Senior Project / Process Improvement Engineer (Remote Opportunity)
At Wilbur Ellis Nutrition, four generations of nutrition innovation matter. Our success over a century comes from always challenging ourselves to ask, “What’s next?” on behalf of our customers and partners. We know that behind every success is a team of highly motivated and talented individuals. At Wilbur Ellis Nutrition, our culture is deeply rooted in values and a focus on professional growth and career development, because we believe that growing a business is first and foremost about nurturing high-caliber talent.
General Purpose and Scope of Position:
This is in practice a dual role combining Capital Investment Project and Process Improvement to optimize manufacturing operations across Nutrition. As a Project Engineer, the holder will be part of the capital engineering, design engineering, detailed mapping, and planning and or review. This responsibility will extend to all projects capital or otherwise that come through the Capital Investment and Manufacturing Optimization office in the support of projects with diligence, safety, on time, and safely. As a Process Improvement Engineer, the holder will oversee the overall process engineering design and review of manufacturing and other engineered and or operationally developed processes. Will support team members in the documentation of core business systems and processes, support in keeping them updated when engineered or process changes and or innovation occur. Understanding and describing in writing the best way to accomplish the routine work of the organization is part of the requirements. Under both roles, the holder will rely heavily on data or numbers in their pursuit of truth and best practices. Success is largely determined by the ability to show measurable improvement in its core business activities and in the deployment of capital projects.
Key Skills and Abilities Include:
- 4+ years’ experience as a civil engineer, plant engineer, reliability engineer, project engineer, construction engineer, process engineer, and or plant industrial engineer
- 2+ years’ experience in plant supervisory or operations supervisory role (Plant Manager, Operations Manager, Asst. Plant or operations manager, production supervisor)
- Experience successfully managing and delivering projects with the ability to create and lead a cultural focus on human safety and food safety during the design and execution of projects
- Strong project management skills including large-scale capital improvement projects with strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize multiple tasks
- Strong process implementation and project management skills
- Experience in feed, food/plant operations focused on efficient production methods and an understanding of best practices
- Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced and changing work environment
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Civil or Electrical Engineering, Grain Science, Construction Management, Project Management or related fields
- Relevant trade certification/s (preferred, but not required)
- MS Office computer skills
- AutoCAD read and write proficiency (preferred)
Key Personal Attributes Include:
- An individual with a high level of integrity, transparency, work ethic, and safety commitment
- A “working” leader, able to lead a team of professionals but also able to directly take over specific areas of work with a hands-on approach to problem-solving
- Learning agility, the ability to learn more than taught and to deliver more than asked
- Resourceful, ability to “do more with less” but also able to recognize when “more leads to more”
- Strong customer-centric approach: An enabler for the commercial teams to fully serve our customers
- A critical thinker who can analyze complex situations, look at them from different angles, and can seamlessly change gears into a “can do” attitude to drive practical action leading to desired results
- Strong organizational skills with a focus on process
- Connecting effectively with suppliers, customers, and co-workers
- Enthusiasm for creating a positive attitude in the work environment
Specific Responsibilities and Key Deliverables Include:
- Collaborates with Location Managers, Plant Managers, and other team members to create a strategic action plan and cost estimates of materials, time, labor, and other resources required to complete assigned projects
- Leads the Engineering development of all project plans and designs
- Recommends and/or analyzes materials, equipment, and practices used in the project to ensure efficacy related to all team projects
- Analyzes a selection of equipment, systems, processes, engineered design, and systems to identify modifications to improve efficiency, increase quality, and reduce costs
- Prepares periodic progress and cost reports for leadership
- Stays apprised of current leading-edge design engineering in the maintenance of existing capabilities and in the advancement of new capabilities
- Ensures compliance with codes, guidelines, best practices, and policies
- Collaborates with other team members to share problems and solutions
- Project lead for tasks involving engineering functions including AutoCAD drawing and reading of schematics.
- Point of contact for engineering functions including vendors
- Project manager for new capital equipment and process improvement projects
- Project types include innovation products, capacity increases, productivity base, and infrastructure projects
- Leads in coordinating minor and major projects to ensure that design meets user needs and is completed within the time frame and budget restrictions
- Leads in the preparation of projects including advertisements, requests for proposals, proposal evaluation, consultant interviews and selection, fee negotiations, bids and contracts, and pre-bid and pre-construction conferences
- Coordinate operations performance cost effectiveness, preparing submittals and managing requests for information (RFI)
- Participate in requirements gathering specification sessions
- Comply with applicable code and regulatory requirements, including MSHA and OSHA regulations on the worksite. Follow all safety, regulatory, and administrative policies and procedures
- Close coordination with leadership for implementation of infrastructure to support new or expand business activity
- Provide consultation to departments regarding the procurement of equipment and services
- Reduce costs by standardizing support and provisioning services while enabling emerging applications
- Support and consult with other managers on project issues, status, and tracking requirements across the portfolio
- Owns collection/analysis/reporting of application/project success metrics
- Collect, evaluate, and compress data and information from multiple sources, resolve conflicts, and differentiate between actual and required requirements
- Collaborate directly with senior management to ensure their needs and expectations regarding communication, budget, research, results, and timing are met
- Conduct periodic program reviews with Senior Management
- Effectively communicate with internal and external parties, as needed, and ensure that all parties are informed and kept current on all deliverables
- Managing and prioritizing competing tasks for a finite set of resources (IT, SMEs) to ensure that deliverables are planned efficiently and met by required go-live dates
- Active management of project risk & issues in addition to status and tracking requirements across the portfolio
- Incorporate and coordinate needs of Facilities Management with projects to ensure ease of maintenance and compliance with codes and design specifications/standards
- Responsible for coordination and communication of commissioning activities, engineering processes, and troubleshooting in the field
- Assist in the preparation of the departmental budget
- Recommend and implement departmental and operational policies, procedures, and goals to carry out the functions of the department
- Other duties customary of such a position and other responsibilities as assigned
Compensation and Benefits:
- In compliance with all states and cities requiring transparency of pay, the base compensation for this position ranges from $116,500 - $163,000. Note that salary may vary based on location, skills, and experience. This position is eligible for vacation, holidays, health, dental, vision, mental health, retirement plans, and other benefits.
Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, LLC is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, and is a marketer and distributor of value-added feed ingredients in North America and Asia-Pacific. Wilbur Ellis provides feed solutions to our customers and suppliers in the Livestock, Pet Food, and Aquaculture Industries. Providing a complete supply chain, including logistics, warehousing, and customer service, in addition to expertise in import/export and regulatory, sets Wilbur-Ellis apart from our competitors. We understand the importance of providing on-time delivery of specified products and honoring our commitments to suppliers and customers.
COMPANY CULTURE
Wilbur-Ellis is a company you can be proud to call your employer
Wilbur-Ellis markets and distributes agricultural products, animal feed, specialty chemicals, and food ingredients. A privately held and consistently profitable company, we employ more than 4,000 people throughout North America and Asia-Pacific.
Wilbur-Ellis is for and about people
Wilbur-Ellis has enjoyed over 100 years of success and growth, all thanks to our people. Our employees are both leaders and team players who thrive on creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and a dedication to quality work, our customers, and each other.
Wilbur-Ellis invests in the industry’s best workforce
Wilbur-Ellis invests heavily in our employees by offering skill development and training, competitive compensation and benefits, and a tradition of promoting from within for a broad range of career opportunities. And we foster a supportive, people-first work environment.