Plant Engineer

Job DetailsJob Location: DC1 Cedar Crest - Graham, NC 27253Education Level: 4 Year DegreeSalary Range: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 SalaryJob Shift: 2nd ShiftPlant Engineer – Facilities & Utilities

Department: Facilities / Engineering

Reports To: Facilities Manager

Job Type: Full-Time | Salaried | Exempt

Location: Burlington, NC | Multi-Site

Salary Range

$70,000 – $80,000 annually

Why Join Alamance Foods?

At Alamance Foods, we believe in investing in our people. We offer a comprehensive benefits package and a supportive culture designed to help you grow, thrive, and build a long-term career.

Benefits & Perks

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance (eligibility begins the 1st of the month following 60 days of employment)

Life Insurance

Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA)
Paid Time Off (PTO): 12 days annually

Paid Holidays

Career growth and advancement opportunities
Professional development and mentorship
Supportive, collaborative team environment
Employee-focused culture with long-term stability

Company Background

Alamance Foods, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of aerosol whipped cream, flavored drinks, freeze pops, and bottled water. We proudly manufacture and distribute both branded and private-label products, including Classic Cream, Fun Pops, Coffee Toppers, Whipt, and Groovy Glacier.

Our success is built on innovation, operational excellence, food safety, and a commitment to manufacturing high-quality products that exceed customer expectations.

Position Opportunity

The Plant Engineer – Facilities & Utilities supports the Facilities Manager with the day-to-day engineering, facilities, utilities, maintenance, capital projects, and contractor coordination activities across multiple manufacturing locations.

This role is responsible for driving facility improvements, supporting equipment reliability, coordinating maintenance activities, and ensuring facility systems operate safely, efficiently, and in compliance with company standards. The Plant Engineer partners closely with Facilities, Maintenance, Engineering, Production, Quality, Safety, contractors, and vendors to support daily operations, capital projects, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

This is a hands-on, plant-floor-focused engineering position requiring strong technical problem-solving skills, project coordination, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Facilities & Utility Operations

Support the Facilities Manager with daily facilities, utilities, maintenance, and engineering activities.
Own follow-up activities, action items, schedules, contractor coordination, quotations, and project documentation.
Conduct daily plant walkthroughs to identify facility concerns, utility issues, safety observations, project progress, and maintenance needs.
Monitor work orders, repairs, and facility requests while helping prioritize urgent versus planned work.
Verify completed work meets company expectations, GMP requirements, and engineering standards.
Communicate facility issues and project updates with Production, Warehouse, Maintenance, Quality, and Safety teams.
Escalate safety concerns, project delays, or operational risks promptly.

Capital Projects & Engineering Support

Assist with planning, scheduling, tracking, and executing facility and utility improvement projects.
Develop project scopes of work for contractors, vendors, and internal maintenance teams.
Obtain vendor quotations, evaluate proposals, and assist with purchase requisitions and project justifications.
Coordinate contractor activities, monitor project progress, and ensure work is completed safely, on schedule, and within scope.
Collect field measurements, equipment information, photographs, drawings, and technical documentation.
Support equipment installations, facility modifications, piping improvements, utility upgrades, and production support projects.
Assist with shutdown planning, weekend installations, startup activities, and project commissioning.
Track project milestones, materials, lead times, vendor commitments, and installation schedules.

Facilities Reliability & Maintenance

Support troubleshooting and root cause analysis for facility and utility systems, including:

HVAC systems
Boilers
Air compressors
Chillers
Pumps
Fans
Process piping
Water systems
Wastewater systems
Loading docks and overhead doors
General building systems

Assist with preventive maintenance improvements and PM program optimization.
Review recurring maintenance issues and recommend corrective actions to improve equipment reliability.
Assist with equipment inspections, audits, reliability initiatives, and spare parts management.
Support emergency troubleshooting and equipment recovery activities as needed.

Documentation & Regulatory Compliance

Develop and maintain

Equipment inventories
Preventive Maintenance procedures
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Utility drawings
Equipment files
Project documentation
Inspection records
Contractor documentation

Update equipment layouts, redline facility drawings, and maintain engineering documentation.
Support Quality and Safety teams with audit findings, CAPA activities, GMP improvements, and corrective actions.

Ensure all work complies with

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Food Safety requirements
OSHA regulations
Lockout/Tagout procedures
Hot Work Permit requirements

Contractor Safety Program

Company policies and procedures

Continuous Improvement

Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on:

Equipment reliability
Energy reduction
Cost savings
Operational efficiency

Communicate project progress, risks, action items, and completed work clearly to leadership and affected departments.

QualificationsQualifications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.

Experience

0–2 years of experience in manufacturing, facilities engineering, maintenance engineering, utilities, project engineering, or plant engineering preferred.
Experience within food, beverage, packaging, or other regulated manufacturing environments preferred.
Experience working with contractors, vendors, maintenance personnel, and production teams preferred.
Experience with AutoCAD, equipment layouts, P&IDs, or engineering drawings preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Strong mechanical aptitude and technical understanding of industrial facility systems.

Basic understanding of

HVAC systems
Boilers
Air compressors
Pumps
Fans
Utilities
Electrical systems
Process piping
Building infrastructure

Ability to read engineering drawings, equipment manuals, layouts, and technical documentation.
Strong organizational, planning, and project coordination skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to document field conditions using notes, measurements, photographs, and action plans.
Self-motivated, dependable, and comfortable working extensively on the manufacturing floor.

Travel Requirements

Regular travel between Alamance Foods facilities to support projects, inspections, maintenance activities, and engineering initiatives.

Work Schedule & Availability

Standard business hours with flexibility to support operational needs.
Must be available to work occasional overtime as required.
Must be available for weekend work, plant shutdowns, equipment installations, and off-shift project support when business needs require.
May be required to respond to urgent facility issues, equipment failures, contractor activities, or project deadlines outside of normal business hours.

Working Conditions

Manufacturing and industrial facility environment.
Frequent exposure to hot, cold, wet, humid, noisy, dusty, and outdoor conditions.
Regular interaction with manufacturing equipment, utility systems, contractors, forklifts, and maintenance operations.

Physical Requirements

Frequently stand, walk, bend, kneel, reach, and climb stairs or ladders.
Frequently use hands and fingers to operate equipment and tools.
Occasionally lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Ability to access rooftops, utility rooms, mechanical rooms, production areas, warehouses, docks, and construction sites.
Ability to safely work around operating manufacturing equipment and active maintenance activities.

Pre-Employment Requirements

Employment with Alamance Foods is contingent upon successfully completing:

Pre-employment drug screen
Criminal background check
Employment eligibility verification (Form I-9)
E-Verify authorization to work in the United States

Equal Employment Opportunity

Alamance Foods, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities throughout the hiring and employment process.