Manufacturing Engineering Director

Manufacturing Engineering Director – Winland Foods

Location: Remote, with up to 75% travel, must reside in one of the states hosting our manufacturing facilities (AZ, MO, KY, TX, IL, NY, SC, WI, PA, ND).

Employee Type: Full-time – Engineering – Remote with travel up to 75%.

Salary: $136,000 to $238,000 annually, with additional bonus potential.

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 a One Winland mindset, we transform operations 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, drive capital investment, and lead process optimization across our network of 11 pasta/dry‑dinner manufacturing facilities. You 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 reduce cost per pound and improve 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 the presentation of 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 supplier negotiations to optimize cost‑benefits.
• Lead and support 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 give the business team a directional view of a project’s robustness.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• A strong communicator who energizes others and champions Winland values across functions.

• Required:
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, or related).
• 10+ years manufacturing engineering experience; 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 (OSHA, EPA, FDA).
• Proficiency in MS 365 and MS Project.
• Preferred:
• Food or consumer packaged goods experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with AutoCAD and SAP.
• Experience with automation, industrial control…