Summary

The Equipment & Reliability Engineer is responsible for improving equipment performance, reducing unplanned downtime, and ensuring the long-term health of production assets across the coffee brewing and extraction facility. This role combines technical expertise, data-driven problem solving, and hands-on equipment optimization to support safe, efficient, and reliable brewing, extraction, CIP, and packaging operations.

Responsibilities

Reliability & Asset Strategy:

• Develop and implement reliability strategies for brewing, extraction, CIP, utilities, and packaging systems (extraction vessels, pumps, heat exchangers, boilers, air compressors, etc.)

• Build and optimize PM/PdM programs rooted in RCM principles

• Define equipment criticality, failure modes, and long-term asset replacement plans

Equipment Performance & Troubleshooting:

• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective action plans for recurring breakdowns, yield losses, or process instability

• Provide technical support to maintenance and operations teams during equipment failures or process upsets

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimize OEE, throughput, yield, and product consistency

• Work with site supervision and leadership to develop/refine SOPs, job aids and work instructions for operators and hourly employees

Project & Continuous Improvement:

• Support or lead engineering projects tied to new equipment installations, automation, system upgrades, piping changes, or capacity expansions

• Analyze and report on historical performance data to identify improvement opportunities in cycle time, extraction efficiency, energy use, and utility cost

• Partner with production supervisors, roasters, brewing operators, and QC to refine brewing/extraction parameters for reliability and consistency

Documentation & Compliance:

• Maintain and update equipment documentation, spare parts lists, PM procedures, and engineering standards

• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and food safety regulations (OSHA, FDA, CGMP, SQF, etc.)

• Develop training materials for technicians and operators on proper equipment use and care

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, R&D, and Safety teams on equipment trials, commissioning, and optimization

• Participate in daily production/maintenance huddles to prioritize issues and align downtime mitigation

Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field; or equivalent experience

• 3–7 years' experience in reliability, equipment engineering, or maintenance engineering roles within beverage, food production, brewing, or CPG manufacturing

• General understanding of pumps, valves, sanitary process piping, PLC-controlled systems, heat transfer, steam systems, and fluid mechanics

• Experience with reliability tools: FMEA, RCA, RCM, Pareto, 5-Why, PDCA

• Proficiency in reading P&IDs, mechanical drawings, and equipment manuals

• Data analysis capability (Excel, CMMS data, SCADA trends, OEE metrics)

Preferred

• Experience in brewing/extraction systems (cold brew, hot extraction, or similar)

• Knowledge of CIP systems and sanitary design principles

• Experience with CMMS platforms (Upkeep, e Maint, SAP, etc.)

• Certification(s): CMRP, CRL, Six Sigma, or similar

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move around production floor, climb stairs/ladders, and work in industrial environments

• Ability to lift 30–50 lbs occasionally

• Work may involve heat, noise, and working near pressurized systems or high-temperature processes

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