Job Title: Director of Plant Engineering
Location: Fayetteville, NC area
Hire Type: Direct-hire, Onsite
Target Salary: $180,000 - $200,000/year (plus $25,000+ target bonus)
Benefits: PTO, paid holidays, medical/dental/vision plans, 401(k), relocation assistance
Must-Have Skills:
Leadership of large-scale maintenance/engineering teams (200+ employees)
Capital project management in complex manufacturing environments
Preventive/Predictive Maintenance & Total Productive Maintenance
Mechanical & electrical systems (PLCs, automation, instrumentation)
Experience with ammonia systems and industrial refrigeration
SAP and Microsoft Office
Job Summary:
The Director of Plant Engineering leads all maintenance, engineering, and reliability functions for a large-scale food manufacturing facility (~1M sq. ft., 4,000+ employees, ~350 maintenance staff). This role is responsible for driving equipment reliability, executing capital projects, and leading a multi-layered organization in a high-volume production environment.
Job Duties:
Lead all plant maintenance, engineering, and reliability operations
Oversee capital projects from concept through completion (on time, on budget)
Drive preventative and predictive maintenance, as well as total productive maintenance strategies to maximize uptime and efficiency
Lead and develop a multi-layered team (direct and indirect reports)
Own KPIs including overall equipment effectiveness, equipment reliability, and maintenance performance
Troubleshoot and resolve complex equipment and operational issues
Partner with operations and leadership to support production goals
Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory standards
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
10+ years of plant engineering/maintenance experience
Proven leadership of large teams (200+ employees, direct/indirect)
Must have direct, on-site production plant experience
Strong technical background in mechanical/electrical systems (PLCs, automation, etc.)
Working knowledge of ammonia systems, refrigeration, and/or rendering operations.
Experience with SAP and Microsoft Office
Strong problem-solving and communication skills
Experience in food, meat, or protein manufacturing is preferred.
Experience in high-volume, complex production environments is preferred.
Strong leadership presence with ability to manage large, diverse teams is preferred.