Plant Engineering Manager

At Link Snacks , we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago.

We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands: Jack Link’s® , Lorissa’s™ Organic Snacks , Golden Island® , BiFi® , Peperami® and KOOEE!® to name a few, there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it.

Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks.

Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks.

The Plant Engineering Manager oversees all engineering, maintenance, utilities, and automation systems within a large, highly automated USDA food manufacturing plant. This leader ensures equipment reliability, regulatory compliance, continuous improvement, and long‑term asset health while driving operational excellence in a 24/7 production environment.

The role blends technical depth, leadership, strategic planning, and hands‑on problem solving across mechanical, electrical, controls, and facility systems.

Engineering Leadership & Technical Direction

- Engineering Leadership — Set the technical vision for the plant, ensuring engineering strategies align with production goals, food safety requirements, and long‑term asset health. This includes defining engineering standards, approving equipment specifications, and guiding the plant’s automation roadmap.
- Team Development — Build a high‑performance culture across maintenance, reliability, and controls teams. Provide coaching, succession planning, and skills development for technicians, supervisors, and engineers.
- Cross‑Functional Influence — Serve as the plant’s technical authority, partnering with Operations, Quality, Sanitation, and Corporate Engineering to solve complex problems and drive plant‑wide improvements.

Maintenance & Reliability Management

- Maintenance & Reliability — Own the plant’s reliability strategy, including preventive, predictive, and condition‑based maintenance programs (TPM).
- CMMS Optimization — Ensure accurate work order management, asset histories, and spare‑parts control. Use data to identify chronic failures and optimize PM frequencies.
- Reliability Engineering — Lead root cause analysis (RCA), FMEA (FMECA, FMEDA), and reliability‑centered maintenance (RCM) to reduce unplanned downtime.
- Performance Metrics — Track MTBF, MTTR, PM compliance, and maintenance cost per unit to drive continuous improvement.

Automation, Controls & Advanced Technology

- Automation & Controls — Oversee PLCs, SCADA, production & line control systems, and automated material handling.
- System Integration — Ensure seamless communication between equipment, sensors, and plant‑wide control systems.
- Cybersecurity for OT — Implement secure access, patching, and network segmentation for industrial control systems.
- Troubleshooting Leadership — Guide teams through complex automation failures, ensuring rapid recovery and long‑term corrective actions.
- Automated Production Systems – Industrial robotics and high-speed servo-based equipment systems

USDA, Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

- USDA & Food Safety Compliance — Ensure all engineering and maintenance activities meet USDA, FDA, HACCP, GMP, and internal food safety standards.
- Sanitary Design — Lead equipment and facility design reviews to ensure compliance with sanitary design principles.
- Audit Readiness — Maintain documentation, validation records, and maintenance logs to support USDA inspections and third‑party audits.
- Management of Change (MOC) Control — Manage engineering changes to ensure they do not compromise food safety or regulatory compliance.

Capital Project Leadership

- Capital Project Management — Lead multi‑million‑dollar projects from concept to commissioning.
- Scope Development — Define project requirements, equipment specifications, and ROI analyses.
- Vendor & Contractor Management — Oversee bidding, selection, and performance of engineering firms and contractors.
- Startup & Commissioning — Ensure equipment validation, operator training, and performance testing meet design intent.

Utilities, Facilities & Infrastructure

- Utilities & Infrastructure — Ensure critical plant utilities including ammonia refrigeration, boilers, compressed air, wastewater, and HVAC are maintained.
- Regulatory Compliance — Ensure compliance with PSM (Process Safety Management), environmental permits, and OSHA standards.
- Energy Management — Identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and improve sustainability.
- Facility Integrity — Oversee structural, roofing, flooring, and environmental controls to maintain a safe, sanitary environment.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

- Continuous Improvement — Drive Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and Kaizen initiatives to improve throughput and reduce waste.
- OEE Optimization — Partner with Operations to analyze downtime, speed losses, and quality losses.
- Standard Work — Develop engineering SOPs, PM standards, and troubleshooting guides.
- Innovation — Evaluate emerging technologies (vision systems, robotics, predictive analytics) to enhance plant performance.

Budgeting, Cost Control & Strategic Planning

- Budget Management — Own the engineering and maintenance budgets, including labor, spare parts, contractors, and capital expenditures.
- Cost Reduction — Identify opportunities to reduce maintenance costs without compromising reliability.
- Long‑Term Asset Planning — Develop 3–5-year capital plans with Central Engineering, equipment replacement strategies, and facility improvement roadmaps.

Safety Leadership & Risk Management

- Safety Leadership — Champion a strong safety culture across engineering and maintenance teams.
- Risk Assessments — Lead hazard analyses, LOTO program improvements, and machine guarding compliance.
- Incident Response — Provide technical leadership during safety incidents, equipment failures, or utility disruptions.

Requirements

Mechanical & Electrical Expertise — Strong understanding of industrial equipment, automation, and utilities within a high-speed CPG company.; Project Management — Ability to manage complex timelines, contractors, and budgets.; Regulatory Knowledge — Experience with USDA, HACCP, GMPs, and food safety engineering requirements.; Leadership & People Development — Proven ability to coach, mentor, and build high‑performing technical teams.; Data‑Driven Decision Making — Skilled in using CMMS, OEE data, and reliability metrics to guide improvements.; Root Cause Analysis — Expertise in RCA, FMEA, and structured problem‑solving methodologies.; Food Safety – Fundamental understanding of Sanitary Design Principals, sanitation practices and requirements, and mitigation strategies.; Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field).; 7 + years of engineering or maintenance leadership in food manufacturing, CPG, or high‑automation environments.; Demonstrated success managing large capital projects and cross‑functional initiatives.; Equipment, uptime and reliability (MTBF, MTTR); Successful execution of capital projects (on time/on budget); Maintenance cost performance (M&R spend); Audit readiness and regulatory compliance; Safety performance metrics; OEE improvement and waste reduction

Nice to have

10 + years of engineering or maintenance leadership in food manufacturing, CPG, or high‑automation environments.; Professional certifications (PE, PMP, Six Sigma) are a plus.; Experience in FDA, USDA‑regulated or ready‑to‑eat (RTE) facilities strongly preferred.