Director, Process Engineering (62560)

Education Level4 Year Degree### TITLE: Director, Process Engineering## Qualifications### Who You Are* Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial/Mechanical), Operations, Food Science, or similar; advanced degree is a plus* 10+ years in manufacturing/operations, excellence/process engineering, with meaningful experience in food manufacturing (fresh/perishables strongly preferred).* Demonstrated track record in building and scaling operating systems: SOP governance, training systems, performance management routines, and continuous improvement programs that stick.* Strong program management chops: can run complex, cross-functional initiatives end-to-end, with crisp execution and measurable outcomes.* Deep familiarity with Lean / Six Sigma methods (5S, Kaizen, standard work, root cause, line balancing, SPC/process capability); Black Belt is a plus.* Strong analytical capability: capacity modeling, bottleneck analysis, ROI modeling, and comfort working in spreadsheets and BI tools; able to translate data into operational action.* Operational technology fluency: ability to partner with Engineering/Data to design practical tools, dashboards, and workflows that drive adoption—not shelfware.* Working knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, SSOPs, and audit expectations; can design process changes that improve performance while strengthening compliance.* High “in the trenches” orientation—comfortable spending time on the floor, observing work, and earning trust through practical support.KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPI):* Quality & Customer: customer credit/refunds rate; defects per million opportunities (DPMO) or equivalent; pack accuracy; label accuracy; portion accuracy; backfill/rework rate* Cost & Waste: ingredient waste %; packaging waste %; ; COGS drivers; labor efficiency (units per labor hour)* Throughput & Capacity: constraint throughput; cycle time; equipment uptime (OEE); schedule attainment; time-to-scale for new SKUs.* Operating System Adoption: SOP audit adherence; training completion/certification; tool adoption rates; entitlement realization for implemented programs and capex.### Our CultureDiversity, equity, and inclusion are essential values at Thistle. We know we do our best and most impactful work when we feel we are represented and belong. We're proud to actively recruit and hire talented individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

We do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”), including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin, color, hairstyles, hair texture, religion or religious creed, age, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, veteran or active military status, marital status, criminal record, genetics, retaliation, sexual harassment or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr