Principal Engineer

Where you will work

Lewiston is Clearwater Paper's original manufacturing facility and home to nearly 700 dedicated team members who power our site. Together, we make paperboard used in products across the United States, including food packaging, plates, cups and more. Home to the first mill that produced poster board from wood waste, the site currently operates two paper machines, two extruders, two power boilers and two recovery boilers.

Located where the Snake and Clearwater rivers meet on the Idaho-Washington border, Lewiston offers an active outdoor lifecycle with easy access to fishing, boating, hiking and camping. The region's milder climate means more rain than snow in the winter and long, sunny days in the summer.

Living here means you'll be close to Lewis‑Clark State College, University of Idaho, Washington State University, and Walla Walla Community College, as well as strong local K‑12 school districts.

The Principal Engineer serves as the primary subject matter expert in paperboard production across a diverse portfolio of paperboard production machines capable of producing the full spectrum of products. This role is responsible for leading, in collaboration with the plant managers and paper machine teams, the development and deployment of production asset reliability strategy integrating technical support, product development, quality systems and predictive maintenance programs with a focus on improving productivity and operating efficiencies.

As one of the technical leaders, the Principal Engineer will be called up to lead short‑ and long‑term process improvement and capital projects ranging from machine management to environmental and safety programs. This role will also be responsible for collaborating with the plants to assist with operations, outages, maintenance, technical analysis, safety, and engineering & operations capability development.

• Serves as principle internal subject matter expert to support identifying and resolving paper machine operations and process‑related opportunities, leveraging lean manufacturing tools, root cause analysis, and other troubleshooting methodologies
• Research, identify and develop projects and process improvement areas to support improvement in paper board production & product development
• Collaborate across the company to gain alignment as a subject matter expert
• Develop & execute project plans supporting the 5+ year strategy for paper machines
• Serve as principle contact to outside contractors and service providers, providing leadership and direction delivering projects and services within budget and time constraints

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement
• Identify opportunities to improve overall performance through development and deployment of maintenance standards; process engineering, machine design/layout
• Support product quality systems and process documentation throughout manufacturing footprint delivering consistent products with a commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations as a preferred SBS board supplier
• Leverage engineering technical expertise through collaboration with sales & marketing to identify market opportunities by providing technical insights into asset capabilities
• Communicate identified best practices and ensure long‑term application across the network
• Organize and manage chemical and clothing vendor agreements in conjunction with procurement and manufacturing

• Foster an operating environment that encourages employee engagement through demonstration and modelling of Clearwater Paper's Core Values
• Drive a culture of technical collaboration throughout Paper Machine Superintendents, Supervisors, & Process Engineers
• Enable technical and quality sustainment plan by promoting developing and transferring knowledge across departments

• Strong capability in capital project planning and management with strong analytical skill to leverage data to drive quantitative and analytically based business decisions and take smart risks
• Demonstrated leadership courage to identify and…