ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Food Process Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Cuisine Solutions

Senior Process Engineer

Sterling, VA · On-site

$85K - $90K/yr

Senior Process Engineer Department: Maintenance / Engineering Reports To: This position typically ... The role works closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain ...

Cuisine Solutions

Senior Process Engineer

Sterling, VA · On-site

$105K - $135K/yr

Senior Process Engineer Department: Maintenance / Engineering Reports To: This position typically ... The role works closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain ...

New

Cuisine Solutions

Senior Process Engineer

Sterling, VA

$105K - $135K/yr

Senior Process Engineer Department: Maintenance / Engineering Reports To: This position typically ... The role works closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain ...

New

Nestle

Expert Process Automation

Arlington, VA

$125K - $180K/yr

As the digital arm for the world's largest food and beverage company, Nestle IT & Digital Americas ... Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Analytics ...

Gategroup

Process Owner, IDS

Reston, VA · On-site

$90K - $95K/yr

Support implementation of FIFO/FEFO rules and food safety practices in internal delivery. Assist ... Engineering, Operations, or related field. • Lean/6-Sigma certification preferred. Work ...

Gategroup

Process Owner, IDS

Reston, VA · On-site

$90K - $95K/yr

Support implementation of FIFO/FEFO rules and food safety practices in internal delivery. Assist ... Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field. Lean/6-Sigma ...

CRB

Sr. HVAC Engineer

Rockville, MD · On-site

$106K - $140K/yr

... food and beverage industries. Our mission, vision, and core values put client satisfaction and ... Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, including architects, process engineers, and ...

CRB

Sr. HVAC Engineer

Rockville, MD

$106K - $140K/yr

... food and beverage industries. Our mission, vision, and core values put client satisfaction and ... Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, including architects, process engineers, and ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsFood Process Engineer JobsFood Process Engineer Jobs in Washington

Food Process Engineer information

See Washington salary details

$56.1K

$104.2K

$161.4K

How much do food process engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for food process engineer in Washington is $104,219.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $84,400.00 and $116,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a food process engineer?

A Food Process Engineer designs, develops, and optimizes food manufacturing processes to ensure efficiency, quality, and safety. They work with equipment, ingredients, and technologies to improve food production methods. Their role may involve research, troubleshooting, and implementing automation to enhance productivity. Food Process Engineers collaborate with food scientists, quality assurance teams, and production staff to meet industry regulations and consumer demands.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a food process engineer?

A Food Process Engineer’s daily responsibilities often include designing and optimizing production processes, troubleshooting equipment or product issues, and ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards. You may also coordinate closely with production staff, quality assurance teams, and R&D departments to implement new technologies or process improvements. Documentation and analysis of process data, as well as participation in meetings to discuss ongoing projects, are common parts of the day-to-day routine. This dynamic role offers variety and the opportunity to continuously make impactful improvements to food production.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a food process engineer?

To thrive as a Food Process Engineer, you need a solid background in chemical or food engineering, strong problem-solving abilities, and experience with food safety regulations, typically supported by an engineering degree. Familiarity with software tools such as AutoCAD, process simulation programs, and knowledge of relevant certifications like HACCP or Six Sigma is often required. Attention to detail, effective teamwork, and strong communication skills help you succeed in cross-functional environments. These abilities ensure the safe, efficient, and innovative development of food processing systems that meet quality and regulatory standards.

What does a food process engineer do?

A food process engineer designs, develops, and improves manufacturing processes for food products to ensure safety, quality, and efficiency. They analyze production methods, optimize equipment, and may use tools like process simulation software, often working in manufacturing facilities and requiring knowledge of food safety standards. Their role helps streamline production while maintaining compliance with industry regulations.

What are popular job titles related to Food Process Engineer jobs in Washington?

For Food Process Engineer jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Food Process Engineer jobs in Washington look for?

The top searched job categories for Food Process Engineer jobs in Washington are:

Food Process Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Food Process Engineer job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 76% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 2% Temporary, 7% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $104,219 per year, or $50.1 per hour.

Senior Process Engineer

Sterling, VA • On-site

Cuisine Solutions
Food and Drink Manufacturing • 201 - 500 employees

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 6 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

109th of 443 rated food and drinks producers

Great coworkers

People enjoy working here

Good employer

Learn more about Cuisine Solutionsexternal

$85K - $90K/yr

Full-time

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

Job Title: Senior Process Engineer
Department: Maintenance / Engineering
Reports To: This position typically reports to the President of Engineering and the Vice President of Engineering and serves as a key member of the site leadership team. The role works closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, vendors, contractors, and external regulatory or auditing partners. This Position does not have any direct reports.
Job Summary: The Director of Engineering provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all engineering, maintenance, reliability, automation, utilities, facilities, and capital project activities within a sous vide food manufacturing environment. This role ensures that plant equipment, infrastructure, and technical systems support safe, compliant, efficient, and high-quality production of refrigerated and ready-to-eat food products. The Director partners closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, and Executive Leadership to drive equipment reliability, production uptime, process improvement, regulatory compliance, and long-term manufacturing capability.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Develop and execute the plant engineering strategy to improve safety, quality, food safety, throughput, labor efficiency, equipment uptime, sanitation effectiveness, and cost performance.
  • Assist with capital planning and execution, including project scope development, budget management, vendor selection, contractor oversight, installation, commissioning, startup, and post-project performance validation.
  • Provide technical leadership for sous vide processing systems, cook tanks, chill systems, vacuum packaging equipment, boilers, refrigeration, compressed air, water systems, wastewater systems, conveyors, automation, controls, PLCs, HMIs, and facility infrastructure.
  • Partner with Quality Assurance and Food Safety to ensure engineering practices support HACCP, GMP, GFSI/SQF or BRC requirements, USDA/FDA expectations as applicable, allergen controls, sanitation design, hygienic zoning, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives using root cause analysis, 5-Why, A3, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, standard work, and data-driven problem solving.
  • Ensure all engineering and maintenance activities comply with OSHA, LOTO, electrical safety, ammonia or refrigeration safety requirements where applicable, environmental regulations, company safety standards, and local building codes.
  • Lead the engineering, maintenance, reliability, facilities, utilities, and automation functions for a high-volume sous vide food manufacturing plant.

  • Build, coach, and develop a high-performing technical team, including maintenance managers, engineers, supervisors, planners, technicians, controls specialists, and project resources.
  • Manage engineering and maintenance budgets, capital expenditures, contractor spend, utilities usage, MRO inventory, and cost-reduction initiatives.
  • Support new product introductions, line extensions, process validations, packaging changes, capacity expansions, and automation improvements.
  • Establish engineering standards, project management practices, sanitation-ready equipment design expectations, documentation controls, and technical training programs.
  • Serve as a key member of the plant leadership team, providing clear communication, risk assessments, project updates, and technical recommendations to senior leadership.

Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field required; advanced degree preferred.
  • 15 or more years of progressive engineering, maintenance, reliability, or technical operations experience in food manufacturing, refrigerated foods, ready-to-eat foods, protein processing, sous vide, aseptic, pharmaceutical, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
  • 7 or more years of leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, reliability, automation, or facilities teams in a 24/7 manufacturing operation.
  • Demonstrated experience leading capital projects, plant expansions, equipment installations, automation upgrades, and commissioning activities.
  • Strong knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance, CMMS systems, maintenance planning, reliability-centered maintenance, root cause analysis, and spare parts management.
  • Working knowledge of food safety and regulatory programs, including HACCP, GMPs, sanitation design, allergen control, environmental monitoring, GFSI standards such as SQF or BRC, and OSHA requirements.
  • Experience with refrigeration, boilers, thermal processing, chilled water systems, vacuum packaging, cook/chill operations, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, conveyors, utilities, and plant infrastructure required.
  • Strong financial acumen, including budget preparation, capital justification, return-on-investment analysis, vendor management, and cost control.
  • Excellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Physical Requirements:
  • Work is performed in both office and food manufacturing plant environments, including refrigerated, wet, hot, and high-noise production areas.
  • Must be able to regularly walk production floors, access equipment areas, inspect utilities and mechanical spaces, and respond to operational issues.
  • Will require availability outside normal business hours to support plant operations, critical downtime events, project installations, audits, inspections, or emergency response needs.
  • Travel required: 40-60% as needed.
  • Must comply with all company safety, food safety, GMP, personal protective equipment, and sanitation requirements.

Competencies:
  • Strategic thinker who can translate business goals into practical engineering priorities.
  • Hands-on technical leader comfortable working on the plant floor and engaging directly with equipment, technicians, operators, and supervisors.
  • Strong change leader with the ability to build structure, accountability, and consistency in a fast-paced production environment.
  • Collaborative partner who can balance production needs, food safety requirements, capital constraints, and long-term reliability goals.
  • Data-driven decision maker with a focus on measurable improvements in safety, uptime, quality, yield, labor efficiency, utilities usage, and maintenance cost.
  • Experience with ROI capitol analysis, Standardized subcontractor RFQ, Technical OEM approval drawing reviews, OEM FAT & PAT.
  • Subcontractor competitive bid review and analysis.
  • Standardizing plant material selection and means and methods for equipment install.
  • Ability to read and interrupt PFD, P&ID, ISO and DWG drawings. Working Knowledge of AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Procore, Microsoft Excell, Project and other software as required.
  • Continuous improvement mindset with experience standardizing processes and developing technical talent.

What Cuisine Solutions employees say

Pay

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

Apply