Process Engineer
Lovingly Made Ingredients Ltd. – Calgary, Alberta
About Lovingly Made
Lovingly Made is a rapidly growing Canadian manufacturer of sustainable, plant-based protein ingredients. We specialize in textured plant proteins, protein concentrates, and innovative food ingredients used in meat alternatives, snacks, pet food, cereals, and functional foods. Our mission is to create high-quality ingredients that help our customers build better products while supporting a more sustainable food system.
Position Summary
The Process Engineer will play a critical role in optimizing extrusion, drying, coating, milling, and packaging operations at our Calgary facility. This individual will bridge the gap between R&D, operations, maintenance, and quality to ensure products are launched successfully, processes are efficient, and equipment performs reliably.
The successful candidate will be responsible for process design, continuous improvement, scale-up of new products, troubleshooting production challenges, and leading capital improvement projects in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
Key Responsibilities
Process Optimization
- Identify opportunities to improve throughput, yields, product quality, and operational efficiency.
- Analyze production data and develop process improvements to reduce waste and downtime.
- Optimize extrusion, drying, conveying, milling, coating, and packaging operations.
- Establish and maintain process control parameters and operating standards.
Product Commercialization
- Support scale-up of new products from pilot trials to commercial manufacturing.
- Partner with R&D and Product Development teams to transition new formulations into production.
- Conduct plant trials and validate processing parameters.
- Develop and document manufacturing specifications and processing instructions.
Equipment & Capital Projects
- Lead equipment upgrades and process improvement projects.
- Support installation, commissioning, and startup of new equipment.
- Collaborate with engineering and maintenance teams on equipment modifications and reliability improvements.
- Participate in facility expansion and automation initiatives.
Continuous Improvement
- Lead Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
- Conduct root cause analysis for process deviations and customer complaints.
- Develop corrective and preventative actions (CAPA).
- Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and manufacturing KPIs.
Food Safety & Quality
- Ensure all processes meet BRCGS, HACCP, and customer requirements.
- Support validation and verification activities.
- Assist with internal and external audits.
- Promote a strong food safety and quality culture throughout the facility.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Food Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
Experience
- 3–10 years of experience in food manufacturing or process engineering.
- Experience with extrusion processing is highly preferred.
- Experience with plant proteins, cereals, snacks, pet food, or ingredient manufacturing is considered an asset.
- Experience commissioning manufacturing equipment and leading improvement projects.
Technical Skills
- Process troubleshooting and optimization.
- Statistical process control and data analysis.
- Process equipment design and commissioning.
- Strong understanding of food safety systems and GMPs.
- Knowledge of automation, PLC systems, and process controls is an asset.
What Success Looks Like
- Increased production throughput and capacity.
- Improved product consistency and quality.
- Reduced waste and manufacturing costs.
- Successful commercialization of new products.
- Improved equipment reliability and uptime.
- Strong collaboration between Operations, Quality, Maintenance, and R&D.
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
