Director of Equipment Engineering Research & Implementation

Company: Vevolution
Location: Seattle
Posted on: May 29, 2023

Job Description:

Director of Equipment Engineering Research & Implementation"We are a plant-based food start-up providing scrumptious plant-based chicken products."

• ShareHow to apply:After reading this job description entirely,please submit a resume and cover letter describing your skill set, experience, and why you are interested in working at Rebellyous.About Us: We are a plant-based food start-up providing scrumptious plant-based chicken products in the foodservice and CPG channels. As a food production and manufacturing technology company, we are working to substantially increase the volume and lower the price of plant-based meat products to effectively serve the market to replace animal-based meat on a large scale. We achieve this through the design, development, and implementation of new production equipment, methods and systems for enhanced plant-based meat production. We operate three major divisions: 1) Sales & Marketing 2) Manufacturing & Logistics 3) Equipment Research & Development.Rebellyous Foods is seeking askilled,conscientious,flexible, anddetail-orientedDirectorto lead theEquipment Research & Development (ER&D)teamthrough mid-stage equipment and process design, development, testing, and deployment of novel equipment. In this position, the Director would providetechnical,personnelandstrategic leadershipto the ER&D team to support design, prototyping, building and deployment of new equipment. We are looking for someonewho takes pride in working in an extremelyfast-paced, constantly changing startup environment and thrives working in anintensivemanufacturing work environment. We are seeking amission-focusedand dedicated individual to work collaboratively with several departments and help to strategically grow the company.Flexibility, hard work, and keen follow through are critical for the success for employees in a start-up environment. Frequent after hours and weekend work is required.This role requires extensive knowledge of major segments in the organization, knowledge of several disciplines, and the ability to integrate critical information from many diverse areas.As the Director of Engineering Research and Implementation, you shall have two job roles - the role of an Equipment Engineering Research and Development Leader and that of an Industrial Equipment Implementation Leader.Equipment Engineering Research and Development Leader
  • Serve as a strong team director to support 5-7 Food Production Research Engineers and other scientific professionals in their work by addressing bottlenecks, team challenges, skill gaps, performance reviews, future growth opportunities, hiring/termination needs and facility/resource planning.
  • Lead the Equipment Research & Development (ER&D) department through early-mid-late-stage equipment and process design, development, testing and fundamental metrics research.
  • Serve as a strong technical and project management lead for fundamental and design research efforts to provide technical project management and team direction. Use of Agile or similar project management methods is necessary.
  • Facilitate and participate in the design, prototyping, testing, and building of new equipment in collaboration with the Production Ops and Product Development departments.
  • Reporting directly directly to the VP of Production Research and Operations, oversee day-to-day management and execution of ER&D strategy and sync strategy with collaborative efforts in other departments.
  • Maintain product, facilities, and R&D engineering needs assessments and research plans and data.
  • Lead and/or provide technical direction to ER&D team in the following areas:
  • Design facilities based on new equipment, processes, and products.
  • Direct R&D onnew manufacturing methods for current and future production lies.
  • Design for advanced preventative controls for new production methods, equipment, and facilities based on principles of sanitary design.
  • Use of finite element analysis (FEA) and/or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model material processing in production equipment.
  • Design of experiments (DOE) to determine optimal production processes, equipment, and recipes.
  • Working with third-parties to facilitate the fabrication of prototypes and production equipment.
  • Develop equipment and facility plans for the implementation of novel equipment at the industrial scale. Develop plan for transition to sustaining team.
  • Execute project management methods to expertly trackequipment development and implementation status and identify planning risks, determine impact to implementation, and synthesize data into a lead lot schedule and production ramp. Lay out detailed critical path plans and time schedules, actively manage the required tasks, establish mitigation plans in case of potential delays and implement them as required. Develop knowledge of technical systems to understand and manage dependencies between internal teams, equipment vendors, and facility partners.
  • Solicit bids and develop the scope of work for all major outside contractual work. Oversee and coordinate the work of all outside vendors and contractors, effectively manage the fulfillment of their contractual obligations, including quality control of their work.
  • Partner with Operations to determine transition and acceptance criteria for the deployment and commissioning.
  • Ensure the projects are completed and delivered on schedule. Validate requirements such as quality, performance, scalability, and resource cost. Oversee cross-divisional teams developing the staging and implementation plan for piloting/release in alignment with Objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for feature(s)/feature areas.
  • Develop the appropriate sourcing and commercial strategy in collaboration with team members and delivers the Novel Equipment Deployment Project Plan for all project materials, equipment, and service as defined by annual planning / estimating list in alignment with current policies and procedures
  • Establishes key interfaces and builds relationships with internal customers and key team members in support of alignment of Novel Equipment Deployment project goals
  • Monitors facility performance; reviews and analyzes financial management reports;
  • Propose & research new food production projects/equipment in response to bottlenecks or waste in production line engineering and facility operations.
  • Establish food safety protocols for new production equipment in accordance with FSMA, National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and state food and agricultural agencies.
  • Evaluate new and novel technologies for facility design, operation, and establishment.
  • Develop and maintain a comprehensive budget for R&D efforts.Qualifications:Candidates should have the following credentials:
    • Six to ten years of experience in systems or equipment design and research.
    • Experience with industrial equipment implementation and CAPEX projects in a food manufacturing environment.
    • Three years' experience directly managing engineers or other technical professionals required.
    • Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical, equipment, manufacturing, chemical, food engineering or similar degree is required. Graduate degrees are highly preferred. Ph.D. in engineering preferred but not required.
    • Solid experience managing a research, design or implementation team in a real-world setting.
    • Experience using parametric-based CAD modeling programs (AutoDesk Inventor or similar preferred). Experience or education in FEA and/or CFD is highly preferred.
    • Four to six years working in the food or a related industry, preferably in direct food manufacturing or in production or equipment engineering.
    • Advanced experience leading and managing short and long-term engineering projects and coordinating with internal employees and external suppliers, vendors, and consultants.
    • Direct experience designing equipment and automation systems is necessary, preferably in the food industry.
    • Knowledge of sanitary design principles is helpful.
    • Willing to travel approximately 20% of the time to support R&D projects, if necessary.
    • Willing to apply creative solutions to solve workflow bottlenecks;seeking a focused, fast problem solver.
    • Compassionate people-management skills at all levels.
    • Commitment to design for people safety, food safety and supporting company safety initiatives.
    • Experience in a start-up environment is highly desirable.
    • Mission focused. Our company works to end factory farming of animals.
    • Flexible and willing to take on any tasks to support team efforts.
    • Excellent communication skills with strong attention to detail and high levels of organization skill.
    • Must operate with a sense of urgency and attention to detail and capable of making decisions independently and exercising excellent judgment.
    • Handles confidential information with discretion.
    • Strong work ethic, integrity, and personal accountability.
    • Proficiency in G-Suite applications and ability to obtain a WA state food worker card.
    • Must have a valid driver's license.
    • Excellent proven project management experience - proven track record in achieving successful results with cross-functional teams and projects.Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: All positions regularly require long hours and can require weekend or after-hours work.Physical Demands:Ability to stand for long periods of time, stoop, kneel, and reach regularly. Ability to lift, push, pull up to 35 pounds. We can provide reasonable accommodations for people who may not be able to meet these requirements for specific reasons.Location:Greater Seattle area. This position is located at our facility in West Seattle, WA.Salary:The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $180,000 depending on experience. Full Time employee benefits include: Equity packages on a case-by-case basis, eleven paid holidays, 21 days paid vacation, and sick leave according to WA state law. We also offer medical, dental, and vision insurance and cover 75% of the premium for employees. Some positions offer a flexible WFH or hybrid work schedule. We provide opportunities for professional development and frequently promote from within.Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy:At Rebellyous Foods, we aim to attract the most qualified and creative problem-solvers to the mission of providing sustainable, affordable meat alternatives. In achieving that goal, RF does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our operations. Women, minorities, people of color, and those with non-traditional educational and experiential backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Further, we are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. Discrimination or harassment in any form or based on any of the above factors is prohibited, as is retaliation against a person who has made a complaint or given information regarding possible violations of our policy.Job details Location
      Seattle, United States Job type
      Contract, Full-time Salary
      US$ 120,000 - US$ 180,000 per annum

Keywords: Vevolution, Seattle , Director of Equipment Engineering Research & Implementation, Engineering , Seattle, Washington