A3, 8D, and other reliability methods for significant downtime events, and implement defect elimination systems to prevent recurrence.
• Identify and lead initiatives that reduce energy consumption and utilities losses, including compressed air, steam, refrigeration, water, and CIP inefficiencies, in partnership with utilities and operations teams.
• Integrate reliability with sustainability goals by reducing waste, improving equipment efficiency and lifecycle performance, and supporting KPI development tied to energy and sustainability performance.
• Own the reliability KPI framework, including MTBF, MTTR, OEE, PM compliance, schedule adherence, and emergency work order percentage, and translate data into prioritized improvement plans and business cases.
• Partner with the CMMS Planner/Scheduler to improve asset hierarchy, failure codes, job plans, work quality, and feedback loops while driving data integrity and standardization.
• Work cross-functionally with Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Safety & Sustainability to align reliability efforts to production throughput, food safety, and supply chain performance.
  
  

Qualifications / Minimum Requirements

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field).
• 5 years of experience in reliability, maintenance, manufacturing engineering, or asset performance improvement in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience supporting multi-site operations and leading cross-functional improvement initiatives is preferred.
  
  

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in RCM, FMEA, root cause analysis, preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, and equipment criticality assessment.
• Deep understanding of rotating equipment, process systems, packaging equipment, utilities, and maintenance best practices such as lubrication, alignment, inspection, rebuild strategies, and condition-based monitoring.
• Knowledge of industrial energy systems including steam, ammonia refrigeration, compressed air, and water systems, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and reduce total energy cost per unit.
• Understanding of sustainability drivers in manufacturing, including energy, water, waste, emissions, and the ability to translate sustainability goals into actionable plant-level improvements.
• Proficiency with CMMS systems, data integrity, and reliability analytics, with the ability to convert data into actionable insights and clear business cases.
• Lean and continuous improvement mindset focused on loss elimination, standardization, waste reduction, and lifecycle performance.
  
  

Leadership & Influence

• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority across multiple sites and functions.
• Effective communication and cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to translate technical issues into business impact.
• Capability to lead cross-functional initiatives, drive adoption of standardized practices, and sustain accountability for results.
  
  

Physical Requirements

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

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is constantly required to use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects and controls.
• Constantly required to walk, bend and reach with hands and arms
• Constantly required to talk and hear
• Constantly sitting for long hours
• Constantly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 60 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus naturally or with correction.
  
  

Please note that these physical requirements are representative but not exhaustive. The actual physical demands may vary depending on the specific tasks and work conditions within the facility.

Work environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work is typically performed in a Production Plant Environment.
• Frequently exposed to a moderate level of noise that may make it difficult to concentrate
• Frequently exposed to wet, humid with slippery conditions, hot and cold environment
• Primarily plant-based with regular time spent on the production floor
• May require occasional travel between facilities
• Fast-paced manufacturing environment
  
  

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Flexible spending accounts & Health Savings Accounts
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Short term/Long term disability
• Volunteer time off (VTO)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Pet insurance
  
  

The Best Cheese Moments are EMMI ROTH Moments!

Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled