Process Engineer

Job Title: Process Engineer, Level (TBD)

Reports To: Director of Engineering

Familiarity with sustainability practices in food manufacturing

About the Company

Sugar Foods is a privately owned company with production facilities in Georgia, Massachusetts, California, and Mexico. Our products are sold and distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada. Sugar Foods manufactures and packages croutons, tortilla chips, crispy toppings, as well as cheese-based toppings. Additionally, Sugar Foods packages a variety of items including sugar, sweeteners, powdered creamer, and dried fruits and nuts.

The Sugar Foods Way

At Sugar Foods, the Customer is King, and our team is our Family. The vision of Sugar Foods is for our products to be on every plate and in every cup. We continue to grow our business and adapt to changing business conditions to consistently provide value to our customers, our associates, and our community, by adhering to high standards of quality and safety and always acting in a respectful and responsible manner.

Position Summary for Process Engineer

This position will report to the Director of Engineering and will be responsible for being a technical expert and resource for the Sugar Foods Operations organization. Working with others, this role will be responsible for driving sustainable solutions to the Company that will allow us to deliver our mission statement, Customer is King. The person in this role will need to be creative and an outside-the-box thinker in order to solve various problems that arise. The person will need to be a self-starter and not be afraid to ask critical and thought-provoking questions to others within the organization to truly understand pinch points and then identify solutions to those pinch points. A Process Engineer needs to consistently bring forward various solutions for review.

Machines at Sugar Foods include fryers, ovens, vegetables, powder, and liquid processing and handling systems, horizontal baggers, vertical baggers, case erectors, and case packers among others. For this role, the Process Engineer is responsible for the implementation of the new fry production line in a fast-paced, 24-hour plant, from planning to start-up. The Process Engineer is also responsible for the processing aspects of current production lines. The supervisors, operators, and associates you work with are responsible for ensuring that their machines safely produce the highest quality products for Sugar Foods customers. Process Engineers are expected to exercise good judgement with an emphasis on safety first and attention to optimizing equipment for quality production. To be successful at Sugar Foods it is critical that our Process Engineers embrace and teach the Sugar Foods Way to all our team members.

This role requires someone to be able to be in the day-to-day weeds and at the same time think strategically about what the business needs in order to not just survive but thrive. The ability to effectively analyze and synthesize large amounts of data will be critical for this person to succeed. In dealing with various teams being a good communicator and an inspiring leader to drive change management are necessary skills.

Job Responsibilities of Process Engineer

Utilize engineering first principles, scientific methods, knowledge of food properties, equipment and manufacturing systems to develop process solutions that both solve existing production lines’ needs and create new business opportunities. You will be expected to:

• Learn and master the manufacturing and technical aspects of the fry lines.
• Oversee the implementation of new production line.
• Diagnose equipment and process technical issues, and identify short and long-term solutions, to achieve operational and quality optimization. Continually develop knowledge of frying processing so as to assist in enhancing the production, consistency and quality of products in the new line.
• Ensure the operation, from an equipment standpoint, is safety compliant.
• Assist with research, evaluation, pilot studies, and making recommendations on advanced food processing technologies.
• Leading projects to achieve operational and quality optimization.
• Identifying and designing process improvement projects with the facility as directed
• Developing plans and prioritizing to achieve project goals; solutions must be driven to completion. Managing, leading and administering both expense and capital projects in support of these goals
• Partner externally with food processing equipment vendors, engineering firms, and technical consulting individuals/companies to develop and prove solutions to existing and new processes and technologies.
• Participate in cross-functional teams including Operations, Engineering, R&D, Supply Chain, etc.
• Present project progress updates to various internal teams, including managers up to Executive Leadership
• Travel to Sugar Foods facilities and to vendors.
• Be ready to relocate to one of Sugar Foods’ facilities in the US.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related field from an accredited college or university
• Strong grasp of engineering fundamentals. Preferred hands-on and deep understanding of food processing. Hands-on experience in frying process and technology is a major plus.
• 3-5 years of engineering experience, with direct experience specifying, evaluating, selecting, installing, and commercializing similar equipment
• Experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to manage multiple projects/tasks and adjust priorities, as necessary.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally.
• Willingness to relocate to one of Sugar Foods’s facilities in the US.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication and analytical skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications and AutoCAD
• Familiarity with sustainability practices in food manufacturing

U.S. Employment: If you have any difficulty using our on-line system, you may use the alternative method described below to contact someone about your interest in employment at Sugar Foods Corporation. Please reference this statement and job reference you are applying for when contacting us. Tel: 678-952-7051.

Sugar Foods Corporation is an E-Verify Company and provides reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in job applicant procedures. "Equal Opportunity Employer: Minority/Female/Veteran/Disabled/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation"