Startup Manager

Job Summary

The Startup Manager position works in unison with a Capital Project Manager and Client Plant Operations to provide project leadership, expertise, and direction toward the successful delivery of capital food & beverage projects from asset implementation through final Plant acceptance and hand off. This includes the successful delivery of Operational throughput and production efficiencies and ensuring appropriate knowledge transfer to ensure long term value for the operating assets being placed into service.

You will be responsible for managing multi-discipline project teams emphasizing work with the client operations team to ensure completed product/service is delivered on time and within budget. You will be client facing; a professional, self-motivated, and energetic individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Your responsibilities will include:

Startup Supervisory Responsibilities

This role does have supervisory responsibilities from an influence or indirect position. A startup team consists of client operations team members, vendor support team members, and potentially direct supervision of Dennis Group’s Technical Engineering that are supporting the project. The Startup Manager will need to ensure startup team members complete tasks in time. The role reports project and team progress to Dennis Group’s Project Manager and the client’s Plant Operations. This would also involve assigning, reviewing, and monitoring team members’ work, and providing guidance to complete tasks, and be available to help manage deadline conflicts as needed.

Responsibilities

• Execute, integrate, and align assigned project startups by utilizing workflows and execution of project plan work with R&D, Operations, Quality, Safety, and Supply Chain organizations. Acquire, track, and manage resources through all start up preparation work to ensure that all projects are completed and properly integrated to meet project and business needs.
• During Construction, the Startup Manager will manage resources to deliver on the startup preparatory work including training, supply chain process and material development, maintenance, and quality program development. During the Startup, the Startup Manager will be the single point of command and will be responsible for all management and coordination activities through to meeting all agreed upon success criteria, including the startup curve and the ultimate hand off to the facility’s leadership.
• Responsible to ensure that all planning, deliverables, reporting, and spending forecasts related to start up are managed accurately and that all projects are delivered within cost, schedule, and performance consistent with the startup success criteria and curve.
• Supports and promotes the integration of the internal Project Management team across functions following established best practices, including the integration of tools from the Continuous Improvement organization.
• Support the development of an optimal project definition through the integration of the plant and start up team with the project design and execution team targeting an optimal long term and cost-effective solution developed around the 4 tenants of safe, operable, reliable, and capable.
• Ensure optimization around man (staffing/skills/training), materials, methods, and machines. The startup manager will assure that all work associated with the project to develop and prepare in these areas is done before required (startup) and that these areas are effectively coordinated and that all related processes are verified as capable prior to the final closure of the project.
• Development of project scope (engaging operations for alignment), startup budget (both expense and capital) and startup curve schedule
  
  

Required Education, Skills, And Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in engineering, but will consider business or other degrees with the right work experience.
• 5+ years of related capital Project Engineering and/or Operations (Food & Beverage Plant) experience dealing with capital installations is expected.
• Ideally, this position would have a demonstrated background in Operations and Engineering leadership and would have demonstrated successful experience as the leader or member of one or multiple start up teams launching new technologies and or products within a food production facility.
• The candidate must possess strong leadership, organizational and communication skills along with diplomacy skills that will promote good relations with all facets of management and other diverse disciplines in the effective execution of projects to accomplish the business goals.
• Proven knowledge of the different food plant departments and the work involved previous to and during Startup (Safety Quality, Training, Supply Chain, and Maintenance).
• Demonstrated success delivering numerous projects on time, meeting performance requirements and on budget, with high team satisfaction.
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD, MS Excel, MS Project, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience and working knowledge of TPM principles, or equivalent, is desired, however, not required.
• Attention to detail, accuracy, and deadlines.
• Bonus points for experience in process, packaging or facilities engineering within the Food & Beverage industry.
• MBA, Professional Engineering License or PMP certification
• Spanish or Portuguese language skills
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• While onsite at client’s manufacture location, standing and walking the jobsite over rough terrain can be expected.
• Must be able to lift-up to 25 pounds at times.
• Travel to client and equipment manufacturer locations will be required for this position. Candidates should expect overnight travel not less than 75% to 100% of the year.
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• While onsite at client’s manufacture location, standing and walking the jobsite over rough terrain can be expected.
• Must be able to lift-up to 25 pounds at times.
• Travel to client and equipment manufacturer locations will be required for this position. Candidates should expect overnight travel not less than 75% to 100% of the year.
  
  

Travel Requirements

• Travel to client and equipment manufacturer locations will be required for this position. Candidates should expect overnight travel not less than 75% to 100% of the year.
  
  

About Us

We plan, design, engineer, and build food plants for major brands across the country and the world. For the past three decades, we’ve focused exclusively on the food and beverage industry, helping your favorite brands put your favorite foods in the grocery store. Simply put, food isn’t one thing we do, it’s all we do.

Dennis Group offers competitive compensation packages commensurate with experience. We provide comprehensive employee benefits including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid time off including an open vacation policy, as well as bonus, profit-sharing, and retirement plans.

Dennis Group is proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.