Sr. Manager of Engineering

Business Unit Overview
Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company's portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, PEBBLES, Grape-Nuts and Malt-O-Meal cereal, and Peter Pan peanut butter, as well as Nutrish, Kibbles 'n Bits and 9Lives dog and cat food. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for the latest news.

Brand
At Post Consumer Brands, we've spent generations showing up for families, starting with breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Our cereals have become a trusted part of daily routines, helping spark conversations, fuel busy mornings, and create everyday moments that bring families closer together, including their furry four-legged family members, who have recently become a part of our story. As families have evolved, so have we. What began at the breakfast table has expanded into snacks, peanut butter, and, more recently, pet food, because caring for a family means feeding every part of it. With the addition of several iconic pet brands, we've extended our purpose: to make high-quality, accessible food for everyone under the same roof.

This phase is still new, and that's what makes it exciting. As we continue to grow across grocery and pet, we're looking for people who care about good food, thoughtful work, and the kind of impact that stretches from store shelves to kitchen tables, and food bowls, across the country.

Location Description
The Lawrence, Kansas facility is 236,000 square feet and home to about 155 hard working team members who are proud to produce iconic pet food brands like Kibbles 'n Bits. Lawrence is a college town and the home to both the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University with Kansas State University about 85 miles away. The city is known for a thriving music and art scene and is also the home of the University of Kansas athletic teams.

Responsibilities
Leads Plant Engineering function and partners with Operations Leaders implementing continuous improvement activities to achieve optimal results in performance metrics (safety, quality, delivery and cost), while leveraging tools to implement productivity improvements. Maintain plant equipment, facilities, and systems in a way that supports good business practices and ensures production line availability for production of low cost, high quality products in a safe work environment. Support, implement, and maintain food safety and quality practices as required through SQF. Will be responsible for completing job duties in a manner that supports all plant safety, food safety, quality and environmental practices.

JOB ACTIVITIES/DUTIES

• Manage an effective Plant Engineering and Maintenance Team in order to maintain all equipment, facilities, and systems in a safe and efficient working condition while supporting compliance of GMP's and food safety/security.
• Provide business and technical leadership necessary to ensure the team meets and/or exceed goals in critical manufacturing success areas (safety, quality, delivery and cost).
• Promote the continuous improvement process (e.g. behaviors, attitude and culture) necessary to build a productive environment that sustains improvements in support of business objectives.
• Utilize a proactive maintenance program to ensure that the facility and equipment is satisfactorily maintained and ready for use as needed. This includes assessing operational issues on a preventative/predictive basis and taking action as well as efficiently and effectively resolving equipment failures on an ongoing basis.
• Develop a service-oriented maintenance team to provide high quality, timely results.
• Provide leadership and management of engineering function to meet short and long-term company goals.
• Identify and support opportunities to close potential gaps related to our systems and/or processes. Find the root cause of problems through leadership and persistent focus on process improvement.
• Develop and implement facility capital budget. Ensure projects meet financial requirements and Return on Investment (ROI). Monitor ongoing project cost and adherence to budget and cash spending plan.
• Prioritize, execute and monitor project work to deliver against safety, quality, delivery and cost targets.
• Provide support and guidance to project engineer(s) in managing projects.
• Provide leadership that optimizes the talent contribution and development of multi-skilled teams.
• Work closely with other departments to align strategies and tactics for optimizing the availability of production lines.
• Assure compliance with state and local electrical, plumbing, building, and mechanical codes.
• Support compliance of corporate and plant standards for project work and documentation.

Qualifications
Education:
B.S. (or higher) in Engineering, Manufacturing Technology or related field.

Experience
Minimum 5-7 years experience in a manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrated experience in leading Engineering/Maintenance/Production/Continuous Improvement within a similar industry/environment.

Key Skills

• Working knowledge of simplification/improvement methodologies.
• Strong organizational, written and verbal communication skills.
• Recognized technical abilities and practical experience with strong capabilities in the following areas: theory/functionality of manufacturing systems and unit operations; equipment reliability and asset care strategies; continuous improvement techniques; statistics and analytical methods; process measurement and control; mechanical aptitude; troubleshooting; ability to understand and apply general engineering principles.
• Must have strong analytical and business judgment including demonstrated problem-solving and trouble-shooting skills.