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Chicago, Illinois, United States
Hybrid
Greif is a global leader in performance packaging located in 40 countries. The company delivers trusted, innovative, and tailored solutions that support some of the world's most in demand and fastest-growing industries.
With a commitment to legendary customer service, operational excellence, and global sustainability, Greif packages life's essentials - and creates lasting value for its colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders.
Learn more about the company's Customized Polymer, Sustainable Fiber, Durable Metal, and Integrated Solutions at www.greif.com and follow Greif on Instagram and LinkedIn.
OUR VISION:
To Be the Advantage That Helps Our Customers Win.
OUR PURPOSE:
Creating packaging solutions for life’s essentials.
Job Requisition #:
035451 SBU Engineering Manager (Open)Job Description:
The SBU Engineering Manager (SEM) is a senior engineering leader responsible for balancing business partnership, people leadership, and engineering execution across the assigned Strategic Business Unit (SBU).
This role leads the SBU engineering organization to deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective, and scalable engineering outcomes, while serving as a trusted business partner to SBU leadership. The SEM is accountable not only for project and technical execution, but also for developing engineering capability and future leaders, strengthening cross-functional alignment, and enabling long-term organizational performance.
The SEM reports to the VP Engineering and works in close partnership with the SBU Leadership Team and other functional leaders to translate business strategy into engineering priorities, investments, and capabilities.
Local presence matters - Local candidates preferred within one of the specified locations. Significant travel is required throughout the assigned region to drive business engagement, lead teams, and support ongoing development.
Business Engagement & Organizational Leadership
Serves as a key engineering and business partner to SBU leadership team, actively contributing to SBU strategy, capital planning, and operational priorities.
Translates business needs into engineering roadmaps, capital plans, and resource strategies that balance near-term execution with long-term capability.
Leads and participates in SBU, regional, and enterprise strategic planning, including growth initiatives, cost optimization, and network investments.
Builds strong cross-functional relationships with Operations, Maintenance, EH&S, Finance, Supply Chain, and other enabling functions to drive alignment and execution.
Seeks and integrates feedback from SBU leadership and peers to continuously improve engineering value delivery.
Shows and promotes a Global Engineering mindset. This specifically shows in leveraging the global footprint of Greif.
Team Leadership & Talent Development
Leads, coaches, and develops the SBU engineering organization, creating a strong engineering bench and succession pipeline.
Establishes clear expectations, performance goals, and development plans for engineering team members.
Creates a culture of empowerment, accountability, continuous improvement, safety, and collaboration.
Responsible for staffing, onboarding, training, performance management, and colleague engagement.
Coaches engineering team on project management, standards, and effective cross-functional interactions.
Key Responsibilities
Ensures engineering execution across SBU delivers:
Reliable equipment solutions
Safety and regulatory compliance
Quality, cost, and schedule adherence
Selection of equipment for the right purpose
Provides leadership oversight for:
Plant facilities, equipment, tooling, automation, and machine standards
Design, development, acquisition, installation, maintenance, and upgrades
Leads major SBU, regional, and network engineering projects as assigned.
Establishes and maintains a cadence of accountability for project execution, capital deployment, and engineering performance.
Monitors engineering KPIs, project performance, and capital spend; drives corrective actions and continuous improvement.
Owns SBU engineering budget execution, variance management, and forecasting in partnership with Finance.
Supports Maintenance Excellence and Lean Manufacturing initiatives across the SBU.
Develops and manages external engineering partners, suppliers, and contractors to support SBU priorities.
Ensures equipment safety standards are implemented and maintained in coordination with EH&S, reinforcing commitment-based safety practices.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Engineering Required
10+ years of engineering and project management experience in a manufacturing environment
5+ years of experience leading engineers or technical teams
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives and capital programs
Knowledge and Skills
Strong leadership capability with experience developing technical talent and future leaders
Ability to balance business strategy, people leadership, and functional execution
Strong project and capital management expertise
Experience with lean manufacturing, maintenance excellence, and process improvement
Financial acumen including budgeting, forecasting, and capital justification
Strong communication, presentation, and influencing skills
Ability to build trust and alignment across functional and organizational boundaries
Proficiency in MS Office Suite
Willingness to travel extensively as required up to 50% with uneven distribution and possibly short notice.
At Greif, we believe that our colleagues are the center of our success. Our Total Rewards have a comprehensive focus on well-being and offer a competitive package that enables you to thrive, be engaged, and reach your full potential.
Compensation Range:
The pay range for this position is $129,500.00 - $220,500.00 annually. Typically, a competitive wage for new hires will fall between175,000.00 to195,000.00 annually. Offers for this position may vary based on market data and other factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographic location. The position may also be eligible for a short-term incentive.Benefits Statement:
Greif offers a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive core benefits, paid time off, and a range of local benefits for eligible colleagues.Protect Yourself From Scams: We value the integrity of our recruitment process and prioritize the well-being of our candidates. While you may find Greif job postings on various platforms, all legitimate opportunities can be verified on our official Careers page at www.greif.com. All communication from Greif regarding job opportunities will also come from an @greif.com email address. If you have concerns about the legitimacy of a job posting, receive an unsolicited job offer or suspect fraudulent activity, please contact us for verification via this link Contact Us - Greif.
EEO Statement:
We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits and opportunity for growth. Greif is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, national origin, color, disability, veteran status or any other any other legally protected characteristic.
For more information read Greif’s Equal Opportunity Policy.
