Sr. Project Engineer - Controls, Automation, and Digital

About the role

This Sr. Regional Project Engineering role is part of the Mars Snacking North America Controls, Automation, and Digital engineering team. The individual will be responsible for all aspects of planning and executing projects from ideation to project closure, including leading and/or supporting large capital projects in electrical, controls, Factory IT, physical automation, and Digital Plant Technology systems based on business needs. The role owns overall leadership of controls, automation, and digital projects via the Mars Snacking Engineering Execution Standard for the Salty business and may be based at one of the following sites: Cary, North Carolina; Kansas City, Kansas; Jackson, TN; Cincinnati, OH. Mars does not support visa sponsorship for this position.

Responsibilities

• Develop control systems for automating manufacturing processes and packaging systems.
• Deliver projects that provide a competitive advantage to the business.
• Design control systems, including developing control concepts, functional and equipment specifications.
• Direct modifications, installation, and integration of systems in electrical and power distribution, control systems, Factory IT (servers, networks, Wi‑Fi, etc.), physical automation, and Digital Plant Technology systems.
• Ensure delivery of assigned objectives for scope, time, budget, and cash flow.
• Maintain project adherence to scope, deliverables, and critical success factors.
• Communicate with the project steering team to achieve project objectives.
• Seek and apply appropriate technologies to gain and sustain a technical competitive advantage.
• Understand and make decisions to improve business metrics such as Return on Total Asset earnings (ROTA), Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio (FATR), Economic Profit (EP), etc.
• Design systems and select hardware or direct third‑party engineering and system integrator firms to meet contract deliverables.
• Provide design services to meet contract deliverables.
• Actively participate in the development of engineering standards and tools.
• Support safety, security, and environmental policies.
• Maximize asset utilization through value‑added engineering and lean design.
• Directly manage all assigned project work.
• Understand and support the Five Principles, Vision to Win, and the Winning Environment.
• Actively plan and lead project activities in a cross‑functional team environment.
• Contribute to the growth and effectiveness of the Regional Controls, Automation, and Digital Team through team initiatives and action planning.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, chemical, or a relevant engineering discipline.
• 5‑10+ years’ experience in a comparable technical position in food, beverage, pharmaceutical, or a related industry.
• Basic understanding of engineering principles and knowledge of engineering disciplines: Process, Packaging, Electrical, Controls, Automation, Construction, and/or Computer Services.
• In‑depth understanding of the designated functional engineering area of expertise (e.g., controls, process, packaging) as required for the specific role.
• Up to 50% travel requirement depending on project demands.

Preferred Requirements

• Master’s degree in Controls/Electrical/Electronics, including courses in Computer Science, or an advanced degree in Engineering.
• MBA or PMP certification.
• 8+ years’ experience