Director of Maintenance

Director of Maintenance

Terre Haute, IN

$130,000 - $150,000

Nter Talent is supporting a leading manufacturing organisation in the search for an experienced Director of Maintenance to lead and develop its maintenance and reliability function.

This is a key leadership position responsible for developing, implementing, and executing corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance strategies to maximise equipment reliability, operational performance, and facility uptime. The successful candidate will play a critical role in driving a proactive, reliability-focused culture centred on safety, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

As a member of the site leadership team, you will work closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Safety leaders to support plant performance, business objectives, and long-term growth initiatives.

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on leader with a proven track record of building high-performing maintenance teams within a fast-paced, highly automated manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute site-wide corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance strategies to improve equipment reliability, uptime, and operational performance.

• Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Safety teams to achieve business and operational objectives.

• Foster and sustain a proactive maintenance culture focused on reliability, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing maintenance organisation, including direct management of maintenance leadership personnel.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), equipment reliability, cost reduction, and operational efficiency.

• Champion Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), root cause analysis, and predictive maintenance best practices.

• Oversee maintenance planning, scheduling, CMMS administration, spare parts management, and contractor performance.

• Lead equipment failure investigations and implement sustainable corrective actions to minimise downtime and improve reliability.

• Manage maintenance budgets, capital expenditure projects, equipment upgrades, and facility improvement programmes.

• Ensure all maintenance activities are conducted safely and in compliance with company policies, food safety standards, and regulatory requirements.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a maintenance organisation comprising maintenance management, supervisory personnel, and technical teams.

• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, succession planning, performance management, and employee development initiatives.

• Promote a culture of engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement across the maintenance function.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline.

• Minimum of 7 years' maintenance leadership experience within a highly automated manufacturing environment.

• Food manufacturing, pet food, FMCG, or similar process manufacturing experience is advantageous.

• Strong experience managing corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance programmes.

• Demonstrated success implementing Lean Manufacturing, TPM, reliability-centred maintenance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Strong technical knowledge of automated manufacturing systems, including PLCs, controls, hydraulics, pneumatics, and industrial equipment.

• Experience with CMMS platforms, maintenance planning systems, and reliability-focused maintenance methodologies.

• Excellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional stakeholder management skills.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

• Experience using AutoCAD and/or SolidWorks is desirable.

• SAP experience is preferred.

If you are an experienced maintenance leader with a passion for operational excellence, reliability, and team development, Nter Talent would welcome the opportunity to discuss this exciting leadership position with you.