Plant Engineer/Maintenance Manager

Where Your Career Becomes Family

About West Liberty Foods

Our mission is to be a leading food manufacturer by converting needs, ideas and expertise into value for our members, business partners and consumers.

West Liberty Foods manufactures hundreds of meat and poultry products that can be found in well-known grocery stores and top restaurant chains nationwide. Recognized as one of the top protein processors in North America, we have the capacity to produce over 650 million pounds of food products per year across our facilities. We are The Surprisingly Big Company, and we're right in your backyard.

Build your career with West Liberty Foods and be a part of an exciting, collaborative team that becomes family!

The Plant Engineer is responsible for overseeing the maintenance, repair, and management of all mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and industrial systems within the facility. This role ensures that plant operations run efficiently, safely, and in compliance with OSHA and safety regulations. The Plant Engineer provides technical leadership, supervises maintenance teams, and manages facilities maintenance projects to support continuous production and operational excellence.

This position offers an opportunity for a highly skilled engineer to lead critical facility operations in a dynamic manufacturing setting. Candidates should possess strong technical expertise combined with effective team management capabilities to ensure optimal plant performance.

• Lead and supervise facilities maintenance teams to perform routine inspections, troubleshooting, and repairs of mechanical systems, electrical systems (including high and low voltage), HVAC systems, plumbing, and other industrial equipment.
• Develop and implement maintenance repair procedures utilizing CMMS software to optimize equipment uptime and reliability.
• Manage facilities maintenance programs including scheduling preventive maintenance and managing facilities maintenance teams.
• Diagnose complex mechanical issues using schematics, troubleshooting techniques, multimeters (voltmeter, ohmmeter), and other diagnostic tools.
• Oversee HVAC system repair and ensure proper functioning of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units.
• Maintain compliance with OSHA safety regulations by conducting safety audits, ensuring proper safety procedures are followed during maintenance activities.
• Manage projects related to facilities upgrades or repairs using project management principles.
• Ensure adherence to safety regulations by training staff on safety procedures and maintaining a safe work environment.
• Maintain detailed records of maintenance activities, repairs, and system performance using CMMS or other documentation tools.
• Collaborate with management to plan facilities improvements and manage resources effectively.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in a related field or equivalent is preferred.
• Experience: At least 5 years of proven management experience supervising facilities maintenance or engineering teams within an industrial or manufacturing environment. Demonstrated project management skills for overseeing facility upgrades or repairs.
• Skills/Knowledge: Must have a strong knowledge of CMRP or other maintenance planning platforms. Extensive knowledge of mechanical systems repair including HVAC systems, plumbing systems, electrical systems (high voltage and low voltage), and industrial maintenance procedures. Familiarity with OSHA standards, safety regulations, and best practices for industrial facilities management. Ability to problem solve. Knowledge of timekeeping systems is a benefit. Strong understanding of schematics, electrical troubleshooting (including use of voltmeters and ohmmeters), and engineering troubleshooting techniques. Experience with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and automation systems is preferred. Must have computer skills to communicate and process data.
• Leadership: Ability to lead, motivate and develop others. Coaching and performance management experience is a plus. Must be able to work with other departments and follow all food safety guidelines and HACCP requirements.
• Age: Must be a minimum of 18 years of age.
• Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the United States; no sponsorships are available.
• Physical Abilities:




• Ability to stand for long periods.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds, including above the head and below the waist.




• Environmental: Ability to work in varying temperature conditions.
• Flexibility: Must be able to work weekends as needed. This requirement is for the purposes of training new team members, equipment shutdowns, and for involvement in unplanned events. Ability to adjust quickly to changing demands. Must be able to work in a fast paced environment.
• Compliance: Must practice good personal hygiene. Candidates must successfully pass a post-offer/pre-employment drug test, background screen, physical and E-Verify.

Equal Opportunity Employer West Liberty Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

West Liberty Foods is committed to providing all team members with predictable work schedules that accommodate the universal need to spend time away from work to rest, relax, and spend time with family and friends. However, as a food manufacturer, West Liberty Foods is responsible for producing perishable products. To help ensure that our food products meet the quality and safety standards our customers expect, team members may, at times, be asked or expected to work overtime, weekends, or holidays. West Liberty Foods remains committed to its overtime, weekend, and holiday pay policies, and will schedule team members for those hours on a volunteer-first basis, whenever possible.

The following benefits are available:

• Medical, Dental, Vision & Prescription Coverage
• Paid Time Off
• Life Insurance
• Short Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Educational Assistance Program
• Discount Benefits
• Additional Voluntary Benefits

Disclosures: Pursuant to the Illinois Equal Pay Act, this posting includes the good faith, budgeted pay scale and general description of benefits that the employer reasonably expects to offer a successful, qualified applicant for this position as of the date of this posting with future pay and benefits subject to change based on employment conditions including, but not limited to, knowledge, skills, and experience; performance; shift(s) worked; hours worked; department or business line; geographic location; and other market conditions in accordance with company policies and the at-will nature of this employment opportunity.

To be considered an applicant for this position, you must apply online on our careersite at https://careers.wlfoods.com/.