Senior Engineer, Process

About the Role

As a Senior Process Engineer at The J.M. Smucker Co., you'll play a key role in optimizing processes, leading innovation, developing talent, and driving operational excellence to meet growing consumer demand for Uncrustables®. You'll partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Engineering teams to improve safety, quality, reliability, and efficiency while leading capital projects and continuous improvement initiatives.

Why You'll Love Working Here

At Smucker, you'll work on iconic brands and make a meaningful daily impact. The Uncrustables® manufacturing facility focuses on innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. We invest in our people, encourage growth, and empower employees to bring new ideas forward as we expand one of our most exciting brands.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop engineering talent by serving as a coach and mentor to Process Engineers, new hires, and interns, fostering a culture of continuous learning.
• Drive operational excellence by eliminating process losses, reducing variability, and improving productivity, safety, quality, and reliability.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing waste, increasing throughput, and improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Identify and advance cost savings opportunities through process optimization and operational improvements.
• Lead root cause investigations, failure analyses, and corrective action implementation.
• Develop, improve, and standardize process documentation and operating procedures.
• Own capital and improvement projects from concept through execution, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and safely.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while balancing competing priorities.
• Conduct project reviews and track performance against business objectives.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and equipment solutions that support future growth and operational excellence.
• Support product and process innovation by partnering with cross-functional teams on new product introductions and manufacturing commercialization.
• Optimize manufacturing processes to improve product quality, consistency, efficiency, and profitability.
• Support formula, ingredient, and process evaluations to drive business objectives.
• Leverage consumer insights, operational data, and technical expertise to improve existing products and processes.
• Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies to identify innovation opportunities and competitive advantages.
• Shape the future of the plant by creating and driving the long-term technical vision for the department and manufacturing operation.
• Build strong internal and external partnerships to identify best practices and accelerate results.
• Influence decisions and drive change through collaboration, technical expertise, and leadership.
• Support manufacturing organizations in evaluating new production opportunities, troubleshooting complex challenges, and improving existing operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or related fields preferred).
• Minimum 2 years of manufacturing experience.
• Minimum 2 years of project management and/or capital project experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Food manufacturing experience.
• Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives in a manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience coaching, mentoring, or developing others.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Knowledge of capital project delivery processes.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical and operational problems using data-driven approaches.
• Experience with root cause analysis, failure investigation, and corrective action implementation.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to influence across all levels of the organization and work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work independently while providing leadership in complex situations.
• Openness to managing operating teams as business needs require or for future development opportunities.

Location & Work Arrangements

Scottsville, KY. This is a 100% on-site role with a willingness to flow to the work as business needs require.

Culture & Values

We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, play to win, and believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we support every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.