Senior Utilities and Mechanical Engineer

job purpose:  

fairlife operates three large low acid aseptic milk bottling facilities in Coopersville, MI, Goodyear, AZ and Webster, NY as well as a smaller filtrated products manufacturing site in Dexter, NM. The technical team also supports the fairlife Canada plant in Peterborough, ON.   

The Sr. Utilities & Mechanical Engineer is responsible for providing specialized technical oversight for all the sites mentioned above through different phases of projects and operations. The position will be responsible for leading the design phase and supporting through the construction and commissioning phases for utility streams for capital projects of varying scope. Position will also provide consulting and/or onsite support for utility operations as needed at the various locations ensuring the assigned plants are not stopped due to insufficient utility capacity, reliability or incorrect operations while implementing a utilities strategy to deliver company efficiency and sustainability goals.  

Apart from technical and people skills, this position requires a strong sense of purpose and ownership at work, urgency in dealing with issues with minimal supervision, a desire to constantly learn and above all a ‘One Team’ mind set to work through challenges. 

responsibilities:  

• Develop predictive demand, situation analysis tools and load management tools for utility systems based on forecasted plans for existing and new plants ensuring sufficient capacity and cost-effective operation.  
• Define the standards to which all plant utilities will be designed, automated, constructed and operated under the locational quality and supply profiles negotiated with utilities suppliers.  
• Document and clearly communicate the basis of design of all installed equipment to the plants key stakeholders.  
• Provide technical support for the procurement of utilities from utility providers. A key decision maker in utilities equipment vendor selection and contract negotiation and contributor to budgeting and justification of capital projects. 
• Lead construction phase and collaborate with plant & project engineering teams to ensure all project work gets performed on time and within budget including leading and supporting commissioning and validation activities, review and execution of Factory Acceptance Test and Site Acceptance Test (FAT/SAT) protocols, developing and delivering training materials.  
• Collaborate with the Environmental teams to develop and implement mechanical designs and operating systems which contribute to company sustainability goals e.g., carbon footprint reduction through new and established technologies and resource management programs.   
• Technical oversight of new line/plant mechanical & utility design (mass/media balance, utilities process flow diagram, functional specifications, PID approval, HAZOP, FAT, DQ, OQ, PQ, training, ramp up etc.) and maintain up-to-date documentation.  
• Solving complex processing, mechanical and utility problems following escalation from plants; managing the process of escalation with plants to ensure timely resolution. 
• Continuously improve utilities efficiency, total cost of ownership and environmental impact. Examples include equipment re-design for improved reliability, improved predictive failure analysis methods to reduce reactive downtime, more robust utilities load management, energy recovery. 
• Ensure plant compliance to Federal, State and Corporate environmental laws, rules & regulations, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, PMO, other regulatory requirements, Company policies, operating procedures, processes, and task assignments. 
• Other duties as assigned. 

skills/qualifications required:  

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering: mechanical or chemical engineering with experience in dairy industry, or process engineering with experience in wider food industry. Advanced degrees or other professional certifications are strongly preferred but not required. 
• 5+ years of progressive experience in utilities design, operations and construction within milk, brewing/beverage, and chemical processing. Direct experience with design, construction, commissioning and troubleshooting of utilities is required. 
• Work experience with an engineering design and construction firm as a P. Eng is highly preferred.  
• Proven track record of improving manufacturing processes through re-design and automation, and the introduction of new technologies. 
• Data analysis and Process modeling in Microsoft Excel is required. 
• Process and utility modeling using software’s such as Aspen, SuperPro or others will be a value addition. 
• Strong understanding of process/product interactions with the ability to provide comprehensive reports on risk assessment and primary recommendations. 
• Demonstrated excellence in communication and presentation. 
• Ability to handle ambiguity and thrive in a fast paced, entrepreneurial work environment.

food safety requirements: 

• Notify management of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety. 
• Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company. 
• Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system. 
• Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system. 

position location: Webster, NY, Coopersville, MI, Goodyear, AZ.  

reports to: Director of Process Development, Technical Team 

travel: Average 50% including some international. Travel may be 75%+ during commissioning of utilities and process equipment.  

exempt/nonexempt: Exempt