Maintenance Manager; Assistance

Richmond, IN

Onsite, Permanent/Direct Hire, Full Benefits, Relocation Assistance Available, $100,000 - $125,000

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient, and compliant operation of all equipment, utilities, and facilities within a long-established bakery plant. Operating in a legacy facility, this role demands a hands-on, resourceful leader who thrives on solving complex mechanical problems, sourcing hard-to-find parts, and keeping production running without the luxury of modern, plug-and-play systems.

The Maintenance Manager leads a team of technicians and works closely with production, quality, and safety departments to maximize uptime, control costs, and maintain full food safety compliance.

• Oversee preventive, corrective, and condition-based maintenance programs for bakery equipment, including older-generation mixers, dividers, rounders, proofers, deck and reel ovens, chain conveyors, slicers, wrappers, and refrigeration systems.
• Manage legacy building infrastructure including HVAC, low-pressure steam systems, older electrical distribution panels, compressed air networks, and water/wastewater systems.
• Develop creative repair and fabrication solutions when OEM parts are discontinued or unavailable; coordinate custom machining or fabrication as needed.
• Ensure all facilities, equipment, and utilities meet food-grade standards and GMP requirements.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for equipment failures, focusing on chronic or recurring issues common in high-hour machinery.

• Direct supervision of the Maintenance team (electrical, mechanical, and multi-craft).
• Recruit, hire, schedule, and develop maintenance technicians with practical, hands-on trade skills.
• Provide mentorship and technical training, emphasizing hands-on troubleshooting and mechanical aptitude over reliance on automated diagnostics.
• Conduct performance reviews, coaching sessions, and disciplinary actions as needed.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ingenuity, and safety.

• Maintain a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for work orders, asset history, and spare parts inventory, including cataloging legacy assets.
• Develop and manage a robust spare parts program for obsolete or hard-to-source components.
• Create and execute annual maintenance and capital improvement plans prioritizing life-extension strategies for aging assets.
• Identify equipment nearing end-of-life and build the business case for capital replacement or major rebuilds.
• Coordinate planned shutdowns and major overhauls with minimal production disruption.

• Ensure compliance with FDA, OSHA, EPA, and local regulatory requirements, including those specific to older building construction and electrical codes.
• Support SQF or other food safety certification audits; develop corrective action plans to address facility and equipment findings.
• Enforce Lock Out / Tag Out (LOTO), confined space entry, and all applicable safety programs.

• Develop and manage the annual maintenance department budget, balancing reactive repair costs with strategic investments in aging asset reliability.
• Identify, evaluate, and manage outside contractors and specialty repair vendors for equipment requiring niche expertise.
• Source spare parts through alternative suppliers, rebuilders, and aftermarket channels when OEM sources are exhausted.
• Identify and implement practical cost-saving and energy efficiency improvements.

• Education & Experience:
  
  Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a related field (or substantial equivalent experience in a trades or industrial maintenance role).
• Industry
  
  Experience:
  
  Minimum 5 years of maintenance experience in food manufacturing or another regulated industrial environment, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or management role.
• Technical Proficiency:
  Proven ability to troubleshoot and repair older, non-PLC-controlled electromechanical systems; comfort working with relay logic, analog controls, and mechanical governors.
• Hands-on
  
  Skills:
  
  Strong mechanical skills including welding, fabrication, and machining fundamentals; ability to reverse-engineer worn or obsolete components.
• Sourcing Capability:
  Experience sourcing obsolete or discontinued…