Dairy Process Engineer

Main Responsibilities

• Assess existing manufacturing lines and process flows to identify constraints, inefficiencies, and sources of variability (including CIP, changeovers, and transition losses)
• Lead and support process optimization initiatives focused on throughput improvement, yield enhancement, and cycle-time reduction
• Develop, document, and standardize best-practice operating procedures, process parameters, and control strategies
• Support process definition and requirements for capital projects, including scope development and user requirements
• Participate in equipment selection, commissioning/FAT support where applicable, and startup optimization for new or modified lines
• Collaborate with plant engineering managers on line modifications and process/controls changes to improve performance and reliability
• Optimize CIP circuits, recovery, and sanitation effectiveness; ensure process improvements maintain or improve food safety and sanitation performance
• Ensure process changes comply with safety standards and safe-work practices; participate in risk assessments where applicable and champion safe implementation of process changes
• Support line balancing, capacity analysis, and performance benchmarking across sites or production areas
• Apply continuous improvement methodologies to drive measurable operational gains
• Analyze production and performance data to track results, identify trends, and inform decision-making
• Absorb chronic process issues, quality defects, or reliability challenges through root-cause analysis
• Support operator training and change management associated with new or updated process standards
• Contribute to the development of scalable process templates and playbooks deployable across ACI operations

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or a related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in dairy or refrigerated food manufacturing environments, supporting fluid milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream, or related dairy processes
• Hands-on experience with dairy unit operations, including pasteurization (HTST/UHT), homogenization, separation/standardization, fermentation, freezing, and packaging
• Exposure to industrial controls and automation in dairy processing environments (e.g., PLC/SCADA systems such as Rockwell, Siemens, Wonderware)
• Experience extracting and working with manufacturing/process data from systems such as FactoryTalk, Ignition, or similar; basic SQL or data-extraction skills preferred
• Familiarity with dairy regulatory and quality frameworks, including FDA/PMO requirements, HACCP, and internal quality standards
• Demonstrated experience optimizing production lines in a regulated or quality-driven manufacturing environment
• Strong understanding of dairy mass balance, yield drivers, and loss points (e.g., cream losses, trim, rework, CIP interface losses)
• Experience working directly on the plant floor to diagnose issues and implement improvements
• Proven ability to translate analytical findings into practical, operator-ready solutions
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing organizations or standardized production platforms
• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing or similar improvement frameworks
• Proficiency with statistical analysis tools (advanced Excel and/or similar) and process mapping software
• Exposure to change management and operator training during process rollouts

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of manufacturing process optimization and continuous improvement
• Experience with process standardization and documentation (SOPs, standard work, control plans)
• Experience with data analysis and performance monitoring (KPIs, throughput, yield, downtime)
• Experience with manufacturing controls/automation collaboration (recipes, process control limits) and data extraction (historian/SCADA; basic SQL)
• Structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills
• Ability to work independently in a delivery-focused role

Skills

• Manufacturing process optimization and continuous improvement
• Process standardization and documentation (SOPs, standard work, control plans)
• Data analysis and performance monitoring (KPIs, throughput, yield, downtime)
• Manufacturing controls/automation collaboration (recipes, process control limits) and data extraction (historian/SCADA; basic SQL)
• Structured problem solving and root-cause analysis
• Clear technical communication with both engineering and operations audiences

Benefits

We provide a variety of benefits including competitive wages paid weekly, access to up to 50% of your earned wages before payday, discounts, health and financial well-being benefits for eligible associates (Medical, Dental, 401k and more!), time off (vacation, holidays, sick pay), and an inclusive work environment with talented colleagues who reflect the communities we serve.