Guided Search Partners (GSP)
Guided Search Partners is an Executive Search firm built on Trust, Transparency, Specialization, and Long-term Relationships.
We connect high-performing professionals with organizations that value people, performance, and growth, helping leaders find roles where they can make an impact and build meaningful careers.

About the Opportunity
We’re supporting a search for a Process Engineer (Dryer) with a pet food manufacturing operation in South Carolina. This role will focus on spray drying, process controls, equipment optimization, training, and improving technical knowledge across the operation. The ideal candidate will bring a strong process engineering background and be able to assess current dryer performance, identify knowledge gaps, and help strengthen process capability across the plant.

What You’ll Do
You’ll support process performance, spray drying operations, process controls, training, and continuous improvement across the plant.

Key areas of focus include:

• Assess current spray drying and process performance
• Identify operational knowledge gaps and help close them through training
• Support and improve process controls
• Evaluate and optimize dryer performance
• Support liquid thermal dynamics and related process equipment
• Improve process equipment performance and overall optimization
• Implement and support Manufacturing Execution Systems
• Support AX system implementation
• Train operators and experienced plant personnel on process knowledge
• Work tactically with Operations to improve day-to-day process execution
• Communicate technical information clearly across different experience levels
• Support continuous process improvement across the facility
• Travel minimally as needed

Who You Are
You are a process-oriented engineer who can combine technical knowledge with practical plant-floor execution.

You are comfortable assessing dryer and process performance, listening to operators, taking direction, and translating technical information into training that helps employees improve how they run the process.

Preferred Experience & Attributes
• Strong Process Engineering background
• 3–5 years of process controls experience
• Spray drying / dryer experience strongly preferred
• Experience assessing and optimizing process equipment
• Liquid thermal dynamics experience
• Experience implementing or supporting MES systems
• AX system experience relevant
• Food manufacturing experience strongly preferred
• RTE food, pet food, bakery, or dairy experience relevant
• Plastics or packaging backgrounds may be considered
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, but not required
• Strong training and communication skills
• Ability to work with employees across varying levels of experience
• Bilingual capability in French, Spanish, or another language is a plus

Why This Role Matters
The goal of this position is to strengthen process capability, improve dryer performance, and raise the technical knowledge of the operations team. The plant is looking for someone who can understand the current state, identify gaps, and help build stronger process discipline through technical expertise and training.