Project Engineer
Green Bay, WI
Port City Bakery, Inc. is a national leader in the food industry, built on a foundation of innovation, quality, and commitment to excellence. Since our start in 1989 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, we’ve evolved from a small retail bakery into a multi-facility operation specializing in frozen doughs, self-rising and par-baked pizza crusts, and now topped pizzas through our Pep’s Pizza Co., Bellarico, and Luige’s brands. With state-of-the-art production facilities in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and support from our in-house equipment engineers, we continue to grow and diversify. Today, with over 600 employees, we remain proud of our roots and excited for the future—one we build every day through the dedication and talent of our team.
Why Join Port City Bakery:
- Opportunity to lead projects across six manufacturing facilities
- Design equipment that is built and implemented in-house
- Drive automation and operational improvements
- Work directly with company leadership
- Significant capital project exposure
- Growing organization with multiple brands and facilities.
Position Summary:
Port City Bakery Inc is seeking an experienced and strategic Project Engineer to assist with all aspects of engineering, maintenance, and technical services across our multi-facility food manufacturing operations across multiple states. This role works with a diverse team including engineers, technicians and programmers, along with production, safety, quality and continuous improvement staff supporting 12 production lines across six facilities. The ideal candidate will drive operational excellence, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and ensure high levels of reliability, safety, and compliance within a fast-paced, SQF and USDA-certified environment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Work with a team of 60+ across engineering, maintenance, and technical functions, including Engineers, Programmers, Technicians, and Maintenance Supervisors to design, procure and implement technologies to improve our production processes.
- Assist with maintenance and reliability for 12 production lines across six facilities, including a dedicated machine shop for equipment design, build, and modification.
- Collaborate closely with production and support departments to achieve targets related to equipment uptime, waste reduction, and operational efficiency.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives and implement best practices across all sites to enhance reliability and performance.
- Help to effectively manage, and control annual maintenance and capital budgets exceeding $7 million, ensuring cost-effective allocation of resources.
- Ensure compliance with all food safety and regulatory requirements, including SQF, USDA and BISSC (Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committee) standards.
- Design Conveyors, Material Handling Equipment, Presses, and other production equipment per sanitary and bakery standards of design
- Manage facilities projects ranging from Roof Work, HVAC, Building Expansions and Construction, Refrigeration, Facility Electrical, Sanitation/Waste disposal and Safety
- Implement Automation Projects for production processes. Projects may be designed in house or procured from suppliers. Manage project complete from design, procurement into implementation and long term production support.
- Work with controls engineering to integrate both mechanical and controls portions for automation and process control projects including Servo Drives, VFD, Sensors, Linear Motors, Vision Systems, Weigh checkers, Metal detectors, HMI, etc.
- Research and Mange suppliers providing equipment and automation services.
- Manage project budgets, purchase agreements, purchase orders and invoices working with accounting and operations management
- Responsible for Plant layout, Process Flow, Machinery Rigging, Material Handling
- Repair and rebuilding of used equipment and controls systems
- Travel required up to 20% of your time. Infrequent major projects can require full week travel. Vendor Visits, Support all facilities, Customer Visits, Trade shows, Education, Construction Projects
Qualifications:
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering is required.
- Prefer 5 years demonstrated experience in food manufacturing within SQF and USDA-regulated facilities. Will consider candidates with strong engineering and project management skills to train in our industry requirements.
- Strong understanding of mechanical design and process engineering used in food production environments.
- Ability to design and implement automation systems
- Ability to research and present all relative solutions.
- Strong leadership, project management, and communication skills. The ability to bring together vendors and suppliers to team with in-house resources to complete a project from start to finish.
- Proficiency with 2D AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor 3D design software.
- Knowledgeable in Design for Manufacturing and Manufacturing Engineering methodologies.
- Working knowledge of PLC programming and troubleshooting.
- Must have strong project management skills
- Interest in learning new technologies and skills and the ability to learn and adapt quickly.
- Strong people skills with the ability to work across all levels of the organization to research, plan and implement projects.
Working Conditions:
- Standard workweek: Monday–Friday, approximately 8–9 hours per day.
- Occasional extended hours or weekends may be required to meet deadlines.
This job description is intended to outline the general nature and key responsibilities of this position. It is not an exhaustive or complete list of all duties. A&K Crust/Pep’s Pizza Co. reserves the right to modify, add, or remove responsibilities at management’s discretion as business needs evolve.
Why AK Crust?
We’re a growing company committed to innovation, teamwork, and operational excellence. As a Redzone Administrator, you’ll be at the heart of our digital transformation—empowering teams, improving processes, and driving results.
Ready to join the team?
Apply today and help us build a smarter, more connected production environment.
Language skills: Requires the ability to understand and follow instructions and to communicate effectively one-on-one and in small groups. Teamwork and a positive attitude are essential in keeping with our culture of cooperation and respect.
Safety: Employees must comply with company Safe Practices. Slip-resistant footwear is required. the company provides a voucher for the purchase of safety shoes.
General: Employees will be expected to work to achieve company goals and to comply fully with all policies and procedures. Good attendance is required.
Zero Tolerance Drug Free, Alcohol Free Workplace. Applicants must be drug-free and able to pass a pre-employment drug test upon conditional job offer.
