Maintenance Manager

Description:

Summary/Objective
The Maintenance Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient, and compliant operation of all equipment, utilities, and facilities within our 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.

Essential Functions
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Equipment & Facility Maintenance

• 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 much of which may no longer have OEM support
• Manage legacy building infrastructure including HVAC, low-pressure steam systems, older electrical distribution panels, compressed air networks, and water and 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, with particular focus on chronic or recurring issues common in high-hour machinery

Team Leadership

• Recruit, hire, schedule, and develop a team of maintenance technicians (electrical, mechanical, and multi-craft) 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

Planning & Reliability

• 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 that prioritize 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

Regulatory & Food Safety Compliance

• Ensure all maintenance activities comply 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 that address facility and equipment findings
• Enforce Lock Out / Tag Out (LOTO), confined space entry, and all applicable safety programs

Budget & Vendor Management

• Develop and manage the annual maintenance department budget, balancing reactive repair costs with strategic investment in aging asset reliability
• Identify, evaluate, and manage outside contractors and specialty repair vendors for equipment types that require 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

Supervisory Responsibility
Direct supervision of the Maintenance team.

Required Education and 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
• 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
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and repair older, non-PLC-controlled electromechanical systems; comfort working with relay logic, analog controls, and mechanical governors
• Strong hands-on mechanical skills including welding, fabrication, and machining fundamentals; ability to reverse-engineer worn or obsolete components
• Experience sourcing obsolete or discontinued parts through aftermarket, rebuild, or custom fabrication channels
• Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, LOTO, and OSHA 29 CFR 1910 standards
• Proficiency with CMMS platforms (e.g., SAP PM, Fiix, Maintenance Connection)
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience maintaining equipment in facilities built prior to 1980, including familiarity with older electrical codes and building systems
• Experience in high-volume snack or baked goods production
• Trade certifications in electrical, welding, pipefitting, or related disciplines
• Demonstrated experience with steam systems, older refrigeration equipment, and legacy conveyor or drive systems
• Familiarity with Lean or TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) principles adapted for legacy environments
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus

Physical & Environmental Requirements

• Ability to work in a production environment with varying temperatures (hot ovens, walk-in coolers/freezers), noise, flour dust.
• Capable of lifting up to 50 lbs, climbing ladders, working in confined or elevated spaces, and standing or walking for extended periods
• Must be available for on-call response to equipment emergencies, including nights and weekends

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