Principal Engineer - Food Manufacturing Process Automation
Lamb Weston

Title: Principal Engineer - Food Manufacturing Process Automation

Location: Kennewick, WA

About Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston is a leading supplier of frozen potato, sweet potato, appetizer and vegetable products to restaurants and retailers around the world. For more than 60 years, we've produced innovative, inventive products that make life better for our customers and their customers.

Job Description Summary

This position supports Lamb Weston's Journey to Zero by providing clear, concise, and relevant technical leadership to Global Engineering and Operations. The successful applicant will develop, document, and promote Food Process Engineering, primary focus on potato processing.

Responsibilities include creating company strategic direction for food processing. Potato bulk material handling, cutting, cooking, drying, frying, and freezing automation, or packaging automation will be the focus. Making the food process system simple, streamline work processes interacting with the equipment, and assure a stable running process will define success. Other areas of accountability center on long-term support and sustainability of systems, and include preparation of studies, reports, schedules, budgets, inspections, bid requests, evaluation of bid submittals, direction and coordination of contractors, and project closeouts and analysis.

As the enterprise Food Process Engineering SME (subject matter expert), this position also serves as a consultant to engineers in operations providing technical information and engineering recommendations. This work includes classic chemical engineering process work as well as equipment design and development. A key responsibility is the review of project documentation to ensure compliance with performance criteria, economic viability, company standards, and best practices.

The successful candidate will create and present reports, papers, and projects to executive leadership within Lamb Weston and so requires an elevated level of organizational and communication skills. Operational and training document creation, for systems used by LW associates, is critical.

Job Description

• Provide food processing and/or packaging technical expertise, innovation, and leadership.
• Lead, drive, and deliver global engineering initiatives, and long-term strategies.
• Use modeling, static and dynamic, to properly evaluate and drive change.
• Collaborate with other business functions driving improved fixed and variable cost inputs.
• Identify and promote food processing system improvement opportunities, particularly around reduction of required labor for operation (high automation).
• Accountable for timely, accurate and effective implementation of engineering and project related work.
• Serve as leader and mentor through focused technical expertise and innovation.
• Provide guidance and development on best practices with a productivity focus.
• Coach, teach, and train operations and maintenance teams.
• Audit effectiveness of processes and systems to measure long term viability and identification of automation opportunities.
• Meet or exceed project quality, cost, schedule, and performance metrics.
• Develop and advance professional capabilities of the department in accordance with Engineering Work Practices (EWP) and VeLOCity methodologies.
• Leadership of project teams in effective project collaboration, integration, and implementations.
• Report operational costs, both fixed and variable, as well as capital cost, on the line or system upgrades to determine ultimate success of the work and reduction of labor required.

Basic & Preferred Qualifications

Education/ Certifications:

• BA or BS in Engineering is required.
• BA or BS in Chemical Engineering is a plus.
• MBA is a plus.
• Professional Engineering licensing and/or accreditation is preferred.

Skills and Experience:

• 8+ years of experience to include the design, installation, operation, and optimization of Food Process and/or Packaging Systems.
• Proven Leader demonstrating expert level skills in: Conflict Management, Team Leadership, Collaboration, Time, and Task Management.
• Demonstrated analytical thinking and creative problem-solving skills are required.
• Experience in project management is preferred.
• Demonstrated business acumen is critical.
• Experience in food process design initiatives is required.
• Manufacturing plant experience in production/quality assurance/support is preferred.
• Must be detail orientated, possess excellent technical and analytical skills, and be a proven self-starter.
• Working knowledge and use Modeling software packages preferred.
• Demonstrated capability to work on teams and support others.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.Experience presenting to Executive Leadership is required.
• Excellent problem solving and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in desktop applications includes Windows, Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time on average, domestically and internationally, with peaks potentially exceeding that amount for some duration.

Incumbent must have the ability to effectively perform all of the following physical demands without assistance:

• Sitting or standing for up to 12 hours a day (sometimes greater than 12 hours), frequently in a construction environment.
• Lift up to 15 pounds occasionally (up to 25 pounds infrequently).
• Walking on various manufacturing facility surfaces, frequently in a construction environment.
• Climbing up ladders and stairs, frequently in a construction environment.
• Accessing difficult to reach locations, frequently in a construction environment.
• Exposed to plant and construction noises and vibrations.
• Temperature changes from hot to cold depending on work area.
• Ability to work and travel domestically and internationally for up to 4 weeks at a time (depending on phase of project).
• Ability to safely operate a Company vehicle for up to 8 hours at a time.

Industry-Competitive Benefits

Coupled with our compensation and bonus incentive programs, our benefits deliver rewards that are market competitive. Some of the most attractive elements of our benefit programs include:

• Health Insurance Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision
  
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Reimbursement Accounts
  
• Well-being programs including companywide events and a wellness incentive program
  
• Paid Time Off
  
• Financial Wellness - Industry leading 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, Financial Planning Services, Employee Stock purchase program, and Health Savings Accounts, Life and Accident insurance
  
• Family-Friendly Employee events
  
• Employee Assistance Program services - mental health and other concierge type services
  

Benefits may vary based on location, job role/level, job status, and/or the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Job Requisition ID: Req-230285

Time Type: Full time

In compliance with applicable state and local laws, Lamb Weston has opted to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. This compensation is specific to this position and takes into account a number of variables. Actual compensation may be higher or lower in the range posted based on various factors, including, but not limited to, job duties, experience and expertise. A candidate's work location could also impact the actual compensation being outside of the range to reflect local cost of labor. A reasonable annual estimate of the range for this role based on the variables previously mentioned is: $103,510.00 - $155,270.00

Lamb Weston is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law

This job has expired.