Manufacturing Engineering Director

About the Role

Winland Foods is a leading manufacturer of high‑quality food products trusted by households and food service 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, our employees, and the communities we serve.

We take pride in fostering a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and innovation. If you’re energized by building high‑performing teams, creating sustainable systems, and shaping the future of manufacturing excellence, we’d love to meet you.

The Director of Engineering will lead the development and execution of Winland Foods’ manufacturing engineering strategy, driving capital investment and process optimization across our network of 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.

• 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.
• 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 present capital‑authorization documents that are complete, concise, and reflect thorough due diligence.
• 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 projects through ideation, 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 a directional view of a project’s viability.
• 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.
• 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 safety—both employee and food safety—remains a non‑negotiable priority in all engineering work.
• Provide leadership, resources, and on‑site troubleshooting to support resolution of plant‑related technical issues.
• A proactive, visible leader who builds trust and alignment across teams.
• Strong communicator who energizes others and champions Winland values across functions.
• Compelled by measurable results, sustainable standard work, and continuous improvement.

• Employee Type:
  Full time
• Location:
  
  US Works from Home (Remote with Travel up to 75%)
• Job Type: Engineering
• Job Posting
  
  Title:
  
  Manufacturing Engineering Director
• Schedule:
  
  Remote with Travel up to 75%
• Work Location:
  
  Remote; must reside in one of the states where our manufacturing 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

• 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…