Remote Cold Forming Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

This position is virtual/remote which means the work can be completed from anywhere is the United States except Hawaii or United States Territories.

RESPONSIBILITIES  

• Develop and execute enterprise-wide facilities and real estate strategy aligned with business growth and cold chain operational requirements.

• Lead long-range portfolio and network planning for refrigeration and cold chain distribution centers, including site selection, leasing, acquisitions, expansions, and dispositions.

• Provide governance and strategic oversight for capital and operating investments across refrigerated and frozen facilities.

• Directly manage three Business Process Owners responsible for:

• CapEx: Capital planning, prioritization, and lifecycle management for cold storage infrastructure and material handling systems.

• OpEx: Operating expense planning, cost optimization, and performance management, including utilities, maintenance, and vendor contracts.

• Business Case: Development of financial models, ROI analyses, and investment approval packages for network, automation, and capacity initiatives.

• Partner with the SVP, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and HR to forecast capacity and space needs driven by volume growth, seasonality, and service levels.

• Establish planning standards, utilization metrics, and decision frameworks tailored to cold chain environments.

• Oversee external partners including developers, brokers, engineers, refrigeration vendors, and consultants.

• Ensure compliance with food safety, environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements.

• Lead and develop a high-performing team with a focus on operational rigor and continuous improvement.

• Other duties as assigned by manager.

SUPERVISION:

• Directly manage three Business Process Owners.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal Relationships: Partners closely with the SVP, Facilities & Real Estate, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, Safety/Quality, HR, IT, Procurement, and Legal to align facilities and real estate strategy with cold chain operational, financial, regulatory, and workforce requirements.

• External Relationships: Leads and manages relationships with developers, brokers, landlords, architects, engineers, refrigeration and automation vendors, consultants, and regulatory agencies to support portfolio strategy, capital projects, and compliant cold chain operations.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Remote: This role is fully remote, and the associate is expected to perform assigned responsibilities from a home-based environment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 8 years of experience in facilities, real estate, and/or network strategy within cold storage, food distribution, manufacturing, and/or logistics environments.

• 3 years of people management experience.

• Proven experience managing capital-intensive, regulated facilities and large-scale investment portfolios.

• Strong financial acumen, executive communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.

EDUCATION

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Management or related field, or equivalent work experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in cold chain, food distribution, refrigerated/frozen warehousing, or temperature-controlled logistics.

• Knowledge of refrigeration systems, automation, and material handling equipment used in cold storage environments.

• Familiarity with food safety, regulatory, and compliance requirements (e.g., FDA, USDA, FSMA, OSHA, environmental regulations).

• Proven experience managing capital-intensive facilities, including new builds, expansions, and major retrofits.

• Strong background in financial modeling, ROI analysis, and investment governance for large CapEx and OpEx portfolios.

• Experience partnering with operations, supply chain, and engineering teams in high-throughput distribution environments.

• Exposure to sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives, particularly in refrigeration-heavy facilities.

• Experience leading teams through process standardization, continuous improvement, and change management.

• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, growth-oriented, and regulated operating environment.

This role will also receive an annual incentive plan bonus and long-term incentive.​

​Benefits for this role may include health insurance, pre-tax spending accounts, retirement benefits, paid time off, short-term and long-term disability, employee stock purchase plan, and life insurance. To review available benefits, please click here: https://www.usfoods.com/careers/benefits.html.