Position SummaryMichigan Milk Producers Association is seeking a Manufacturing Engineering Manager - Reliability & Controls to lead a team of Manufacturing Engineers focused on improving equipment reliability, automation performance, and manufacturing capability across multiple dairy manufacturing facilities.
This role is responsible for building an engineering function focused on eliminating chronic equipment issues, improving control system performance, and strengthening the technical capability of our manufacturing teams.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in controls, automation, or manufacturing engineering with the curiosity and problem-solving mindset to grow into broader reliability engineering leadership.
This is not a traditional project engineering role. The focus is improving how equipment performs over time, understanding why failures occur, eliminating repeat issues, and creating more reliable manufacturing systems.
Key ResponsibilitiesEngineering Leadership & Reliability Improvement- Lead and develop Manufacturing Engineers supporting reliability, controls, and process improvement initiatives.
- Establish engineering priorities focused on eliminating chronic failures and improving plant performance.
- Drive structured problem solving, Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), and permanent corrective actions.
- Use downtime data, CMMS information, and equipment performance trends to identify reliability opportunities.
Controls & Automation Leadership- Provide technical leadership for industrial controls systems including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, instrumentation, and industrial networks.
- Ensure control system changes improve reliability, maintainability, and long-term performance.
- Support troubleshooting of complex automation and process issues through engineering resources.
- Establish expectations for controls documentation and system standards.
Field-Based Manufacturing Support- Maintain regular presence on the manufacturing floor to understand equipment performance and operational challenges.
- Work across shifts as needed to identify opportunities that impact reliability and production stability.
- Build strong partnerships with Operations and Maintenance teams through practical problem solving.
Maintenance Capability Development- Partner with Maintenance leadership to improve troubleshooting capability and technical understanding.
- Identify recurring skill gaps and support engineering-led training initiatives.
- Develop stronger collaboration between Engineering and Maintenance to reduce repeat failures.
Continuous Improvement & Technical Development- Identify opportunities to improve equipment performance, process stability, and manufacturing capability.
- Support capital projects when they directly improve reliability, maintainability, or system performance.
- Develop consistent engineering practices across manufacturing facilities.
Success in This Role Will Be Measured By- Reduction in chronic equipment failures and repeat downtime events
- Improved equipment reliability and production consistency
- Increased effectiveness of troubleshooting and problem resolution
- Improved controls system stability and documentation
- Development of stronger technical capability within Engineering and Maintenance teams
QualificationsRequired- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent technical experience.
- 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, controls engineering, automation, or related technical roles.
- Strong experience with industrial controls systems including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, instrumentation, and industrial networks.
- Experience troubleshooting complex manufacturing systems involving mechanical, electrical, and process interactions.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze problems, identify root causes, and implement sustainable solutions.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively across Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering.
Preferred- Experience with reliability engineering practices such as RCFA, FMEA, or predictive maintenance.
- Food or dairy manufacturing experience.
- CMMS experience and use of maintenance data for improvement.
- Experience mentoring or leading technical teams.
- Interest in developing deeper reliability engineering expertise.
Physical & Operational Requirements- Regular presence in manufacturing environments.
- Ability to work across multiple shifts, including occasional nights and weekends, to understand operational variability.
- Ability to safely navigate industrial manufacturing environments.
- Travel between manufacturing facilities as required.
Role PurposeThis role exists to strengthen manufacturing reliability by developing engineering capability that understands both automation systems and real-world plant performance.
The Manufacturing Engineering Manager will help build a culture of solving problems permanently, improving equipment reliability, and supporting MMPA's commitment to processing the milk entrusted to us by our member farms.
This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive list of responsibilities that are required of the role. Responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.
MMPA provides the opportunity for meaningful work that makes a difference in the dairy industry and in our communities. The diverse talents and perspectives of our employees help us to meet the needs of our member farms and the customers we serve.
We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States.
MMPA is committed to maintaining a safe, healthy, and productive environment for all employees as one of our top priorities. As part of our commitment to your well-being and workplace safety, all applicants are required to undergo a drug screening and background check as part of the hiring process.
We are not accepting unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals, or re9sume9s from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies for this position.
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