• Location:   Everett, WA
• Position Type:   FT

JOB SUMMARY 

The Director of Engineering and Maintenance is responsible for providing the technical expertise and technical leadership to deliver results for the Everett, WA plant and the Engineering function across the company. The leader is responsible for and provides direction and accountability for the leaders and functions of Maintenance, projects (capital and expense), MRO, facilities, and utilities functions. This person will provide critical leadership for major capital projects and maintenance excellence and ensure plant safety, operations, and quality and support members have solutions needed to drive safety, quality and performance plans. Key indicators include safety incidents, quality non-conformance, yield, and machine uptime, as well as labor cost/lb and maintenance cost/lb. • This role reports directly to the VP of Operations and interacts frequently with peers and other technical leaders within Kettle.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Leadership

• Development of site strategic plan for technical staffing, capital investment, general competencies, and system/technology improvements

• Coaching, mentoring, and development of plant technical resources

• Develop and Maintain cross-functional relationships with staff peers to meet needs of the business. • Accountability for management of external technical relationships with A/E firms, contractors, suppliers, and equipment vendors

• Provide technical leadership and site compliance with USDA, FDA, EPA and OSHA requirements in concert with designated functional experts.

• Provide input and leadership to achieve optimization of assets as well as lead safety initiatives in technical areas

• Champion or support design, improvements, and systems to support safety excellence.

• Develop and hold appropriate team members accountable for budgets for Maintenance, Support, ancillary functions, and capital projects to meet the needs of the business (operational, strategic, and business)

• Provide overviews and updates to Leadership team on projects and maintenance excellence growth Maintenance & Reliability

• Coach and develop Maintenance and Facilities Manager to reduce and eliminate downtime and losses.

• Provide strategy and support for maintenance programs, development of tools and resources, personnel selection, training, and development.

• Ensure the proper selection, training, development, and motivation of leaders to maximize current and future performance

• Lead and support plant continuous improvement initiatives

• Contribute as an integral part of a senior plant leadership team to drive the plant strategy and culture

• Provide engineering professional and technical support for Kettle Cuisine. Responsible for engineering, maintenance, facilities, grounds, continuous improvement support and capital project management. Provide technical leadership and guidance to the Kettle Cuisine Leadership team. Facilitate teams and projects in their mission to drive equipment reliability. Oversee preparation of equipment specifications, layouts, and direct the installation of capital equipment. Develop and manage the Capital Expenditure Plan for Kettle Cuisine. Interface with Department Managers to drive improvements in the operation of key production equipment. Identify and execute continuous improvement projects that deliver significant annual savings in direct labor, energy, and material waste.

• Provide leadership, mentoring and employee development opportunities to direct reports. Capital Planning & Execution

• Develop short- term and long-range capital investment plans for facility and be accountable for the planning and execution of all projects

• Responsible for the capital investment process for the site (e.g. develop and uphold technical standards, project leadership and management, capital approval oversight, ROI, CQV, etc.).

• Lead project scope development and engage all stakeholders in scope, expectations, and execution planning. Vertical Start Up/Continuous Improvement/Zero Loss Culture

• Develop and support strategies that integrate Vertical Start Up (VSU), CQV, Continuous Improvement and Zero Loss Culture methodologies into the Master Plan

• Provide site leadership for technical solutions to operational problems including systems optimization, debottlenecking, and troubleshooting.

• Accountable for the strategy, design and implementation of control systems and manufacturing information systems. Work with IT leadership in these integrated efforts.

AS A LEADER WITHIN THE KETTLE CUISINE TEAM YOU ARE EXPECTED TO:

• Model and support Kettle’s Core Values and safety culture

• Manage performance of all team members

• Build a strong, committed, and collaborative team

• Develop individual team members & their careers

• Create a culture of accountability & performance

• Drive a focus on quality and continuous improvement

• Plan work, track results and resolve variances

• Bi-lingual is preferred (English and Spanish)

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for the work and results of employees within area of responsibility, influences others within organization.

• Direct reports include mainteneace manager, maintenace planner, facilities leader, and project engineer / leader.

SKILL REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree degree in mechanical, chemical, or electrical engineering or similar field required.

• Requires seven to ten years of experience; to include at least five years of experience in increasingly complex industrial supervisory positions utilizing a combination of technical, managerial, and financial expertise.

• Knowledge in facilites to include wastewater, energy use, boilers, and HVAC systems.

• Strong knowledge of food manufacturing including Health and Safety, OSHA, UDSA, FDA and EPA regulations relative to plant operation and maintenance. WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL EFFORT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a Director Engineering and Maintenance encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Physical Demands/Efforts

• Work is in a variety of climates, both temperature controlled (-20 to 80 degrees) and uncontrolled • Work requires frequent physical exertion including some lifting of objects weighing up to 40 pounds.

Mental & Visual Demands

• Work performed by this position requires a high degree of mental concentration required to prioritize and effectively execute extremely complex tasks.

• Work requires continuous visual effort for extended periods of time. Work Environment and Hazards

• Employee works in a manufacturing setting with frequent exposure to heat/cold, dust, or other factors that may require protective equipment.

• Less than 25% travel is required for this position.

All travel is within the United States.

ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• A master's degree in business administration or engineering is highly desirable. • Excellent verbal and written skills and presentation skills.

• Self-starter with proven creative problem-solving skills able to conceptualize and drive initiatives forward • Positive attitude and motivated by contributing to the overall success of the team

• Able to develop strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders working within a diverse community.

• Creates advanced templates linking databases, spreadsheets and other documents.

• Obsessive attention to detail, well organized and able to juggle many projects at once

• Comfortable moving at a fast pace and in ambiguous environments

• Passionate about food

• Conduct annual reviews and PDPs for all direct team members

• Willing to address difficult situations head on with patience and respect

Compensation: $150,000-$165,000 (DOE) 

Target Bonus: 15% of annual salary

Kettle Cuisine offers the following benefits at low cost or no cost:

Medical, Vision and Dental Insurance

401k 

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Sick Leave

Paid Holidays

Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave

Life and Disability Insurance 

Tuition Assistance 

CORE VALUES Kettle Cuisine takes the utmost pride in its people, products and reputation. Each employee is expected to understand and live our Core Values every day.

 Honor Food – We create and produce the best tasting, safest, all natural recipes that strive for perfection in every batch, from bench to kettle

 Honor Each Other – We seek to develop trusting, respectful and mutually rewarding relationships with all our team members and business partners

 Honor Development – We recognize and nurture each other’s talents, strengths and interests in order to further strengthen and grow our team  Honor Innovation – We continually strive for creative and sustainable ways to achieve excellence

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT Kettle Cuisine complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state disability laws. This means we will not discriminate against qualified individuals with a disability in any phase of the employment relationship including application for employment, hiring, promotions and/or advancement opportunities, termination, compensation, training and any other conditions or privileges of employment.

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