Senior Project Engineer

Sr. Project Engineer

Joining King's Hawaiian makes you part of our ohana (family). We are a family-owned business for over seventy years, respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate, pursue learning through curiosity, and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that, we are also passionate about supporting the long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families. If you're excited to rise with our team, come and join our ohana!

Working under direct supervision of the Director of Engineering, the Sr. Project Engineer will investigate suitable technologies to develop, procure and implement capital projects that enhance or add capability and capacity in line with the strategic direction of the company. This position will play a key role in supporting King's Hawaiian Supply Chain, Plant Operations, and Innovation Team's Critical initiatives. Employees in this position may interact with their leader daily or weekly to receive guidance and feedback. Most non-routine activities may require their leader's advance approval, but routine decisions within the general scope of the role may be made independently.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as subject matter expert in various technologies used in industrial manufacturing environments.
• Provide technical guidance to junior-level project engineers as needed.
• Continually evaluate new equipment and production techniques to ensure that King's Hawaiian is on the leading edge of bakery technologies.
• Investigate opportunities for upgrading existing equipment to meet the newest quality and efficiency standards.
• Lead and execute the study of process & equipment alternatives and Pilot Equipment Validation through Design of Experiments (DOE) to determine the effect of process parameters on product quality, throughput, and cost.
• Refine and enforce King's Hawaiian Engineering policies, procedures, and standards.
• Prepare Capital Expenditure Requests (CER) for projects per capital plan. These projects can range from simple equipment replacement or upgrade to state-of-the-art line extensions or plant expansion.
• Implement capital projects within schedule and budget guidelines while complying with personnel safety, food safety & sanitation, regulatory, energy, environmental, and other applicable standards.
• Responsible for full execution of the project all the way to commissioning and returning to operations.
• Accountable for the financial control (PO, invoicing up to close out) of the CAPEX project.
• Provide spending & status updates to head of engineering and finance.
• Supervise contractors, service technician, and outside engineering firms while ensuring food safety and a safe work environment for employees during all installation activities. Ensure strict adherence to King's Hawaiian's values & policies.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned by the manager which are reasonably within the scope of this role.

Basic Qualifications (Education and/or Experience)

• BS degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Industrial Engineering from an accredited 4-year college or equivalent relevant experience required.
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with ambiguity and can comfortably manage risks, changing priorities, and uncertainty.
• Demonstrated experience to independently apply technical standards, principles, theories, concepts and techniques, interpreting data through sound experimental design and statistical analysis.
• Knowledge of USDA/FDA sanitary design principles, BRC/ AIB standards, OSHA, GMP's and related regulations desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to work and influence across functions.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible engineering experience in a high-speed manufacturing industry is required (Food & Bev Manufacturing or CPG experience is preferred, baking industry experience is a bonus).

Additional Qualifications (Job Skills, Abilities, Knowledge)

• The ability to manage multiple projects (financial, schedule and implementation) simultaneously is required.
• Proven technical aptitude, ability to apply engineering principles (mechanical, process, continuous improvement, etc.) and ability to troubleshoot and commission.
• Understanding of statistics, data analysis techniques, simulation, and other industrial engineering principles strongly preferred.
• Proficient in the use of common software packages including MS Office365, Microsoft Project and AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit.
• Ability to travel up to 30%
• Ability to consistently demonstrate King's values of excellence, dignity, saying it like it is in a way it can be heard; and curiosity, collaboration, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

King's Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana.