Production Engineer - Berkeley Culinary Center

SUMMARY

The Production Engineer is responsible for optimizing production processes, equipment, and workflows to improve efficiency, quality, and safety while reducing cost and waste and enhancing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in a food manufacturing environment. This role partners cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to drive continuous improvement, ensure food safety compliance, and support cost initiatives. The position connects technical design with operational execution, including developing, troubleshooting, and supporting production lines.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DUTIES

Process Optimization & Efficiency

• Analyze production workflows to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and waste
• Design and implement improvements to labor utilization, line balancing, and throughput
• Conduct time studies, motion studies, and capacity analysis
• Develop and maintain standard work procedures

Continuous Improvement

• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen initiatives across the plant
• Drive improvements aligned with KPIs such as:
  • Throughput
  • Yield
  • Labor productivity
  • Downtime reduction
• Support and track improvement projects with measurable ROI

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) & Performance Management

• Measure and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• Analyze the Six Big Losses(availability, performance, quality)
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools for production performance

Layout & Facility

• Design efficient plant layouts, material flow, and workstation ergonomics
• Support capital projects and new line installations
• Optimize storage, staging, and line-side inventory

Planning Data & Analytics

• Collect and analyze production data using tools like Excel, ERP, MES
• Build models for capacity planning and demand scenarios
• Provide actionable insights into operations leadership

Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure all process improvements comply with:
  • FDA regulations
  • USDA requirements (if applicable)
  • HACCP principles
  • GMP standards

• Partner with Quality to maintain product integrity and traceability

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Supply Chain teams
• Support training of operators on new processes and standard work
• Participate in daily production meetings and problem-solving sessions

This role offers a salary of $100,000 annually, based on skills, experience, and location. Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, generous PTO, and paid holidays.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field

Experience

• 2–5+ years of industrial engineering experience (food manufacturing preferred)
• Experience in high-speed production, packaging, or processing environments

Knowledge and Skills (Required)

• Strong knowledge of:
• • Lean Manufacturing
  • Six Sigma (Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred)
  • Time studies & work measurement

• Experience with:
• • ERP/MES systems
  • Advanced Excel (or data tools like Power BI)
• Understanding of OEE and production KPIs

Additional Qualifications – (Preferred)

• Experience with automation and process control systems
• Knowledge of packaging lines, batching, or thermal processing
• Experience in unionized environments

Key Competencies

• Analytical and data-driven mindset
• Problem-solving and root cause analysis
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement
• Ability to work in fast-paced, regulated environments
• Change management and continuous improvement leadership

Success Metrics (KPIs)

• OEE improvement (% increase)
• Labor productivity (units per labor hour)
• Waste reduction (% scrap/yield improvement)
• Line throughput increase
• Downtime reduction
• Project ROI and payback period

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER DETAILS

Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time exempt position. Typical work hours are Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m., with additional hours as needed to meet business demands and production schedules. As an exempt position, it is expected that the Team Member will devote whatever time necessary to accomplish the goals and responsibilities. This will often require extended work hours, evening, and/or weekend work.

Travel Requirements: Occasional travel may be required.

Physical Demands of the Job:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear; use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.