Hans Kissle
Job Title: Facilities and Environmental Engineer - Food Manufacturing (SQF/GFSI Compliant)
Department: Maintenance
Reports To: Sr. Maintenance Manager
FLSA Status: Exempt
Date Created: July 2025
At Häns Kissle, we strive to deliver the simple goodness of home in every bite. Founded in 1984, Häns Kissle began as the regional commissary for a small, high-end grocery chain in New England, MA, crafting fresh, upscale prepared foods and deli salads. Nearly 40 years later, we are still in the kitchen in our 112,000-square-foot facility, cooking up delicious foods with an uncompromising commitment to quality and service but now on a national level.
PURPOSE:
The Facilities and Environmental Engineer is responsible for leading the safe, reliable, and compliant operation of all utilities, infrastructure, and environmental programs within the food manufacturing site. This role directly supports product safety, regulatory compliance, and plant reliability by managing critical systems under GMP, SQF (or other GFSI standards), OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements and Risk Management Program requirements (RMP). The engineer will drive a culture of continuous improvement, food safety, people safety and energy optimization while ensuring seamless day-to-day operation of plant facilities.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Facility Operations & Reliability
QUALIFICATIONS:
Hans Kissle takes pride in its people and products. We strongly believe in our philosophy to uphold the highest level of integrity in everything we do. Each employee is expected to understand and act appropriately per our philosophy and policies. This job description reflects essential functions assigned by management which are subject to change at any time.
Department: Maintenance
Reports To: Sr. Maintenance Manager
FLSA Status: Exempt
Date Created: July 2025
At Häns Kissle, we strive to deliver the simple goodness of home in every bite. Founded in 1984, Häns Kissle began as the regional commissary for a small, high-end grocery chain in New England, MA, crafting fresh, upscale prepared foods and deli salads. Nearly 40 years later, we are still in the kitchen in our 112,000-square-foot facility, cooking up delicious foods with an uncompromising commitment to quality and service but now on a national level.
PURPOSE:
The Facilities and Environmental Engineer is responsible for leading the safe, reliable, and compliant operation of all utilities, infrastructure, and environmental programs within the food manufacturing site. This role directly supports product safety, regulatory compliance, and plant reliability by managing critical systems under GMP, SQF (or other GFSI standards), OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements and Risk Management Program requirements (RMP). The engineer will drive a culture of continuous improvement, food safety, people safety and energy optimization while ensuring seamless day-to-day operation of plant facilities.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Facility Operations & Reliability
- Operate, maintain, and improve HVAC and refrigeration systems with attention to food-safe air handling and ammonia or Freon-based refrigeration (as applicable) following PSM and RMP requirements.
- Oversee boiler operations, steam distribution, and compressed air systems ensuring reliability and compliance with internal and regulatory standards.
- Manage utilities infrastructure (electricity, water, fuel, compressed air) ensuring supply reliability, capacity planning, and energy efficiency.
- Execute predictive and preventive maintenance (PM/Pd.M.) programs for all utility and facility equipment using CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to minimize unplanned downtime.
- Continually explore ways to reduce the cost of our building utilities and maintenance needs while ensuring overall reliability.
- Lead the site's PSM and RMP programs including Process Hazard Analyses (PHA), Management of Change (MOC), Mechanical Integrity (MI), and Incident Investigation.
- Oversee wastewater treatment, waste management, and stormwater systems to ensure environmental compliance with EPA, state, and local regulations.
- Support food defense and site security programs including access control, CCTV, and incident response.
- Ensure all facility systems meet GFSI (SQF/BRC) requirements, including hygienic zoning, sanitary design, allergen control, and pest prevention.
- Collaborate with Quality, Production, and Sanitation teams to ensure facilities are always audit-ready (FDA, USDA, GFSI, and customer audits).
- Manage flooring, painting, roofing and structural maintenance projects considering food-grade materials and sanitary design principles.
- Drive energy reduction projects, sustainability initiatives, and cost-saving opportunities related to utilities and facility operations.
- Implement and maintain Control Systems and Building Automation Systems (BAS) to improve operational visibility and efficiency.
- Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions for utility, facility, and safety incidents.
- 99%+ uptime for critical utilities (HVAC, refrigeration, boilers, compressed air)
- 100% compliance with PSM/RMP, EPA, and GFSI requirements
- 100% completion of preventive and predictive maintenance work orders on time
- Utility cost reduction target (e.g., annual 5% reduction)
- Zero food safety or regulatory non-conformances attributed to facility systems
- Full readiness for third-party, regulatory, and customer audits
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, Chemical, Facilities, or Environmental Engineering (required). May consider work experience >10 years in facilities management role within food manufacturing.
- 5+ years of experience in facilities/utilities engineering within the food, beverage, or consumer goods industry
- State of Massachusetts Certified 3rd Class Engineer
- Proven expertise in Process Safety Management (PSM) and Risk Management Program (RMP) compliance
- Solid understanding of GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
- Proficient in CMMS, control systems, and predictive maintenance tools
- Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Preferred: Professional Engineer (PE) license, Certified Energy Manager (CEM), or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
Hans Kissle takes pride in its people and products. We strongly believe in our philosophy to uphold the highest level of integrity in everything we do. Each employee is expected to understand and act appropriately per our philosophy and policies. This job description reflects essential functions assigned by management which are subject to change at any time.