Lead Process Engineer - Vinegar

We Are Kerry:

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

Why Join Our Team:

• Opportunity to lead high-impact engineering and process improvement initiatives across multiple manufacturing sites.


• Exposure to capital projects, operational excellence programs, and emerging manufacturing technologies.


• Ability to influence network-wide performance and sustainability initiatives.


• Collaborative environment focused on innovation, continuous improvement, and professional growth.

What You'll Do:

Key responsibilities

• Lead process optimization initiatives to improve manufacturing efficiency, product quality, equipment reliability, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).


• Identify and implement opportunities to reduce waste, lower operating costs, enhance process capability, and increase production performance.


• Develop capital improvement plans and lead projects from concept, design, and justification through installation and start-up.


• Conduct feasibility studies and prepare business cases to support continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives.


• Partner with Research & Development teams to support pilot trials, process improvements, and new product introductions.


• Support plant maintenance and reliability programs, including preventive maintenance compliance, SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM) utilization, and spare parts strategy.


• Lead root cause investigations and implement sustainable corrective actions to improve equipment reliability and operational performance.


• Facilitate Kaizen events and continuous improvement activities using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.


• Champion innovative manufacturing technologies and sustainability initiatives that reduce water usage, energy consumption, and waste generation.


• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentorship across engineering projects and cross-functional teams.

What You'll Need to Succeed:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering.


• 3-5+ years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.


• 3+ years of leadership or project leadership experience.


• Experience with process control systems, PLCs, and manufacturing operations.


• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.


• Ability to travel approximately 50%.


• Food, beverage, chemical, ingredient, or pharmaceutical manufacturing experience.

Preferred:

• Allen-Bradley PLC experience.


• SCADA experience.


• SAP Plant Maintenance experience.


• Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent continuous improvement experience.


• Capital project management experience.

What We Offer:

The hiring range for this position is $85,000. - $103,000. in Annual Salary.  Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role.  Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.  The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity.  Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement.  This job posting is anticipated to expire on October 12, 2026.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our recruitment and leadership teams.