Director of Maintenance

Director of Maintenance – Bakery Manufacturing

Role Summary

The Director of Maintenance is responsible for providing strategic and hands-on leadership for all maintenance, reliability, and automation operations within the bakery facility. This role ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of production equipment, utilities, and automated systems supporting 24/7 manufacturing.

Success is demonstrated through measurable improvements in equipment reliability, repair efficiency, cost control, and safety. This role also develops and implements structured training programs to strengthen technician skills in troubleshooting, automation, controls, and reliability best practices. The Director of Maintenance leads preventive and predictive maintenance programs, manages breakdown response, oversees maintenance systems and inventory, and supports capital projects, construction, and equipment installations.

This position requires strong technical expertise, disciplined leadership, and a proactive reliability mindset.

Key Priorities

· Drive equipment reliability and up time across all production and utility systems.

· Establish a world-class preventive and predictive maintenance culture.

· Lead maintenance teams with a strong focus on safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

· Support long-term automation and plant growth strategies.

· Ensure compliance with food safety, electrical safety, and machine safety standards.

Primary Responsibilities

Maintenance & Reliability Leadership

· Plan, manage, and continuously improve the preventive maintenance program to maximize equipment reliability and minimize downtime.

· Direct and coordinate all corrective maintenance activities across production and facility systems.

· Establish and lead structured root cause analysis (RCA) processes to eliminate repeat failures.

· Develop, track, and analyze maintenance KPIs related to downtime, MTTR, MTBF, and PM effectiveness.

Technical & Equipment Oversight

· Provide technical leadership for bakery production equipment.

· Ensure proper operation, maintenance, and reliability of compressed air, steam, water, and other critical utilities.

· Oversee maintenance and performance of robotic systems and automated production lines, including pick-and-place robots, automated packaging, and material handling systems.

· Develop and coordinate preventive and predictive maintenance strategies for the entire facility, reducing unplanned downtime and extending equipment life.

· Coordinate preventive and predictive maintenance programs for all equipment.

Projects & Capital Execution

· Plan and manage construction-related maintenance projects, facility upgrades, and equipment installations.

· Coordinate with engineering, contractors, and vendors to ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, and within budget.

· Support commissioning, start-up, and validation of new equipment and production lines.

People Leadership & Development

· Lead, mentor, and develop maintenance leadership and technician teams.

· Lead training and skill development initiatives for maintenance technicians across all production and facility equipment systems.

· Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous learning within the maintenance organization.

· Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering and Quality Teams.

Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and/or Mechanical Engineering.

· Minimum 10–15 years of maintenance experience in food manufacturing (preferred), pharmaceutical, or industrial manufacturing environments.

· Minimum 5–7 years in a maintenance leadership or management role.

· Strong technical knowledge of bakery or food manufacturing equipment and utilities.

· Proven track record of implementing and improving maintenance and reliability practices.

· Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to lead teams in fast-paced, 24/7 manufacturing environments.

· Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

· High work ethic, flexibility, and ability to multitask effectively.