Retail Options · 23 hours ago
Process and Project Management Engineer
New Orleans, LA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
5+ years expRetail Options is focused on improving process performance and supporting facility modernization efforts. The Process & Project Management Engineer will lead capital projects, drive throughput improvements, and ensure compliance with food safety standards while collaborating with various teams to enhance operational efficiency.
Crowdfunding
Responsibilities
Analyze, optimize, and standardize manufacturing processes for cooked foods, sauces, and seasoning blends
Lead Lean initiatives including 5S, SMED, waste elimination, and process simplification to improve throughput and line reliability
Apply structured root-cause analysis to eliminate repeat failures and stabilize operations
Develop, maintain, and update SOPs, work instructions, and technical documentation
Support the adoption of a structured daily management system, including tiered accountability meetings, KPI boards, and process discipline
Use data (Excel, KPIs, and process trends) to drive fact-based decisions and continuous improvement
Lead capital projects up to $5MM total installed cost, including scope development, design, procurement, contractor oversight, installation, and commissioning
Partner with Finance to develop financial justifications, project budgets, cash flow forecasts, and ROI analyses
Track project spending, manage forecasts and variances, and ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget
Oversee equipment layouts, process flows, utilities, and integration of new technologies
Manage contractors, integrators, and engineering firms to ensure compliance with safety, quality, cost, schedule, and performance expectations
Provide engineering support for batching, blending, thermal processing, packaging, and sanitation operations
Recommend and implement automation, controls, instrumentation, and process monitoring enhancements
Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, customer standards, sanitary design principles, and site food safety programs
Collaborate with Operations, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and Maintenance on trials, readiness, and capability development
Partner with Finance to identify cost-reduction opportunities, validate savings, and support financial justification for process improvements and capital investments
Provide data-driven insights on cost drivers, throughput, labor impacts, and operational 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, and professional discipline within a facility undergoing significant improvement
Act with an ownership mindset, creating value for the business and its stakeholders
Build strong partnerships through collaboration across all functional teams
Inspire others through positive leadership, accountability, and determination
Drive innovation by identifying and implementing solutions that improve performance
Demonstrate strong financial discipline, balancing technical requirements with cost and business priorities
Translate engineering decisions into clear financial and operational impacts
Highly organized with strong planning and prioritization skills
Comfortable working in a plant-floor environment
Strong communicator with the ability to partner across all levels of the organization
Maintain a continuous improvement mindset and strong professional discipline
Perform effectively in a fast-paced, change-driven, transformation-focused facility
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or a related engineering discipline
5+ years of experience in food manufacturing
Strong project management capability and the maturity to operate in a fast-changing environment
Proven success applying Lean methodologies in a plant setting
Demonstrated experience leading capital projects up to $5MM
Hands-on problem-solving skills with strong cross-functional communication abilities
Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, regulatory compliance, and sanitary design principles
Strong Excel and data analysis skills, including use of KPIs to drive decisions
Experience developing technical documentation and process standards
Preferred
Experience with thermal processing, batching, blending, or RTE cooked systems
Experience with WMS, MES, or digital plant-performance tools
Background in high-change, fast-paced, or turnaround environments
Experience training frontline teams or supervisors
Six Sigma Green Belt or higher certification
Experience working within structured daily management systems such as DMS, SQCDP, MOS, or tier-based accountability meetings
Familiarity with structured operating systems or continuous improvement frameworks is a strong plus
Company
Retail Options
Retail Options is in the business of finding and funding new entrepreneurial ideas.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageLeadership Team
Gary Thompson
President/CEO
Company data provided by crunchbase