Senior Manager Engineering

About

Schwan’s Shared Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Schwan’s Company, seeks a Senior Manager Engineering for its La Palma, California location. The role oversees plant capital project development and execution across the company’s manufacturing facilities, working with plant leadership to prepare, prioritize, and execute the annual consolidated capital plan.

The position reports to and liaises with the Strategic Projects Engineering function to ensure adherence to engineering standards and processes, access to technical resources, support, and schedule/budget management, including risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee plant capital project development and execution, including scoping, budget estimation, schedule development, construction planning, cash flow projections, downtime planning, and risk mitigation.
• Act as gatekeeper for capital approval requests from plants and provide coaching on vendor selection, engineering standards, and resource planning.
• Review project scope, cost, and timing to assure quality execution of plant‑led and corporate‑led projects.
• Coordinate with production, maintenance, sanitation, HR, and logistics to align project priorities.
• Directly manage critical site projects as assigned by VP Engineering and ensure adherence to Capacity Analysis Report (CAR) deliverables.
• Leverage knowledge of R&D, EHS, and FSQ to ensure cross‑functional alignment and compliance with GMP, hot‑work permits, hazard analysis, and other regulatory procedures.
• Support Site Director in hiring and developing local engineering talent and participate in talent review processes.
• Assist VP Engineering in monthly reviews on capital allocation and accounts payable performance.
• Provide project details (cost, schedule, design) to VP Engineering for the annual capital planning process.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Six years of experience as a Plant Management Engineer or Plant Management Senior Engineer, addressing food manufacturing process improvements for a food manufacturer and distributor.
• Five years of experience in process engineering, testing, commissioning, and maintaining process operations in a food manufacturing setting.
• Demonstrated ability to manage capital projects, including budgeting, scheduling, risk mitigation, and stakeholder coordination.
• Knowledge of EHS and FSQ standards and GMP compliance.
• Proven handling of external engineering contractors and ensuring compliance with site regulations.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with experience providing coaching and guidance to engineering and project teams.

Compensation & Travel

Annual base salary range: $142,355 to $178,000. Domestic travel up to 50% of the time for Schwan’s affiliate sites, vendor facilities, and construction sites. Work from home is permitted one day a week within the Los Angeles‑Long Beach‑Anaheim, California area.

Proof of legal authority to work in the U.S. is required.

EOE.