Senior Industrial Engineer

Location: Delphi, Indiana

Reports to: Sr. Manager, FP&A

Workplace Type: Onsite

FLSA Status: Exempt

Summary:

The Senior Industrial Engineer - Operations Finance serves as the technical lead for yield, labor, and throughput performance within Indiana Packers' fresh pork processing operations. This role is accountable for ensuring standard cost drivers (yield, labor, and line rates) accurately reflect real plant conditions across harvest, cut floor, and value-added operations.

This position operates as a hands-on partner to plant leadership, working directly with Plant Managers, Production Superintendents, and Front-Line Leaders to translate floor execution into financial performance. The role is critical in driving improvements in carcass yield recovery, labor utilization, and line efficiency, while building sustainable standards that support operational and financial decision-making. The candidate will be required to travel on average 25% with an increase in travel requirements during plant initiatives, start ups and system rollouts.

Responsibilities:

• Own development and governance of yield standards across harvest, cut floor, and trim/value-added processes.
• Establish and maintain labor standards by department, line, and product mix.
• Conduct time studies and work measurement in harvest, fabrication, and packaging areas.
• Perform line speed and staffing alignment to optimize throughput.
• Ensure standards reflect live animal variability and operational realities.
• Lead the annual standard cost reset process for yield, labor, and throughput inputs.
• Partner with Operations Finance to align plant performance with financial assumptions.
• Continuously refine standards based on improvements and product mix changes.
• Monitor actual vs. standard performance across yield, labor efficiency, and throughput.
• Identify gaps and lead root cause analysis with plant leadership.
• Drive corrective actions tied to yield loss, inefficiencies, and downtime.
• Standardize reporting for yield, labor efficiency, and line speed.
• Support development of daily and weekly plant reporting.
• Translate data into actionable insights for Front-Line Leaders.
• Identify sources of yield loss, variability, and bottlenecks.
• Lead initiatives to improve cut optimization, labor use, and throughput stability.
• Support new specs, cuts, and customer programs.
• Define yield and labor expectations tied to product mix.
• Partner with Operations on trials and start-ups.
• Provide engineering input into plant capital projects.
• Validate post-implementation performance vs ROI.
• Own and deliver cost savings initiatives tied to yield, labor, and efficiency.
• Partner with plant leadership and finance to track savings.
• Act as a connector between Operations, Finance, and CI teams.
• Work with Front-Line Leaders to reinforce standards and accountability.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 5-10+ years of experience in pork, protein, or food processing environments preferred.
• Experience with yield analysis, labor modeling, and line balancing.
• Strong understanding of fresh pork processing flows.
• Lean/Continuous Improvement experience preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills; SAP experience is a plus.
• Ability to influence plant leadership and drive change.
• Improves yield recovery, labor efficiency, and throughput.
• Builds credibility with plant leadership through floor presence.
• Translates operational performance into financial outcomes.
• Establishes practical, sustainable standards.

Other Duties:

Please note, this job description is not designated to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

Work Environment/Physical Demand:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Work is primarily performed in an office setting in a manufacturing environment requiring the ability to sit, talk, hear, frequent walking, standing, and sitting; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision. Ability to use standard office equipment such as telephone, computer, and copier.

Background Screening/Checks:

This offer of employment is contingent upon the results of a satisfactory background check, which may include verification of employment, education, criminal background, driving history, and other relevant information deemed job-related and lawful. You will be required to sign a separate Disclosure & Authorization Form prior to initiating the required background check(s). The extent of the background check will be determined on the function and level of the position being offered

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