Maintenance & Engineering Manager

Maintenance & Engineering Manager

The Maintenance & Engineering Manager leads maintenance, reliability and engineering activities across manufacturing operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant plant performance. This role directs preventative and corrective maintenance, automation and electrical systems, equipment upgrades and continuous improvement programs to maximize uptime, reduce costs and support production targets in a food/manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the maintenance and engineering team, including electricians, mechanics, automation technicians and contractors; recruit, train and develop personnel.
• Plan, implement and oversee preventative, predictive and corrective maintenance programs to maximize equipment reliability and availability.
• Manage day-to-day troubleshooting and repair of PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, industrial controls, pneumatics, hydraulics, automation and electrical systems.
• Coordinate engineering projects for equipment upgrades, line changes and capital improvements from specification through commissioning and handover.
• Integrate and support MES and ERP systems with production and maintenance processes, driving data-driven maintenance strategies and accurate equipment records.
• Develop and monitor maintenance budgets, spare parts inventory, contractor scope and vendor relationships to optimize cost and service levels.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, GMP, quality and regulatory standards, and lead safety and lockout/tagout programs in the plant.
• Implement reliability-centered maintenance, root cause analysis, TPM and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime and improve OEE.
• Collaborate with production, quality and supply chain teams to prioritize maintenance activities while minimizing production impact.
• Prepare and present maintenance performance metrics, improvement plans and project status reports to senior management.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Engineering, Industrial Maintenance or a related technical field, or equivalent experience; technical certifications desirable.
• 5+ years of progressive maintenance and engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least 3 years in a supervisory or management role; food industry experience preferred.
• Strong hands-on experience with electrical systems, industrial automation, PLC programming/troubleshooting, HMI and SCADA platforms.
• Proven experience with pneumatic and hydraulic systems, industrial equipment maintenance and mechanical troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of MES and ERP system integration with maintenance processes, and experience leveraging data for preventive and predictive maintenance.
• Demonstrated success leading capital projects, equipment upgrades and commissioning in a production setting.
• Excellent knowledge of maintenance methodologies (TPM, RCM), root cause analysis, CMMS systems and spare parts management.
• Solid understanding of safety standards, food GMPs, regulatory compliance and effective lockout/tagout programs.