Project Engineer II

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a leading manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for consumer and business-to-business markets that has been voted as a Top 100 workplaces in the Chicago Tribune. Oil-Dri’s products are sold in the pet care, animal health, fluids purification, agricultural, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. Oil-Dri controls millions of tons of specialty mineral reserves, including calcium bentonite, attapulgite, and diatomaceous shale. The company’s mines and manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, and California. Oil-Dri is a family-controlled and operated organization that emphasizes honesty, integrity, and accountability. The company is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to Create Value From Sorbent Minerals.

Job Overview

Project Engineer is responsible to design, construct, and improve manufacturing equipment, systems, processes, plants, and facilities to achieve business objectives at the Mounds, IL and Taft, CA factories. They will also manage and provide oversight of capital appropriations, work with factory leadership to develop 3-5-year site Masterplan, support ODCA strategic Mission and WE CARE values by utilizing engineering skills that is associated with ODCA’s business goals. The Project Engineer II will utilize goal and task-driven management of portfolio projects to ensure product and processes meet customer requirements.

Essential Functions

• Comply with all safety policies, practices and procedures and report all unsafe activities to Management and/or Human Resources.
• Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Manage and deliver capital projects to scope, budget and timeline
• Manage and deliver Cash Flow forecast to maintain the regional Capital budget
• Provide leadership and project management skills to successfully implement projects in a cost effective, timely manner with quality results
• Plan and manage equipment start-up and commissioning activities
• Work with the ODCA Team to develop strategic Construction and Engineering partnerships in the region
• Utilize technical expertise to identify opportunities for cost reduction, lead-time reduction, inventory reduction and quality improvement while improving employee safety.
• Ensure that ODCA is approaching projects in a consistent and accurate method.
• Set project parameters, assemble and train teams, and lead the teams through the improvement processes to ensure project objectives are met, effectively utilizing resources that are not directly under her/his control to achieve both individual and team goals. This will be done at a Global level.
• Develop and work with others to produce process and instrumentation diagrams, plant and equipment layouts, equipment lists, materials lists, plans, schedules, cost estimates, project economics, and other data required in projects for a minerals plan.
• Make engineering calculations related to material and energy balances, equipment sizing, selection of materials, structural design, etc.
• Provide clear and effective contractor oversight and construction management support.
• Provide engineering services and expertise to maintenance and operating managers.
• Coordinate and communicate regularly and effectively with all stakeholders in a team environment keeping them up to date on your progress toward goals and commitments.
• Document projects and processes and provide training as required to support operations, maintenance, procurement, finance, and others as needed.
• Maintain project records according to established policy.
• Consult exhaustively with operations and maintenance at every step to ensure that their needs are met, and their ideas are used when appropriate.
• Build effective working relationships with managers, supervisors and workers.
• Make or endorse cost estimates for capital projects and initiate capital requests.
• Confirm and approve project invoices.
• Maintain and report performance against budget as to amount committed, paid and forecast to complete.
• Perform other duties as may be required.
• Able to support multiple plant sites, travel to Taft, CA as needed.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in an engineering or technical field with minerals, packaging, mechanical, electrical, chemical, or civil engineering degree preferred.
• 3-5 years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.

Skills & Abilities:

• Experience or strong knowledge in designing plants, process lines, packaging lines, and infrastructure. Ability to do engineering work such as process flow diagrams, general arrangement, heat and material balances and other process calculations, sizing equipment, pumps, fans, piping, and ducts, specifying all equipment and materials required.
• An active, widely recognized certification in Project Management is preferred.
• Experience in solids handling, combustion, drying operations, milling, and screening, environmental compliance, packaging, power distribution, and instrumentation preferred.
• Helpful areas of experience includes sizing, layout, specification, selection, and installation of standard equipment such as pumps, fans, pipes, ducts, burners, mills, grinders, crushers, conveyors of all types; rotary, fluid bed, and flash dryers; screens, classifiers, mixing, spraying, packaging powders and granules using equipment such as baggers (range: three pound packages to bulk rail), collators, palletizers including robotic, foundation and building design, electrical power and control, instrumentation (Predominant environment is Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLC with Ethernet/IP network), environmental compliance, safety, quality management.
• Must be able to multi-task, prioritize, and delegate tasks readily.
• This position requires an excellent communicator who can lead co-workers at various levels.
• Strong interpersonal skills, plus oral and written communication skills, including excellent presentation skills.
• Must be able and willing to work extended hours as required. (including weekends)
• Able to work with minimal supervision.
• Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect and analyze data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Computer Skills: Knowledge of database, project management, spreadsheet, and word processing software, electronic mail, statistical software, graphics, technical diagrams, flow charts, etc.
• Certifications: The position recommends certification as a Project Manager by the Project Management Institute (PMI) or equivalent certification and/or successful experience in using equivalent project management skills is desired, as determined by manager and/or annual goals.
• Possess core values of Honesty and Integrity.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation

• Salary Range: $81,275 - $101,648

Benefits

• 401(k) with 6% match (Fully Vested at 2 Years)
• Annual Incentive Bonus
• Annual Merit increase opportunity
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Fitness & Gym Reimbursement
• Employer Contribution - Health, Dental, Vision

Oil-Dri is committed to providing equal opportunity for all teammates and qualified candidates without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Accordingly, all employment decisions and personnel actions or programs such as hiring, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, transfers, reductions in workforce, and training, etc. will be consistent with the principle of equal employment opportunity.