What are the responsibilities and job description for the Process Engineer position at Freshpet?
Who We Are
Freshpet is a family of pet-loving humans guided by a simple mission: to positively impact pets, people and the planet shared by all. Freshpet employees work hard as a team and get rewarded generously for their dedication and effort. From real career growth, mentorship, stock ownership and competitive pay and benefits for employees and their families — and their fur families, too! — Freshpet aims to make work a rewarding, fun and inspiring part of life. Plus, there are so many ways to contribute at Freshpet. Whether it’s finance, manufacturing, HR, marketing, engineering, innovation or other functions, the company is rapidly growing and always seeking motivated and passionate people to join the Freshpet family. Come join Freshpet’s mission to bring the power of real, fresh food to pets.
What You Will Do
Freshpet is a family of pet-loving humans guided by a simple mission: to positively impact pets, people and the planet shared by all. Freshpet employees work hard as a team and get rewarded generously for their dedication and effort. From real career growth, mentorship, stock ownership and competitive pay and benefits for employees and their families — and their fur families, too! — Freshpet aims to make work a rewarding, fun and inspiring part of life. Plus, there are so many ways to contribute at Freshpet. Whether it’s finance, manufacturing, HR, marketing, engineering, innovation or other functions, the company is rapidly growing and always seeking motivated and passionate people to join the Freshpet family. Come join Freshpet’s mission to bring the power of real, fresh food to pets.
What You Will Do
- Lead troubleshooting and problem-solving efforts to identify root causes and to implement effective corrective actions.
- Identify and realize opportunities to improve equipment efficiencies and to reduce waste and production costs.
- Develop manufacturing methods, labor utilization standards, and cost analysis to promote efficient staff and facility utilization.
- Apply statistical methods and perform mathematical calculations to determine manufacturing processes, staff requirements, and production standards.
- Support safety initiatives and behavioral based safety observation program.
- Reinforce best practices in safety behaviors and food safety principles while meeting productivity, cost and quality objectives.
- Start up new or modified processes and fully develop operational guidelines and SOPs to achieve targeted goals.
- Identify and evaluate new equipment types, designs and configurations.
- Coordinate new product releases into manufacturing and integrate these into standard manufacturing processes.
- Work with equipment designers and manufacturers to develop cost-effective production processes.
- Integrate new technology or environmentally friendly practices into existing processes.
- Conduct tests on systems for efficiency and accuracy to deliver a quality and cost-effective production process.
- Analyze and evaluate process trends to identify opportunities for improvement. Present data driven options for creative solutions based on this analysis.
- Collaborate with other professionals such as scientists, R&D managers, and other engineers on development and research and product development projects.
- Assist with incident investigations and advise on corrective actions.
- Manage multiple projects and deliver updates/results on a timely basis.
- Serve as a technical advisor to the Operations team, guiding the larger group to delivery of key targets & corrective actions.
- Engage heavily with our Operational Excellence program (FPE) to drive continued gains in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
- Work with contractors & our internal Maintenance/Engineering team to coordinate hardware & software changes to our manufacturing lines.
- 5 years of industrial experience strongly preferred.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in a process engineering related role in the food, beverage, or chemical industries.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience managing multiple projects and priorities in a manufacturing environment.
- Working knowledge of:
- Manufacturing, production, packaging machinery, and facilities.
- Equipment standards and fabrication methods in the food industry.
- Industrial automation and controls.
- Ability to prepare project justifications, timelines and cost estimates.
- Ability to work collaboratively with employees at all levels of an organization.
- Ability to effectively manage contractors.
- Understanding of lean manufacturing concepts.
- A self-starter attitude with problem solving skills motivated to implement positive change.
- Troubleshooting and continuous improvement skills.
- Demonstrated effective verbal & written communication skills.
- Hands-on approach to meeting with stakeholders & getting their feedback.
- Excellent computer skills, including experience with Microsoft software programs such as Word, Excel, Project and PowerPoint. Experience with AutoCAD, BI software, and Minitab preferred.
- Knowledge of production measurement effectiveness, including elements such as WIP, product quality, critical control points, GMP’s Quality attributes, critical process parameters related to quality assurance testing, and other relevant metrics.
- Travel as required to perform job functions
- Educational requirement: HS Diploma with 15 years industrial experience minimum or STEM Bachelor’s Degree with an Engineering concentration (Mechanical/Electrical/Industrial/Chemical)
