Plant/Maintenance Engineer - Minister of Preservation

Since 1992 our mission has been to see premium exquisite teas steaming in the cups of men, women, and children everywhere, and to emphasize a Sip by Sip Rather Than Gulp by Gulp lifestyle. The Republic of Tea offers more than 300 premium teas, herbs, bottled iced teas and nature-inspired sip ware. A socially and environmentally responsible business, The Republic of Tea is a family-owned business dedicated to sharing our prosperity by developing products to support worthy philanthropic organizations as well as provide learning and growth opportunities for our Employees internally referred to as Ministers. Join our TEAm and enjoy a collaborative work environment, opportunities to grow your professional network, and become part of the tea revolution!

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Plant Engineer has primary responsibility for supervising the maintenance and engineering activities for the Nashville, Illinois, facility to ensure cost efficient and safe processes for producing our teas and concentrates. This includes direct supervision of the Mechanics along with managing process improvements, building and grounds maintenance.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES:
Engineering
-Plans, directs, and coordinates activities concerned with design, construction, modification, and maintenance of equipment and machinery in plant with focus on process improvements to facilitate existing equipment running at its maximum potential; recommend new equipment to increase line efficiency.
- Lead continuous improvement efforts by overseeing and initiating new technology and automation that supports new product development, eliminates injury and safety issues (repetitive motion), and faulty design and waste efficiency issues; identifies opportunities and develops justifications and ROI to gain approval for new technology.
-Establishes standards and policies for automation, installation, modification, quality control, testing, operating procedure, inspection, and maintenance of equipment according to engineering principles, safety regulations and SQF guidelines.
-Directs maintenance of plant building and coordinates requirements for new designs, surveys, and maintenance schedules to accommodate facility expansion for rapid growth. Ability to oversee large scale expansion project.
- Provides electrical and PLC expertise to the company.

Maintenance
-Carries out the direction and performance of maintenance operations in order to achieve planned objectives and goals with a focus on safe, efficient, reliable maintenance and operation of equipment to ensure production of quality products.
-Responsible for the planning, implementation, and execution of the preventative maintenance programs to improve the reliability of the equipment and reduce downtime to less than 2% mechanical.
-Manage capital projects including identifying scope, cost, milestones, etc.; create and manage expense, MRO and capital project budgets and work to manage operations within those budgets.
-Learns details of tea packaging and develops solutions to optimize existing fill methods.
-Tests newly installed machines and equipment to ensure fulfillment of contract specifications.
-Ensures Mechanics have exemplary response rates and service levels for industrial maintenance functions in the plant by coaching, mentoring, and providing other professional development assistance.
-Maintain the spare parts inventory to ensure that there are no production interruptions as a result of equipment failure; work with vendors to source parts, designing and testing improved parts, and updating older electronics that are no longer supported by manufacturers to improve equipment functionality.
-Maintain the building and grounds to provide a professional-grade working environment.
-Participate and comply with all third-party audit and FDA requirements.
-Ensure that the condition of the buildings, equipment, and systems are maintained to TRoT's high standards; ensure adherence to FDA programs and requirements and that all local, state, and federal regulation are met.
-Serves as a key resource for safety related issues with the goal of meeting/exceeding OSHA requirements for a safe workplace.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:
-Bachelor's Degree in an engineering, preferably Mechanical or Electrical, or vocational/trade school and five (5) years of experience in a manufacturing environment (food preferred); experience with spending most of the time on the manufacturing floor.
-Technical and supervisory experience in electrical, electronic, mechanical, instrumentations, automation, and computer fields.
-Strong attention to detail and hands on with approach to assist less experienced mechanics.
-Knowledgeable of food safety regulations and Lean Manufacturing principles
-Ability to read, develop, and change schematic diagrams, equipment and architectural drawings.
-Ability to modify the layout of an equipment area to enhance its efficiency or accommodate new equipment.
-Ability to maintain confidentiality with sensitive information.
-Ability to exhibit poise and professionalism in stressful situations.
-Possess computer skills, demonstrating proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word and Excel).
-Ability to manage projects and negotiate effectively with outside contractors and vendors.
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Current Openings for Plant/Maintenance Engineer Minister of Preservation Jobs at The Republic of Tea