Vice President of Reliability and Optimization
Darling Ingredients
Listing collected from Darling Ingredients's career site. NextChapter is independent of Darling Ingredients.
Cold Spring, KY · Posted November 11, 2026
Just laid off? Start here: a plan for the first weeks
Want recruiters in Agriculture & Food Production to be able to find you?
Roles at this level, like this one at Darling Ingredients, are often filled through recruiters.
See every open role at Darling Ingredients
More in Kentucky job market · Agriculture & Food Production
More roles at Darling Ingredients
- Director of Scientific Services · Irving, TX
- Regional Sales Manager
- Senior Customer Service Specialist · Irving, TX
- Nature Safe Regional Sales Manager · Omaha, NE
- Regional Sales Manager · Irving, TX
- Vice President of Engineering and Construction · Cold Spring, KY
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
The Vice President of Reliability, And Process Optimization is an executive leadership role responsible for directing enterprise-wide strategies that maximize asset uptime, operational efficiency, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). This role bridges executive strategy and site-level execution, driving a proactive culture of engineering reliability, continuous process optimization, and total asset lifecycle management. Working closely with Senior Operations Leaders, the VP will oversee cross-functional programs across multi-site industrial and manufacturing operations, integrating digital technologies to transform traditional operations into modern, data-driven, and highly resilient operational environments.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities
Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Develop and execute a multi-year enterprise reliability operating model designed to minimize unplanned downtime, optimize maintenance spend, and extend asset useful life.
Transition multi-site operations from reactive/breakdown maintenance to proactive, predictive (PdM), and condition-based monitoring strategies.
Establish standardized Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Bad Actor elimination programs across all facilities.
Standardize work planning, scheduling, spare parts inventory control (MRO management), and contractor execution frameworks.
Identify operational bottlenecks, continuous process inefficiencies, and yield losses to optimize throughput and lower unit manufacturing costs.
Establish and mandate enterprise-wide standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operational governance frameworks while preserving necessary regional adaptability.
Drive organizational change initiatives, fostering operator ownership (Autonomous Maintenance) and cross-level operational discipline.
Partner closely with Engineering, Operations Management, and Finance to guide Capital Expenditure (CapEx) planning,
Build enterprise dashboards and real-time analytics for tracking asset performance, failure rates, cost variance, and operational efficiency metrics.
Collaborate with IT/OT leadership to ensure seamless integration across enterprise platforms (ERP, CMMS, SCADA, MES).
Build, mentor, and direct a high-performing centralized team of Reliability Engineers, Operational Excellence specialists, and Asset Managers.
Help establish and manage annual OpEx and CapEx budgets for reliability and operational transformation programs; deliver measurable ROI through cost reduction and capacity release.
Ensure all reliability, maintenance, and asset management programs strictly adhere to Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) requirements and regulatory standards.
Expert knowledge of Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), FMEA, RCFA, vibration analysis, thermography, and lubrication management.
Outstanding communication skills with a demonstrated ability to influence at all levels—from shop-floor operators to executive leadership and board members.
Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Industrial, or related field) or Business Administration / Operations Management.
15+ Years of Progressive Operational Leadership: Proven track record in asset-intensive industries (e.g., manufacturing, heavy industry, energy, chemical processing, pharmaceuticals, or logistics).
7+ Years in Executive/Senior Leadership: Substantial experience leading multi-site or global reliability, asset management, and continuous process improvement organizations.
Preferred Qualifications
Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Science in Engineering Management.
Working Conditions and Physical Demands
Position is based in an office environment.
Occasional travel to off-site locations is required.
Occasionally exposed to high noise levels, strong odors, varying temperatures, and biohazardous conditions.
Requires prolonged sitting and movement throughout office/work locations, as well as occasional use of computers and equipment.
Must occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and climb or balance.
Must be able to communicate effectively and identify potential workplace hazards.
Requires the ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 lbs.
We’re one of the world’s leading practitioners of circularity, transforming materials from the animal agriculture and food industries into valuable ingredients. Ingredients that nourish people, feed animals and crops, and fuel the world with renewable energy.