Process Engineer

Right out of college or up to 4-5 years experience preferred. We will train you.

Join our Employee Owned (ESOP) Company! Fredericksburg, Iowa - small town Iowa at it's best - great community, quiet spaces, interesting work in food and agricultural liquid and powder processing.

Summary

Provide engineering support by overseeing assigned production operations, handling technical issues as a contact for customers, troubleshooting product production issues, and improving processes to ensure quality, safety, and economic viability.

Company Overview

AVEKA is an employee-owned leader in contract manufacturing and research & development, specializing in particle technology. With a commitment to innovation and quality, we partner closely with our clients to deliver tailored solutions across various industries, including specialty chemicals, food and nutraceuticals, and medical applications.

Responsibilities/Duties

• Ensure a safe working environment and help assess and minimize risks to the company in all areas such as health, safety, environment, quality, ethics, and customer service
• Assists in developing process/project engineering plans for assigned projects and present to corporate engineering and site management
• Lead and/or support engineering projects at the facility including ensuring their success in meeting various objectives such as schedule, budget, and related
• Supports the development of a project budget and monitors expenses, adjusts and offsets expenses in other areas if necessary
• Consults with contractors, vendors, and/or suppliers to finalize engineering project specs and/or installations
• Reports back to site management team and corporate engineering on project status
• Meets with relevant customers to ensure needs are met and/or find and determine the relevant path forward and justified by business objectives
• Support and/or lead the development and writing of manufacturing SOPs and/or work instructions with Process Leads
• Work with production personnel for training and job development with new processes and/or equipment
• Prioritize critical tasks to meet production goals
• Implement production schedule set by the Operations Manager and/or the Production Manager
• Oversee and/or run production and/or development jobs
• Implement equipment/process training programs for Operators
• Project Scale-up and Process Improvement
• Identify process bottlenecks and develop streamlining strategy
• Coordinate implementation of streamlining project
• Coordinate process improvement efforts and communicate to customers as appropriate
• Work closely with other members of the engineering team to scale-up design of new processes and equipment
• Work closely with other members of the engineering team on equipment installation, streamlining and troubleshooting
• Work with Site Manager to identify areas for process improvement
• Regularly update status of projects with Management
• Work Closely with the Project Manager to understand the customers expectations and evaluate job costs for current and future proposals
• Be a technical and chemical resource for the company
• Work with the maintenance department to report issues and requests
• Help provide long-term solutions to maintenance failures

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related, and/or equivalent experience
• 1-5+ years experience in chemical / food manufacturing and/or highly related
• OR without Bachelors degree a minimum of 10 years’ experience in applying engineering principles and processes in a comparable industry
• Food manufacturing plant experience preferred
• Knowledge of ISO, QSR/GMP and quality processes and procedures preferred
• Background in chemical engineering highly desirable

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Process, technical, and chemical engineering skills to support requirements and to sustain, optimize, and design the manufacturing processes (reactions, extraction, heat transfer, mass transfer, etc.)
• Ability to work in a team environment (manufacturing, quality, safety, etc.) and under tight timelines
• Excellent analytical and computational skills
• Ability to read, interpret, apply and communicate technical information, including drawings, statistical data and specifications
• Knowledge and ability to use Microsoft Office suite and other software
• Experience with ERP software systems
• Skill and ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization, both verbally and in writing
• Ability to prioritize projects and be quick to re-focus on other tasks as the business needs change
• Ability to work independently and prioritize projects
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams on projects
• Exercises ownership over assigned processes
• Show proficient knowledge in process, chemical, and technical analysis over all plant unit operations
• Demonstrates effective troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and corrective actions over all plant unit operations
• Decision making skills
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Very effective organizational skills
• Stress management skills
• Time management skills

Physical Requirements:

• Up to 50-100% general office and/or laboratory work requiring the ability to sit for extended periods of time, stand, walk, bend, stoop, twist, reach, push, pull, handle, see, and hear; ability to read, write, operate a keyboard, computer, printer and copier, handle paper, file documents, box materials, and related; ability to communicate in person or via telephone, email, messenger, text, and computer / internet applications; occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds; ability to operate various lab instruments and measuring devices.
• Up to 50% on the manufacturing floor that requires the ability to walk, stand, sit, reach, climb, bend, twist, push, pull, handle, lift, see, and hear; able to operate forklifts, fork trucks, pallet jacks, hoists, and other equipment to move materials; able to press buttons, operate levers, use wrenches, connect hoses, stack, load, unload, climb stairs, and use ladders; frequent lifting of up to 50 pounds and/or moving heavier objects with mechanical assistance; work environment may be very loud, warm, humid, and/or have dust, dirt, debris, and odors; some products contain allergens that may cause physical reactions in certain individuals; requires ability to properly wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as dust masks, smocks, safety glasses, hearing protection, hair nets, gloves, etc.

Reasonable accommodations will be considered per ADA requirements to enable an individual to perform the job if any of the above physical requirements are limited.