---
title: 'Director, Civil and Building Engineering at fairlife'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-civil-and-building-engineering-fairlife-chicago-illinois-jrrex87aswmr'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Director, Civil and Building Engineering at fairlife

- **Company:** fairlife
- **Location:** Chicago Illinois, United States / Coopersville Michigan, United States / Goodyear Arizona, United States / Webster New York, United States
- **Compensation:** $175k–$200k
- **Posted:** 2026-06-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/fairlife/jobs/5159148007

## Job description

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit [fairlife.com](http://www.fairlife.com).

job purpose:

The Civil, Building, and Wastewater Engineering Director serves as the primary executive lead in delivering these workstreams for large-scale greenfield and brownfield dairy beverage projects typically exceeding $250M. This leader is accountable for delivering these workstreams across the entire lifecycle of the project within scope, budget, schedule and safely.

Responsibility includes facilitating collaboration between Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain and Technical stakeholders. Accountabilities include leading a project management team for feasibility assessments, design, permitting, procurement, construction and commissioning.

responsibilities:

- Front-End Engineering, Detailed Design & Strategic Procurement
- Integrated Project Definition: Lead the progression from Site Plan and Conceptual Design through to Detailed Design, ensuring facility layouts optimize logistics, personnel flow, and long-term expansion capability.
- Technical Design Leadership: Direct the engineering of all civil, architectural and structural, and wastewater workstreams. Ensure detailed design packages are fully integrated with MEP systems and meet dairy-specific GMP standards.  Ensure designs are compliant with all plan and environmental approvals.
- Strategic Procurement: Own the procurement strategy, including the selection and contract negotiation of Architectural & Engineering (A&E) firms, sourcing of long-lead specialized equipment and General Contractor Selection
- Value Engineering: Continuously review designs to ensure technical scope aligns with the budget without compromising functionality, sanitary integrity or safety.
- Interdisciplinary Interface & Workstream Coordination
- Cross-Functional Integration: Serve as a bridge between Building/Civil workstreams and the Processing, Utility, and Packaging workstreams
- Utility Interface Management: Coordinate precise tie-in points for process and packaging building services (Drains and Selected MEP Trades).  Ensure structural penetrations, structural supports and floor loadings support production requirements.
- Equipment Integration: Lead spatial coordination for equipment arrivals ensuring 'Path of Construction' and 'Rigging Access' are maintained.
- Conflict Resolution: Act as an authority to resolve physical or sequence-of-work conflicts between the General Contractor and equipment OEMs / other contractors onsite
- Construction Execution, GMP Standards & Commissioning
- Construction Leadership: Manage the General Contractor (GC), serving as the ultimate authority for on-site safety, quality control, and adherence to the project schedule, budget and management of any change orders and risks.
- GMP Compliance & Finishing: Accountable for the selection and execution of sanitary finishes to ensure compliance with regulatory bodies and internal standards
- Commissioning & Handover: Lead the commissioning of all trades within the workstream with a specific focus on MEP trades and wastewater systems
- Ensure correct and detailed as built drawings and documentation is turned over to operations and engineering stakeholders
- External Stakeholder & Utility Management
- Public Affairs & Permitting: Serve as the primary liaison with City/Town officials and local authorities to navigate zoning, permitting, and regulatory approvals.  Ensure a positive and collaborative relationship is maintained between the business and these stakeholders.
- Utility Infrastructure Coordination: Manage relationships with external utility providers to ensure that power, water, and gas infrastructure is built and energized to support the $250M+ expansion timeline

skills/qualifications required:

- Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical, Civil or Structural Engineering
- 15+ Years of experience delivering capital projects with a focus on civil, building and utilities in large scale food and beverage plants
- Strong knowledge of building services and systems
- Effective cost management, forecasting, and budget experience.
- Strong engineering project life cycle understanding
- In depth experience with systems and processes to manage scope, budget and schedule
- Strong leadership skills with growth mindset.  Ability to lead cross functional teams and influence others.
- Effective collaborative skills and ability to work with a diverse team of resources.
- Ability to clearly communicate verbally and written within the organization and externally.
- Proficiency in English: Comfortable with both written and verbal communication, including reading and writing.

working conditions and physical requirements:

- Office and Construction Site working conditions

food safety requirements:

- Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety.
- Understand, observe, and comply with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas.
- Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company.
- Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system.
- Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system.
- Control further processing or delivery of nonconforming product in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
- In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required.

how fairlife nourishes you:

At fairlife, we believe in better — and that includes how we support our people. We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits and wellbeing resources designed to support you physically, emotionally, socially, and financially, both in and out of work.

- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, effective day one!
- Supplemental health plans (hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance)
- Paid Time Off to recharge and support work-life balance
- Paid parental leave & adoption assistance (up to $10,000)
- Parental support & family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support
- 401(k) to support retirement planning with up to 9% in employer match
- Wellness reimbursement (up to $500 for qualified wellbeing expenses)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for emotional wellbeing and work-life support
- Company-paid life insurance and short-term disability
- Employer HSA funding (for HDHP participants)
- Tuition reimbursement (up to $10,000) and student loan repayment ($200/month)
- Learning & development programs to unlock your full potential
- Rewards & recognition, matching gifts, free product, and Business Resource Groups

fairlife’s nour!sh program is designed to meet you where you are — supporting your individual wellbeing journey while enabling you to do your best work every day.

position location: Webster, NY (Onsite), Coopersville, MI (Onsite), Phoenix, AZ (Onsite) or Chicago, IL (Onsite)

reports to: VP Engineering, Large Capital Projects

travel requirements: 30%

exempt/nonexempt: Exempt

## #LI-BB1

*Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Base pay range: $175,000—$200,000 USD

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email careers@fairlife.com.

For Recruitment Agencies

At fairlife, we manage the majority of our hiring internally through our dedicated Talent Acquisition team, which is actively engaged in direct candidate sourcing. Most of our roles are filled through applications submitted via our careers site or through direct outreach by our team.

As our recruitment is primarily handled in-house, we work only occasionally with external agencies, and only those on our existing, pre-approved vendor list. At this time, we are not reviewing or expanding that list.

Unsolicited resumes or submissions from external agencies not authorized by our Talent Acquisition team will be considered direct candidate applications. As such, fairlife will not assume responsibility for any placement fees associated with these submissions.

## About fairlife

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: fairlife produces ultra-filtered, lactose-free dairy products including milk and protein shakes, using a patented cold-filtration process to deliver higher protein and calcium with less sugar.
- **Entity Type**: Private – wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company (acquired full ownership in 2020)
- **Headquarters**: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Mike McCloskey and Sue McCloskey

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Food & Beverage – dairy and functional nutrition
- **Target customers**: B2C – health-conscious consumers, athletes, families seeking high-protein/lactose-free options; also sold through retail (grocery, convenience) and direct-to-consumer via e‑commerce
- **Mission / Purpose**: “Nourish the world with great tasting, nutrition-rich products” while caring for people, animals and the planet [fairlife.com/culture](https://fairlife.com/culture/)

## Products & Services
- **fairlife Ultra-Filtered Milk**: Lactose-free, shelf-stable milk available in whole, 2% and fat-free varieties with 50% more protein and 50% less sugar than regular milk. (Consumer packaged good)
- **Core Power / Core Power Elite**: High-protein (26g–42g) recovery shakes aimed at athletes and active individuals. (Consumer packaged good)
- **fairlife Nutrition Plan**: High-protein, low-sugar shakes designed for weight management or meal replacement. (Consumer packaged good)
- **YUP!**: Chocolate milk and other flavored dairy beverages (primarily for kids). (Consumer packaged good)
- **DHA Omega-3 Ultra-Filtered Milk**: Milk fortified with DHA omega-3 fatty acids. (Consumer packaged good)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Revenue**: Not publicly disclosed as a standalone entity; fairlife is reported to have surpassed **$1 billion in annual retail sales** (industry estimates) but exact figures are not confirmed by the company.
- **Key Metric**: As a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, fairlife’s financials are consolidated; the brand is one of the fastest-growing in the U.S. dairy category.
- **Notable Investors / Owner**: The Coca-Cola Company (sole owner since 2020)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Expanding manufacturing footprint with facilities in **Coopersville, MI; Goodyear, AZ; Webster, NY** and a headquarters in **Chicago, IL**.
  - Active hiring across engineering, supply chain, quality, and operations (52+ open positions as of July 2026) [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/fairlife)
  - Continuous product line extensions (protein shakes, DHA milk) and increased shelf placement in national retailers.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Patented Ultrafiltration Technology**: Produces milk with higher protein, calcium, and creaminess while removing lactose – a process that extends shelf life up to 50 days (unopened, refrigerated).
- **Brand Trust & Distribution**: Backed by The Coca-Cola Company’s global distribution network and marketing muscle.
- **Differentiation**: Stands out in the dairy aisle by offering “better-for-you” attributes (lactose-free, lower sugar, higher protein) without sacrificing taste.
- **Sustainability Focus**: Commitment to animal welfare and environmental stewardship (e.g., partnerships with dairy farmers, goal of net-zero emissions by 2050).

## Strategic Focus
- **Capacity Expansion**: Investing in new production plants (e.g., Goodyear, AZ facility) to meet growing demand and reduce supply chain risk.
- **Product Innovation**: Developing new functional dairy beverages (e.g., high-protein coffee, plant-based blends) and expanding the Core Power line.
- **Digital & Direct-to-Consumer**: Growing e‑commerce presence and subscription models for protein shakes.
- **Sustainability**: Reducing carbon footprint across the value chain, including regenerative agriculture practices and packaging improvements.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: fairlife describes a “uniquely entrepreneurial spirit” within a larger corporate structure, emphasizing collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to making a positive impact [fairlife.com/culture](https://fairlife.com/culture/).
- **Benefits & Wellbeing**: “Nourish” program offers resources for physical, mental, and financial health; benefits include competitive compensation, health coverage, 401(k) match, and paid time off.
- **Work Environment**: Hybrid model likely for corporate roles (Chicago HQ); manufacturing roles are on-site at various plant locations. The careers page highlights engineering, R&D, supply chain, safety, and operations teams.
- **Growth Opportunities**: Rapidly growing company with a flat-ish structure; employees can move between functions (e.g., from quality to engineering). Many roles open in automation, project management, and data analytics.
- **Notable Perks**: Free product samples, employee discounts, and a strong focus on internal promotions (most hiring done directly by the Talent Acquisition team).

## Sources
1. [fairlife.com – Homepage](https://fairlife.com)  
2. [fairlife.com – Culture & Mission](https://fairlife.com/culture/)  
3. [fairlife.com – Careers Overview](https://fairlife.com/careers/)  
4. [fairlife.com – Career Opportunities (Job Listings)](https://fairlife.com/career-opportunities/)  
5. [Greenhouse Job Board – fairlife Open Positions](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/fairlife)

## Other roles at fairlife

- [Project Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/project-engineering-intern-summer-2027-fairlife-goodyear-arizona-8cy727mhnmrm) — Goodyear Arizona, United States
- [Engineering Utilities Intern (Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-utilities-intern-summer-2027-fairlife-goodyear-arizona-5hp9zn2xm33f) — Goodyear Arizona, United States
- [Continuous Improvement Intern (Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/continuous-improvement-intern-summer-2027-fairlife-coopersville-michigan-nxbpvspg64y1) — Coopersville Michigan, United States
- [Project Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/project-engineering-intern-summer-2027-fairlife-coopersville-michigan-6k9f65sje12y) — Coopersville Michigan, United States
- [Maintenance Technician - Utilities (12 Hour Nights – Rotating Weekends)](https://feeny.ai/job/maintenance-technician-utilities-12-hour-nights-rotating-weekends-fairlife-sk51e233c9cd) — Goodyear Arizona, United States
- [Milk Receiver](https://feeny.ai/job/milk-receiver-fairlife-dexter-new-mexico-pktnn260e1wr) — Dexter New Mexico, United States
- [Sr. Director, Capital Governance & Internal Controls](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-director-capital-governance-internal-controls-fairlife-chicago-illinois-29z57j53bp47) — Chicago Illinois, United States
- [AI Automation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-automation-engineer-fairlife-chicago-illinois-vssez45edbj1) — Chicago Illinois, United States
- [Training Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/training-specialist-fairlife-webster-new-york-d4pbzjt5wyx5) — Webster New York, United States
- [Training Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/training-manager-fairlife-webster-new-york-6x9fy6qn2kd9) — Webster New York, United States