Project Management Engineer (Food Industry) - New Orleans, Louisiana
Location: On Site in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Employment type: Full-time
Posted: 2 months ago
Why This Role Matters
MissionHires is seeking a Process & Project Management Engineer with deep food manufacturing experience to drive throughput, reduce waste, and lead capital projects (up to $5MM) across cooked foods, sauces, and seasoning operations. This role will standardize processes, implement Lean, strengthen food safety and regulatory compliance, and help establish a structured daily management system while partnering cross-functionally to modernize and stabilize a high-change facility.
How You'll Contribute
- Analyze, optimize, and standardize manufacturing processes for cooked foods, sauces, and seasoning blends
- Lead Lean initiatives (5S, SMED, waste elimination, process simplification) to improve throughput and line reliability
- Apply structured root-cause analysis to eliminate repeat failures and stabilize operations
- Develop and maintain SOPs, work instructions, and technical documentation
- Implement and support a structured daily management system (tiered meetings, KPI boards, process discipline)
- Use data (Excel, KPIs, process trends) for fact-based decisions and continuous improvement
- Lead capital projects up to $5MM from scope and design through procurement, installation, and commissioning
- Develop financial justifications, budgets, cash flow forecasts, and ROI analyses with Finance
- Track project spend, manage forecasts and variances, and deliver on time and on budget
- Oversee equipment layouts, process flows, utilities, and technology integration
- Manage contractors, integrators, and engineering firms for safety, quality, cost, schedule, and performance
- Provide engineering support for batching, blending, thermal processing, packaging, and sanitation
- Recommend and implement automation, controls, instrumentation, and process monitoring enhancements
- Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, customer standards, sanitary design, and site food safety programs
- Collaborate with Operations, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and Maintenance on trials and readiness
- Identify cost-reduction opportunities, validate savings, and support financial justifications
- Provide data-driven insights on cost drivers, throughput, labor impacts, and efficiency
- Lead or support commissioning of new equipment and technology transfers
- Train operators and supervisors on new processes, equipment, standards, and documentation
- Model ownership, reliability, accountability, and continuous improvement in a modernization environment
What Makes You a Great Fit
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or related engineering field
- 5+ years of experience in food manufacturing
- Proven project management capability in fast-changing environments
- Demonstrated success applying Lean in a plant setting (e.g., 5S, SMED, waste elimination)
- Experience leading capital projects up to $5MM total installed cost
- Hands-on problem-solving with strong cross-functional communication skills
- Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, regulatory compliance, and sanitary design principles
- Strong Excel and data analysis skills, using KPIs to drive decisions
- Experience creating technical documentation and process standards
- Preferred: Experience with thermal processing, batching, blending, or RTE cooked systems
- Preferred: Experience with WMS, MES, or digital plant-performance tools
- Preferred: Background in high-change, fast-paced, or turnaround facilities
- Preferred: Experience training frontline teams or supervisors
- Preferred: Six Sigma Green Belt or higher
- Preferred: Experience with structured daily management systems (DMS, SQCDP, MOS, tiered accountability) and continuous improvement frameworks
- Leadership expectations: ownership mindset, collaboration, positive accountability, innovation, financial discipline, clear translation of technical decisions to business impact, strong planning/prioritization, effective plant-floor presence, and excellence in a fast-paced, transformation-focused facility
Who We Are, What We Stand For
MissionHires is the AI hiring partner of top talent teams. Our platform helps recruiters, agencies, and top companies source, engage with, and evaluate top talent 10 times faster than job boards.
To bridge the gap between companies and passionate talent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Project Management Engineer role on-site in New Orleans?
Yes, it’s an on-site role in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Do you offer relocation assistance for this position?
No, relocation is unpaid with no assistance provided.
What experience do I need to qualify for this food manufacturing engineer role?
You need a bachelor’s in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or related engineering and 5+ years of food manufacturing experience.
What kinds of projects will I lead and what’s the typical budget?
You’ll lead capital projects up to $5MM from scope and design through installation and commissioning.
Which Lean tools are expected in this role?
You’ll apply 5S, SMED, waste elimination, process simplification, and structured root-cause analysis.
What regulations and standards does the plant follow?
Compliance includes FDA, USDA, FSMA, customer standards, sanitary design principles, and site food safety programs.
What tools and systems will I use for data and operations?
Strong Excel and KPI analysis are required; experience with WMS, MES, or digital plant-performance tools is preferred.
What processes will I support day-to-day in the facility?
You’ll support batching, blending, thermal processing, packaging, sanitation, and commissioning of new equipment.