Process Engineer

Salary: $90,000 - $120,000 per year

Benefits:
Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K

Our Client is a growing food manufacturer in the greater Savannah, GA area.

Position:
Process Engineer

The Process Engineer is responsible for optimizing and improving manufacturing processes within a high-volume food production environment. This role focuses on increasing efficiency, reducing waste, improving product quality, and ensuring compliance with food safety and regulatory standards. The ideal candidate will have experience in edible oil processing, food manufacturing, or related continuous processing industries.

• Analyze and improve existing production processes to enhance throughput, yield, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Lead process optimization initiatives focused on cost reduction, waste minimization, and energy efficiency.
• Support daily plant operations by troubleshooting process issues related to refining, blending, deodorization, hydrogenation, and packaging systems.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering teams to implement continuous improvement projects.
• Develop and maintain process documentation including SOPs, P&IDs, process flow diagrams, and control narratives.
• Utilize data analysis tools to monitor KPIs and identify trends impacting safety, quality, and productivity.
• Participate in capital projects including equipment selection, installation, commissioning, and validation.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, HACCP, GMP, and other food safety and regulatory standards.
• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) for process deviations, quality issues, and downtime events.
• Provide technical training and mentorship to operators and production personnel.

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related Engineering discipline.
• 3–7+ years of experience in food manufacturing, edible oil refining, or continuous process industries.
• Strong understanding of thermal systems, pumps, heat exchangers, distillation, filtration, and process controls.
• Experience with PLCs, SCADA systems, and process automation preferred.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, P&IDs, and equipment specifications.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a hands‑on approach.
• Excellent communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

• Background in edible oil refining (degumming, bleaching, deodorization).
• Experience in high-volume batch or continuous food processing operations.
• Capital project management exposure.
• Familiarity with SAP or other ERP systems.

• Manufacturing plant environment with exposure to production equipment, temperature variations, and food-grade processing systems.
• Occasional off‑shift or weekend support during projects or production challenges.