Heartland Food Products Group is a global leader in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, producing low-calorie sweeteners, coffee, coffee creamers and liquid water enhancers. We manufacture and market Splenda, the #1 brand in the low calorie sweetener category and the most recognized in the world.
We make coffee, tea and water taste better and help people live happier, healthier and longer lives by making it easy to reduce sugar.
We are looking for December 2026 graduates to start full-time January 2027!
Scope:
The Production Engineer is a key developmental position focused on building a hands-on technical understanding of equipment operation, process control, and Heartland ways of working. Responsible for equipment operation and basic maintenance to drive improvement in equipment reliability and overall Production Cell performance. Will be involved in all trouble-shooting, problem solving, and improvement projects in the Production Cell. Acts as a leader and partners closely with Operations Teammates, Quality and Engineering to help with a range of activities designed to achieve uncompromising levels of safety, quality and cleanliness.
Essential Duties and Key Responsibilities:
- Operate the Production Cell with an ownership mentality focused on improving performance, reducing waste, and improving quality.
- Drive the day to day operations of the Production Cell.
- Provide feedback on the training/certification program of manufacturing personnel.
- Participate in troubleshooting and solving problems with existing equipment/processes/products.
- Improve, modify and upgrade processes to reduce costs and enhance quality to meet customer satisfaction. Identify methods to reduce variation in the processes.
- Make recommendations and implement improvements in product quality.
- Ensure a safe working environment by following safety rules and ensuring the safety culture.
- Conducts food safety and defense self-inspections and acts on deficiencies.
- Develop a strong technical understanding of mechanical equipment used in a manufacturing environment (drives, motors, sensors, pumps, valves, etc.).
- Assist with equipment maintenance and repair services and make sure that manufacturer’s procedures and instructions are followed in order to keep production equipment operating at OEM specifications.
- Assist in development and improvement of Standard Operating Procedures for all processes.
- Understand process and process equipment specifications, processing methods and procedures that are critical to Production Cell performance.
- Maintain effective communication with all persons involved with or affected by assigned responsibilities.
- Provide technical expertise and support related to manufacturing.
- All other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- BS in Engineering required; Mechanical or Chemical Engineer preferred
- Will consider students prior to graduation.
- Experience managing people and projects preferred.
- Experience in a food grade environment (FDA, GMP’s, HACCP) with high speed packaging equipment preferred.
- Experience working with equipment installation and automation is a plus
- Detail oriented
- Ability to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment
- Strong ability to coach, lead and direct engineering and maintenance staff
- Solid computer skills; Microsoft Office and CAD programs
Physical Demands:
- Must be able to physically perform the functions of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions
- Must be able to work standing for long periods of time.
- Must be able to work daily overtime and an occasional weekend
- Must possess visual acuity to document company records
- Lifting up to 40 pounds
#IND1
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering
- Mechanical or Chemical Engineering background
- December 2026 graduation or ability to graduate before the January 2027 start date
- Experience managing people and projects
- Experience in a food-grade environment involving FDA, GMP, or HACCP standards and high-speed packaging equipment
- Experience with equipment installation and automation
- Detail-oriented approach
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Ability to coach, lead, and direct engineering and maintenance staff
- Solid computer skills, including Microsoft Office and CAD programs
- Ability to perform physical tasks including climbing, kneeling, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, and lifting up to 40 pounds
- Ability to work daily overtime and occasional weekends
What We Do
Heartland Food Products Group is a global leader in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, producing low-calorie sweeteners, coffee, coffee creamers and liquid water enhancers. Simply put, we make coffee, tea and water taste better. Our portfolio includes a variety of branded, licensed and private label products within multiple categories. We also provide strategic co-manufactured partnerships with many category leaders. On the branded side of the business, we manufacture and market SPLENDA®, the #1 brand in the low-calorie sweetener (LCS) category and the most recognizable in the world. And we’re leading the charge in the quickly emerging cold brew coffee category with JAVA HOUSE® Authentic Cold Brew Coffee, our 100% authentic cold brew handcrafted in small batches. In addition, we are the leading provider of private label sweeteners and liquid water enhancers in the U.S. Our products are distributed throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. We employ over 1,200 people worldwide.
