Manufacturing System Engineer - Packaging

Description

Looking for a job that can grow into a lifelong career?
At Lactalis USA, we believe in promoting from within and giving our employees meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Whether you’re just starting out or bringing years of experience, we’ll provide the tools and support you need to succeed.

Lactalis is the world leader in dairy—a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Every day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together every day.

In the US, we offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with sour cream and a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We’re building a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us make an impact. 

From your PASSION to ours

Do you have curiosity of how things work?  Do you love to solve problems and continuously improve?  As a Manufacturing System Engineer (SE) in our Reed City, MI yogurt plant, you will take ownership of your assigned filling and packaging systems and work with the team to continuously improve performance.  You will provide technical leadership for the equipment and processes on your systems.  The SE is responsible to identify, develop, and lead execution of solutions for performance improvements and capacity solutions through strong business partnership, strategic productivity, and continuous improvement efforts.   

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key Accountabilities

• Demonstrate clear understanding and execution of human and food safety practices in food manufacturing plant 
• Demonstrate expertise in manufacturing information systems, quality metrics, analysis methods and procedures 
• Leverage and advance system capability through people, process and technology 
• Lead and support technical improvements on your systems 
• Coach and provide technical expertise on problem solving and continuous improvement activities  
• Provide leadership support for Technical Resources (including maintenance technicians, controls TECHs, etc.) 
• Identify, vet and implement productivity solutions on your assigned lines. 
• Partner with R&D, Quality, Operations, and Engineering/Maintenance to drive system improvements & reduce losses 
• Lead development of future state of your systems and provide technical expertise in development of improvement plan 
• Develop and champion a system vision, technical road map and capital needs to support Long Range Plan for your systems. 

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

Minimum Qualifications

•  Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Ag/Food Process Engineering or related degree with extensive food manufacturing experience  
• Strong interpersonal skills, effective written and oral communications, strong listening skills, strong coaching/teaching skills. 
• Ability to learn quickly and curious to dig into challenges to identify and correct root cause. 
• Demonstrated technical leadership, adaptability, analytical and problem-solving skills, decision making, troubleshooting, communications, team management, and human relations skills 
• Strong ability to interact with operators and mechanics as well as other departments in the plant and at corporate. 
• Be innovative, resourceful, and work with minimal direction 
• Have excellent organization, problem solving, communication, and team leadership skills 
• Have ability to multi-task, prioritize your work and make data driven decisions 
• Ability to read and develop equipment and process flow diagrams 
• Ability to work well with computer Office applications, particularly Microsoft Excel 
• Have a working knowledge of plant manufacturing, engineering, quality, and research functions 

Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years in relevant food manufacturing with Engineering experience 
• Experience working in dairy manufacturing. 
• Experience with food packaging materials 
• Strong Mechanical and Electrical Aptitude 

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.