Process Engineer
Ventura Foods · Opelousas, LA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Process
- Base pay
- $78k–$100k
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Industry
- Food & beverage
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level process role at Ventura Foods (food & beverage) in Opelousas, LA. Improve/ optimum batching process in order to maintain high quality and productivity for mayonnaise, dressings, sauces, and margarine/spreads products.
- They ask for
- degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Root cause
- Base pay
- $78k–$100k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Process Engineer roles in the US: typical posted base $93k–$132k. This one lists $78k–$100k.
Median of the low and high ends of 302 live postings that list pay, out of 827 process engineer openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Louisiana plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 826 other live process postings in the US.
- Base pay
- About 21% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $93k–$131k, from 298 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 45%
- Lean 33%
- Six Sigma 27%
- Tooling 23%
- New product launch 22%
- SPC 22%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Process team at Ventura Foods
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from Ventura FoodsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Position Summary
The Process Engineer is responsible for providing technical support to production , QA department, R&D, and maintenance departments. The primary focus of this role is to evaluate existing batching processes and process parameters to improve sustainability and develop best practices within the production process.
Responsibilities
- ◆Improve/ optimum batching process in order to maintain high quality and productivity for mayonnaise, dressings, sauces, and margarine/spreads products. Provide data integrity, processing instructions, and ESE auto batching process via collaboration with R&D and mixers.
- ◆Improve/ optimum process parameters in order to maintain high quality and productivity for margarine/ spreads products. Support margarine process team by providing applicable process parameters. Review parameters data provided by operators to determine compliance or need to revise to optimum process parameters.
- ◆Support process variations as they relate to formula adjustments to satisfy customer requirements. Work closely with R&D, lab supervisor, and production forman/mixers to evaluate and solve formulas issues.
- ◆Support product/process change activities through management of change. Maintenance manufacturing formulas, process instructions, process parameters, and analytical data.
- ◆Maintain multi-level batch sheets for approximately 600 unique formulas.
- ◆Support production and inventory control team in ingredients with high variance related to formulas adjustments. Investigate variance by collecting and analyzing data. Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) to to resolve the problems.
- ◆Support special projects for engineering/maintenance, production, and QA departments.
- ◆Responsible for following all Food Safety policies, procedures and regulatory criterion including the current SQF code, Good Manufacturing Practices, and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and associated Preventive Controls.
Education and Experience
- ✓Bachelors degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering with demonstrated ability in mathematics and science or equivalent experience.
- ✓Minimum one year experience in a related filed.
requirements
of the position for which you are applying.
Typical shifts are 8-12 hours per day. Additional unscheduled time after hours and on weekends may also be required. Employees must be willing and able to wear personal protective equipment as required by Company policy and/or legal requirements. In addition, certain jobs may require employees to:
- ✓Work outside and/or in adverse temperatures which could include extreme heat, cold, and humidity;
- ✓Be exposed to vibrations, chemicals used in operations, fumes and food allergens (may include soy, dairy and other allergens); and
- ✓Be required to work in confined and dark spaces, and at heights in excess of 18 feet.
Our Culture
Our Culture reflects our commitment to treating every employee with respect and creating an environment where people can do their best work. We rely on a variety of strengths, backgrounds, and experiences across our teams to help us innovate, grow, and deliver for our customers. By fostering a workplace that is supportive, collaborative, and grounded in integrity, we continue to attract strong talent and meet the high expectations of a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Employment Type: Salaried
Shift
Work Arrangement: Onsite
Knowledge and Skills
- •Requires thorough knowledge of mayonnaise, dressings, sauces, margarine/spreads process, and oils.
- •Strong leadership skills.
- •Ability to write operating procedures and manage process improvement projects.
- •Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, AS400 is required.
- •Knowledge of Power Point and Auto Cad is recommended
Why Join Us
Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses. We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves. When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.
Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:
- •Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
- •Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)
- •Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
- •Employee Appreciation Events and Employee Assistance Programs
- •Salary Base Range of $77,720.00 - $99,967.35*
- •The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.
Physical Demands
All jobs require sufficient physical strength and dexterity to perform the required task(s) and typically also require at a minimum: intermittent sitting, standing, walking, climbing, squatting, kneeling, pushing, and pulling. Occasional lifting and/or moving up to 50 pounds or more with assistance may also be required. Please see the job description for specific requirements.
Work Environment
Please see the job description for specific