Associate Maintenance Manager

Overview

Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Lactalis Heritage Dairy

This position is part of Lactalis USA, a world leader in dairy. The role supports maintenance and production teams to ensure safe, reliable equipment and efficient operations.

$/yr - $/yr

• Annual Bonus

• The Associate Maintenance Manager will be responsible for the safe maintenance, repair or replacement of plant equipment and systems to ensure maximum production quantity and quality, while supporting company policies, goals, and objectives.
• Partner with the Maintenance Manager to manage the plant maintenance program based on best practices, with emphasis on planning and scheduling preventive and predictive maintenance to improve equipment reliability and reduce downtime.
• Manage maintenance employees on assigned shifts to ensure effective delivery of maintenance services and support production; plan, assign, and direct work; address product and employee issues; resolve problems.
• Carry out managerial responsibilities in accordance with Company policies, OSHA regulations and applicable laws.
• Enforce a safety culture that ensures a safe working environment beyond regulatory compliance.
• Maintain facility and assets to meet regulatory guidelines (USDA, FDA, OSHA, EPA) and develop cost-effective preventive maintenance procedures.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve safety, production quality, equipment reliability, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Coordinate line maintenance changeovers to meet production schedule and customer requirements.
• Maintain all technical documentation on PLCs, instrumentation, and equipment (drawings, manuals, SOPs, PMs, inventory/parts purchasing).
• Mentor and develop maintenance team members; coordinate with HR on employee relations issues.
• Communicate with operations and quality teams to coordinate maintenance and repair work in process areas.
• Support site leadership to manage expenses related to labor, materials, and maintenance to acceptable levels.
• Drive efficiency improvements by engaging maintenance team members and analyzing maintenance schedules and key metrics.
• Manage production downtime reports, identify opportunities, and create action plans to increase efficiencies.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or related technical field preferred.
• 5+ years industrial maintenance experience in Dairy, Food, and/or Beverage industry or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong safety background; knowledge of 6S, LOTO, RCA, reliability.
• Working knowledge of boilers, refrigeration, PLCs, electrical systems, cooling towers, ammonia compressors and packaging equipment.
• Ability to follow sanitation and quality policies and report deficiencies.
• Ability to lead, coach, influence, motivate, develop, engage, and retain a team.
• Understanding of cost containment and budgetary principles; experience with predictive and preventive maintenance.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills; ability to interpret and present technical information.
• Solid understanding of GMPs and food safety.
• Experience maintaining budgets and working with vendors.
• Ability to work across multiple functions and disciplines; strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize and manage projects in a changing, complex environment; willingness to work flexible hours, including weekends and on-call.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs, contribute to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We provide training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability.

Location:

Tulare, CA (and surrounding areas)