Sr. Project Engineer

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you'll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman's, and Pangburn's have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let's continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life…

As the Senior Project Engineer, you will be an important link in the Russell Stover Chocolate (RSC) Engineering chain. You will manage complex capital projects involving chocolate manufacturing processing and packaging systems. In this role you will be responsible for developing and maintaining project scope, budget, timeline and success criteria to meet given objectives.

This position may require 50% travel during certain times of the year.

What you will be doing…

• Manage complex capital installation work and ensure projects are in scope, on time and on budget.

• Conduct feasibility analysis for proposed solutions to accommodate production, QA, and management requirements in an optimal solution.

• Develop capital investment requests with justification for new projects.

• Communication with key stakeholders throughout project development and execution.

• Work with vendors to order, specify, test and approve new equipment.

• Coordinate mechanical and electrical installation requirements with both outside contractors and internal resources where applicable.

• Guide engineering work by contractors and equipment vendors and ensure commissioned performance of installations.

• Ensure efficient and thorough handover of new installations to the Plant Operations team.

• Work with the training department to develop procedures for new equipment.

• Support production and maintenance departments when complicated issues arise.

• Managing performance and development of the project engineers at each plant.

• Support the development of the 5-year Capital Plan.

• Provide timely support to meet Innovation, Marketing, R&D and/or Purchasing requirements in launching new or improved products and/or packaging items. This includes specifying and ordering new tools or machines for new products or packaging improvements and follow-through on implementation from concept to production start-up and training.

Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in engineering.

• 10+ years of experience in project/process engineering and project management.

• Strong understanding of engineering principles and industry standards.

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

• Professional certifications (e.g., PMP, PE) are preferred.

• Experience in the chocolate manufacturing industry.

• Proficiency in PLC language (Allen Bradley and Siemens).

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent electrical and mechanical hands-on skills.

• Ability to start, address, and prioritize project issues independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Strong presentation skills.

• Ability to effectively communicate at all levels of the organization.

What it's like at the Russell Stover Plants

• Safety. Your safety is important to us, so we provide protective gear. We also go through an in-depth Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training on your first day and continue to share safety tips daily.

• Surroundings. You will be working around different machines - Schubert's, forklifts, electric pallet jacks, and chocolate candy banks/steels.

• Activity. Some activities may require standing in one place for extended periods, walking around, or climbing stairs/ladders, and routinely lift 50 lbs.

• Temperature. You will be comfortable year-round with our climate-controlled environment. Our temperatures are consistently around 63°F but could fluctuate depending on your specific role.

• Smell. You will enjoy a variety of deliciously sweet aromas and you may end your day smelling like chocolate!

• Dress code. Relaxed, with a few rules to follow for food safety, personal safety and in guidance with our good manufacturing practices (GMP). Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are required. Leather, imitation leather, or rubber boots or shoes must be worn in the kitchen and other areas when working around hot liquid/product or hot water.

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.