Manufacturing Engineering Director Job at Winland Foods in Buckner

Winland Foods is a leading manufacturer of high-quality food products trusted by households and foodservice partners across North America. Grounded in our values and driven by our One Winland mindset, we are transforming how we operate—from the plant floor to the executive level—to deliver exceptional value to our customers, employees, and communities.

The Director of Engineering will lead the development and execution of Winland Foods' manufacturing engineering strategy, driving capital investment and process optimization across our 11 pasta/dry dinner manufacturing facilities. This leader will guide a team of engineers and collaborate deeply with Operations, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Quality, EHS, and Finance to ensure best-in-class performance in safety, cost per pound, service, quality, and sustainability.

Job Description

• Employee Type: Full time
• Location: US Works from Home
• Job Type: Engineering
• Schedule: Remote with Travel up to 75%
• Work Location: Remote; must reside in a state where our facilities are located (AZ, MO, KY, TX, IL, NY, SC, WI, PA, ND)
• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) with match, STD/LTD/AD&D/Life, HSA, FSA, EAP, Hospital indemnity, Accident Insurance, Identity and Fraud Protection Plan, Legal, and Critical Illness
• Salary: $136k to $238k annually, with additional bonus potential

We are seeking a transformative leader—someone who is passionate about coaching and developing talent as much as about technical rigor and data‑driven problem solving.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
  • Define and execute the engineering strategy aligned to business objectives.
  • Advance a continuous improvement culture to improve cost per pound and productivity while enhancing quality and service.
  • Drive standardization of processes and best practices across sites.
• Capital Management & Innovation
  • Lead capital planning and execution to optimize capacity, technology upgrades, cost savings, and facility expansions.
  • Develop and manage the 3‑year CAPEX plan for the Pasta Plant network.
  • Lead and support project development and the presentation of capital authorization documents that are complete, concise, and reflect thorough due diligence to ensure project success.
  • Evaluate emerging technologies that enhance automation, sustainability, and throughput.
  • Partner with procurement and vendors to manage equipment selection, installation, commissioning, and training. Drive capital supplier negotiations to optimize cost‑benefits.
  • Lead and support projects through ideation and stage‑gating, scoping, approval, final engineering/design, equipment selection and procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, and validation.
  • Develop business‑case screening scopes and cost estimates to provide the business team a directional view of a project and its robustness.
• Team & People Development
  • Build, mentor, and inspire a high‑performing, diverse engineering team.
  • Foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and accountability.
  • Directly engage with plant teams to support capability‑building and performance coaching.
• Operations & Process Excellence
  • Lead engineering efforts related to processing, packaging, and automation to improve efficiency and reliability.
  • Partner closely with Operations, Quality and Maintenance to reduce downtime and improve equipment life cycles.
  • Ensure employee safety and food safety remain a non‑negotiable priority in all engineering work.
  • Provide leadership, resources, and on‑site troubleshooting to support resolution of plant‑related technical issues.
• What Great Looks Like
  • A proactive, visible leader who builds trust and alignment across teams.
  • A strategic thinker who also loves rolling up their sleeves on the plant floor. Travel of ~50% to 65% is expected.
  • Compelled by measurable results, sustainable standard work, and continuous improvement.
  • Strong communicator who energizes others and champions Winland Values across functions.

Qualifications

• Required
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, or related).
  • 10+ years of manufacturing engineering experience; with at least 5 years in a multi‑site environment.
  • Proven track record in capital planning and execution and project management.
  • Demonstrated leadership by building and developing high‑performing engineering teams.
  • Strong ability to collaborate cross‑functionally and influence at all organizational levels.
  • Working knowledge of sanitary equipment design, Good Manufacturing Practices and Government regulations as they apply to food manufacturing operations (OSHA, EPA, FDA).
  • Proficiency in MS 365 and MS Project.
• Preferred
  • Food or consumer packaged goods (CPG) experience strongly preferred.
  • Experience with AutoCAD and SAP.
  • Experience with automation, industrial control systems, and IIoT technologies.
  • Formal project management training or certification.

Winland Values & Culture

• We Put People First
• We Deliver Excellence
• We Act with Integrity
• We Win Together - One Winland

Why Join Winland Foods

• High‑impact leadership role with direct influence on enterprise transformation.
• Opportunity to shape engineering strategy and build a best‑in‑class technical organization.
• A culture committed to career development, collaboration, and innovation.
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and growth opportunities.

Play a critical role in shaping the future of Winland Foods—where your ideas, expertise, and leadership will help drive breakthrough performance.

Join us. Let’s build something exceptional-together.

EEO Statement

Winland Foods seeks to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool, and as a global company we believe our success is enhanced by fostering equity and inclusion in the workplace. Therefore, Winland Foods is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.