Title: Sr Engineer - Advanced Automation Program Leader
Location: Kennewick, WA
About Lamb Weston
We love making fries almost as much as you like eating them! Since the 1950's, Lamb Weston has inspired customers with food they love, trust, and share with families and friends. As a leading global manufacturer of quality frozen potato products with over 9,000+ team members around the world, it's our business to see the possibilities in potatoes and people.
We are looking for team members with an appetite for a challenge! People who are hungry to join a winning team and help us make a difference in the world. When you join Lamb Weston, you join a community with a strong support network and training programs designed to nurture, inspire, and help you grow.
We are driven by a relentless pursuit of results and by people who think creatively and embrace our values of: Integrity, Teamwork, Inclusion, Drive for Results, and Empowerment. Exactly what you'd expect from the most inventive potato company in the world!
Join Lamb Weston! We bring the world together with our fries.
Job Description Summary
The Sr. Engineer - Advanced Automation Program Leader will be the primary SME (subject matter expert) for the company's ongoing MPC program, named APQC (Advanced Process Quality Control). Leading the program requires analytical and MPC acumen, as well as production and operations experience, to interface with plant personnel ranging from on-floor operators to upper plant management to ensure reliable and continued utilization of the MPC product. As leader of Lamb Weston's APQC program, a primary responsibility will be to evaluate production and operations systems and processes with a focus on identifying new opportunities to utilize advanced controls technologies to realize increased production efficiencies.
Job Description
The Sr. Engineer - Advanced Automation Program Leader position provides leadership and support for development and implementation of continuous improvement opportunities using advanced process control solutions, including model predictive control (MPC). The successful applicant will lead research, testing, and deployment initiatives to look "outside the norm" for automation innovations to gain production. Additionally, the selected candidate will be responsible for the preparation of studies, reports, schedules, budgets, inspections, and bid requests, evaluation of bid submittals, direction and coordination of contractors, and project closeouts and analysis. This role serves as a consultant to plant automation initiatives, providing technical information and recommendations that assist with various projects. The job requires excellent production, technical and analytical skills, organizational and communication skills, and will involve travel and on-site time at various plants.
Key focus areas of responsibilities and job activities:
Program leader for Lamb Weston's APQC program.
Oversee deployment of APQC on new processing lines, scope, schedule, and budget management for internal and external resources/vendors.
Drive APQC utilization across the enterprise, including monitoring APQC utilization from line to line and supporting plant and corporate teams in increasing utilization.
Drive ever-increasing returns from our investment in the advanced controls area.
Develop and maintain an advanced automation program structure that outlines and facilitates research and development of new capital projects, as well as support of current advanced automation initiatives and programs.
Work with plant and corporate teams to drive consistency across plants in their execution of APQC automation efficiency projects.
Lead the APQC "best practices" program to drive sustainability and continued improvements in Lamb Weston's advanced automation efficiency goals.
Serve as key liaison between advanced controls solution providers and Lamb Weston with respect to implementation and on-going support of the APQC solution.
Development of detail and summary KPIs to articulate APQC status and actionable data.
Key Accountabilities:
Provide leadership for Lamb Weston's advanced process control MPC program across Lamb Weston's processing facilities. This includes project initiation, commissioning, and ongoing oversight of the program.
Drive continuous improvement of the MPC program to ensure continued execution as well as identification of new areas of potential savings.
Drive MPC program utilization to ensure maximum value is realized from the asset.
Lead training of plant personnel in MPC programs, reporting program status to the Senior Leadership Team, and execution of program best practices.
Identify processes ripe for advanced control technologies to maximize utilization of plant resources to improve plant production.
Use advanced analytical and reporting techniques to assess and report performance of automation solutions.
Effectively establish and meet deadlines for assigned projects and tasks.
Basic & Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related field
Manufacturing plant experience or related project work experience is required.
Demonstrated leadership experience leading programs and teams is required.
Excellent verbal and written and communications skills, problem solving skills, and proven project and task management skills.
Experience with MPC systems strongly preferred.
Experience with Rockwell Automation hardware and control systems strongly preferred.
Specific training with data analytics disciplines and related fields, or equivalent job experience.
6-Sigma certification (black/green belt) or similar related data analysis experience and training preferred.
Excellent analytical skills required.
Strong PC skills to include Windows, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Experience in Minitab or related analytical software desired.
Ability to travel 50%+ of the time. Travel will include visits to plant locations in WA, OR, ID, MN, LA, and Albert, Canada, in addition to occasional overseas international travel.
Industry-Competitive Benefits
Coupled with our compensation and bonus incentive programs, our benefits deliver rewards that are market competitive. Some of the most attractive elements of our benefit programs include:
Health Insurance Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision
Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Reimbursement Accounts
Well-being programs including companywide events and a wellness incentive program
Paid Time Off
Financial Wellness - Industry leading 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, Financial Planning Services, Employee Stock purchase program, and Health Savings Accounts, Life and Accident insurance
Family-Friendly Employee events
Employee Assistance Program services - mental health and other concierge type services
Benefits may vary based on location, job role/level, job status, and/or the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreements.
Job Requisition ID: Req-234586
Time Type: Full time
Anticipated Close Date: 06/03/2024
In compliance with applicable state and local laws, Lamb Weston has opted to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. This compensation is specific to this position and takes into account a number of variables. Actual compensation may be higher or lower in the range posted based on various factors, including, but not limited to, job duties, experience and expertise. A candidate's work location could also impact the actual compensation being outside of the range to reflect local cost of labor. A reasonable annual estimate of the range for this role based on the variables previously mentioned is: $95,890.00 - $143,840.00
Lamb Weston is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law
