Summary
This role involves strategic oversight and leadership to operate and maintain a 975,000-square-foot animal protein production facility, which includes a 195,000-pound ammonia system, a 32-million-gallon wastewater treatment facility, and operations for rendering and steam generation. The leader is responsible for managing various systems, including thermal, refrigeration, compressed air, hazardous gases, wastewater, steam, electrical, water, natural gas, HVAC, and ammonia, while ensuring compliance, safety, and efficiency. This position requires the ability to manage operational challenges and work closely with peers.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
This list is not exhaustive, and additional duties may be assigned.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that all utilities, rendering, and wastewater processes comply with local, state, and federal regulations.
- Operational Strategy: Develop and implement strategies to maximize productivity, efficiency, and quality across all areas of responsibility.
- System Management: Oversee the operation and maintenance of large-scale ammonia refrigeration systems, boiler/steam generation systems, and plant utilities.
- Equipment Performance: Monitor and maintain the rendering equipment to ensure optimal functionality and minimize downtime.
- Team Development: Play a key role in selecting, onboarding, training, and developing team members involved in utilities, refrigeration, rendering, and wastewater activities.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Be familiar with OSHA and Food Safety Quality Assurance (FSQA) regulations, collaborating with FSQA to maintain compliance and report necessary work.
- Safety Culture: Promote a safety-first culture, ensuring team members receive ongoing training and comply with safety regulations to prevent accidents.
- Team Leadership: Develop a high-performing team through effective talent identification, development, and succession planning, supporting business expansion.
- Process Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making.
- Strategic Collaboration: Work with the leadership team to provide input on strategic direction and business planning.
- Problem-Solving: Diagnose and address causes of downtime and equipment failures, developing strategies to enhance reliability and safety.
- Goal Setting: Establish and implement short- and long-term organizational goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures.
Qualification Requirements
To successfully perform this job, an individual must be able to meet the following requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Education and Experience: A bachelor's degree in Engineering and eight or more years of progressively responsible positions in manufacturing, including supervisory experience. Experience in food manufacturing is preferred.
- Technical Expertise: Formal training and certifications in ammonia refrigeration are preferred. Knowledge of boiler and cooling tower chemical treatment programs is desirable.
- Management Skills: Strong management skills, including the ability to lead a large team of employees effectively.
- Project Management: Experience in developing capital funding requests and leading projects.
