LiDestri Foods · 15 hours ago
Director Engineering & Capital Projects - food manufacturing
Fairport, NY, US
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$175K/yr - $190K/yr
10+ years expLiDestri Foods is a family-run company based in Rochester, NY that formulates and produces innovative food products for national and retailer brand partners. The Director of Engineering & Capital Projects will lead the project team during installation, commissioning, and capital startup, focusing on improving productivity and driving cost reduction initiatives throughout the organization.
Food & Beverages
Responsibilities
In collaboration with departmental management, work to target maintainability issues, lower cost and improve productivity, while communicating opportunities for improved equipment operation, setup, changeover and maintenance
Lead the justification, establishment, and implementation of capital projects from inception through completion; initiating technical concepts, developing designs incorporating the optimal technical solutions, estimate and manage costs, formulate justifications, coordinate project/program executions, support line startups, and establish systems to train required personnel on new technologies
Lead standard engineering work processes and champion the best engineering practices for improved performance while analyzing the operational performance impacts of new equipment or equipment modifications across current operations
Implement advanced reliability tools and work processes for supporting reliability efforts in manufacturing plants
Works closely with maintenance to target maintainability issues, lower cost and improve productivity. . In addition, must be actively involved in the support, maintenance and upgrades of the LiDestri CMMS
Closely collaborate with R&D Process & Packaging, Quality Assurance, Safety, Information Systems, Manufacturing and Business Unit Teams among other functions on the definition of technology solutions and standardization opportunities across our product categories
Mentor Engineers on the use of appropriate selection of various problems solving tools to identify opportunities for improvement of various types of wastes in production. (RCCM’s, CA’s, Fishbone’s, ETC.)
Lead regular technical project update meetings and collaborate with team members to effect changes resulting in the capturing of cost reductions, quality improvements, loss reductions, etc
Responsible for the oversight, creation and maintenance of Engineering Documentation, to include; specifications, assembly instructions, Engineering Change Forms, test protocols, process procedures, manufacturing SOP’s and instructions, and corresponding operator and maintenance trouble shooting guides
Creates working project plans for necessary improvements in yield, batching losses, quality improvements, and safety hazard eliminations. Project plans to include actions, owners, and effective implementation dates, and routine updates to assure timely execution of all improvements
Selection of and management of vendors and sub-contractors and other internal resources to assure effective implementation of technical improvement initiatives
Remains current with latest technology related to the manufacture of LFI products
Closely collaborate all other departments on the definition of technology solutions and standardization opportunities across our product categories
Participate in all business reviews as required and communicate and inform operational and business leaders of related work through scheduling, plant and business meetings and required project status reviews
Create and leverage internal and external partnerships with key suppliers and various support departments when necessary to provide technical input to problem solving initiatives
Support R&D and quality organizations responsible for the quality control of raw materials and finished products, as well as engineers responsible for the plant maintenance to assure effectiveness of the quality systems in production of quality products and respective expected improvements
Prepare capital expenditure requests, drawings and specifications for improved processes and equipment in conjunction with the design packaging, and OPEX organizations
Provide training and facilitation on root cause failure analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA)
Manage reliability projects, interact with vendors and work closely with project engineers. Provide “design for reliability” input to capital projects. Facilitate and manage ad hoc work teams. Provide technical leadership at all levels of the plant organization with special emphasis on interacting with the maintenance crews
Provide equipment, safety, and environmental risk mitigation leadership. Completes all tasks while strictly adhering to all required industry guidelines to include and not limit to; Plant Safety, Food Safety, SQF and all internal/external audits
Coach, mentor and develop staff, including preparing and conducting employee performance appraisal
Maintain employee work schedules including timecard approval, work assignments, job rotation, training, vacations and paid time off
Report food safety & quality problems to personnel with authority to initiate action
Qualification
Required
Degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering, required
10 years' experience in food, beverage or pharmaceutical industry and/or high-speed packaged consumer goods manufacturing environment or equivalent experience preferred
Demonstrated experience in High Volume operations and production environments required
Demonstrated Problem solving techniques and approaches for various types of operational performance issues and quality problems and initiatives required
Passion for continuous improvement with Lean manufacturing and/or Lean Six Sigma experience (Lean Sic Sigma Green Belt Certification, preferred)
Familiarity in an operations/manufacturing environment and knowledge of the relationship between processes, packaging components, and labor required to assemble components and systems
Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications including Word, Excel, Power-point, and MS Project and familiarity with computerized information systems, including MES, MRP, CMMS, and SCADA systems
Strong communication, organizational, time management, interpersonal skills
Demonstrated ability to plan, manage and document projects effectively
Experience writing Engineering policies, procedures, proposals and reports; (Required)
Technical Knowledge: Working knowledge of utility systems, processing technology, and controls in manufacturing environments and deploying and implementing new technologies in a fast-paced environment
Continuous Improvement: A track record of implementing TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) and LEAN principles to create short- and long-term value
Leadership: Proven ability to lead a team, emphasizing trust and integrity
Process Optimization: Skilled in examining and re-engineering operations, formulating policy, and developing new strategies and procedures
Decision-Making: Ability to make administrative and procedural decisions on sensitive, confidential matters
Environmental Regulations: Understanding of federal and state environmental laws, regulations, procedures, and standards
Benefits
Great career-pathing
Professional development, including unlimited online training courses
Health insurance with premium contributions
Dental, vision, HSA
100% company paid life insurance and long-term disability
401k – with employer match
Paid time off to include- vacation, sick pay, wellness time off, and 10 holidays
Company bonuses
And many more….
Company
LiDestri Foods
LiDestri Foods is a premier manufacturer of sauces, dips, and salsas, producing the largest market share of contract-manufactured pasta sauces in the United States.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
LiDestri Foods has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2024-04-09Acquired
Leadership Team
Stefani LiDestri
Chief Executive Officer
Fernando Freitas
Group Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
Rochester Business Journal
2025-08-07
Company data provided by crunchbase