Unilever Jobs in Ripley, TN (NOW HIRING)

Location: Covington, TN

Terms & Conditions: Full-Time, Onsite

International sponsorship or local/ international relocation not supported

Role Purpose

The Project Engineer will play a critical role in advancing capital delivery and manufacturing transformation at The Magnum Ice Cream Company's Covington site. This position leads the end-to-end execution of complex capital projects across safety, quality, capacity, infrastructure, automation, controls, digital manufacturing, and equipment modernization. The role is expected to provide strong technical leadership across the project lifecycle-from concept development and business case creation through design, construction, commissioning, start-up, and handover-while helping the site build a more reliable, efficient, and future-ready operation. This role reports to the Site Engineering Lead.

Key Responsibilities

Lead a portfolio of capital and transformation projects that improve safety, quality, throughput, reliability, cost performance, and operational resilience at the Covington facility.

Drive project execution from feasibility through commissioning, including scope development, cost estimation, schedule management, contractor coordination, risk mitigation, and performance tracking.

Partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Safety, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance, R&D, and site leadership to translate business needs into practical, scalable engineering solutions.

Lead the development and implementation of automation, controls, and digital manufacturing solutions, including line modernization, controls upgrades, process optimization, and data-enabled performance improvement.

Support the identification, evaluation, and deployment of advanced technologies such as robotics, automated material handling, smart instrumentation, and connected systems where they create measurable business value.

Work with internal engineering resources and external partners to develop concept, FEED, and detailed design packages that reflect site constraints, compliance requirements, operability, maintainability, and long-term asset performance.

Oversee construction, installation, commissioning, and vertical start-up activities to ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the required performance standards.

Champion engineering governance, technical standards, and continuous improvement while helping shape the site's longer-term capital and automation roadmap.

What We're Looking For

You are a technical leader and change agent: This role requires strong engineering judgment, structured project leadership, and the ability to influence across a broad stakeholder group in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. You will be expected to independently assess options, build business cases, challenge designs, and lead execution decisions that improve safety, performance, and long-term asset capability. As a senior member of the Covington engineering organization, you will help drive modernization efforts across systems, equipment, and ways of working.

You connect engineering and operations: You build strong working relationships across plant operations, maintenance, continuous improvement, technical teams, and frontline employees to ensure solutions are practical, sustainable, and embedded successfully.

You help shape the future factory: You bring forward new ideas, technologies, and execution approaches that improve installed cost, reliability, flexibility, and performance. Whether

through controls modernization, robotics, automation, or broader capital transformation, you help move the Covington site toward smarter and more connected manufacturing capabilities.

Key Interfaces: Site Engineering; Manufacturing; Maintenance; Continuous Improvement; Safety; Quality; Supply Chain; Procurement; R&D; digital and controls specialists; internal subject matter experts; OEMs; system integrators; contractors; and third-party engineering partners.

Skills & Experience

Essential:

Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Automation, Controls, or a related engineering discipline.

Experience: 7+ years of engineering experience in food manufacturing, consumer products, FMCG, or a similarly complex industrial environment.

Demonstrated experience leading capital projects in manufacturing environments, including scope definition, budget management, contractor oversight, commissioning, and handover.

Practical experience with automation, controls, process systems, utilities, packaging systems, or digital manufacturing technologies.

Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence, align stakeholders, and communicate effectively from the factory floor to site leadership.

Desired:

Experience delivering medium- to large-scale capital projects in a high-volume manufacturing environment.

Experience with controls upgrades, PLC/HMI-related projects, robotics, automated material handling, machine integration, or smart factory initiatives.

Experience leading cross-functional teams through design, installation, start-up, and operational stabilization.

Experience working in an environment with strong food safety, quality, compliance, and performance expectations