Maintenance & Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Operations and Maintenance Manager
Oak Lawn, IL (On-site)
Compensation: $125,000 to $150,000 plus bonus
Path to Plant Manager within 1 year

About the Role
This is not a desk job, and it is not a corporate role. A fast-growing, mission-driven food processing facility is looking for a hands-on Operations and Maintenance Manager who wants to be part of something being built from the ground up. The facility is about three years old, actively expanding and doubling its capacity, and has plans to scale to multiple operations. The person hired into this role will be instrumental in that journey, shifting the plant from reactive to preventive maintenance, building out a world-class maintenance program, and stepping into the Plant Manager role within a year.
If you are the kind of leader who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment, wants to leave a real mark on an operation, and cares about doing work that matters for the environment and the community, this is worth a serious conversation.

About the Company
The operation sits on a 9-acre campus with a 30,000 square foot facility and is currently in the middle of a major capacity expansion. The culture is fast-moving, improvement-oriented, and open to lean thinking, 5S, kaizen, and anyone who wants to make things better. The organization is mission focused on sustainability, job creation, and healthy communities.

Responsibilities

• Own all plant maintenance and production operations and shift the facility from reactive to preventive maintenance
• Oversee and manage daily production operations ensuring the facility runs efficiently, safely, and on schedule
• Plan and coordinate operational workflows across receiving, processing, and output to maximize throughput and minimize downtime
• Develop and track operational KPIs, identify gaps, and drive corrective actions to keep performance on target
• Partner with ownership to build operational processes, standard work procedures, and documentation as the facility grows and scales
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across both operations and maintenance with a lean and kaizen mindset
• Support capacity expansion planning and help build the operational infrastructure needed to take the company to multiple facilities
• Build out, setup, organize and manage the preventive maintenance program using MaintX CMMS
• Lead, schedule, and develop a team of mechanics, electricians, and contractors while staying hands-on on the floor
• Drive root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime and increase throughput
• Enforce LOTO, confined space, hot work, NFPA 70E, OSHA 1910, and all site safety requirements

Requirements

• BS/BA is preferred or an equivalent of 10+ years in a related manufacturing environment
• 7+ years of hands-on industrial operations and maintenance experience in manufacturing, chemical processing, food and beverage, or a similar environment
• Proven experience managing day-to-day plant or production operations in a food manufacturing or related industrial environment
• Ability to plan, schedule, and coordinate production workflows across multiple departments or functions
• Experience developing and tracking operational KPIs and using data to drive decisions and improve performance
• Comfortable building processes, standard operating procedures, and documentation from scratch in a fast-moving environment
• Experience supporting or leading capacity expansion, capital projects, or facility growth initiatives is a strong plus
• Experience building or managing a preventive maintenance program through a CMMS platform
• Proven people leadership with the ability to hire, coach, and hold a team accountable
• Comfortable in a physical, hands-on, industrial environment with odors, heat, and dirty processing environments
• OSHA compliance and LOTO experience required

This is a role for someone who leads from the floor, builds things that last, and wants to grow into a plant leadership role at a company that is just getting started on a much bigger story. If that describes you, apply now and let's talk.

#ZR Company Description

The team at JSK Recruiting, Inc. prides itself on providing boutique-level services combined with the resources of a larger recruiting firm. We forgo the traditional nine-to-five workday model in favor of complete accessibility. We are here for our clients and candidates when they need us most.

With 12 years of experience in the field of supply chain and manufacturing recruiting, we maintain the relationships that employers are looking for in a recruiting firm as well as those that talented professionals need when they are ready to make a career change.

At JSK Recruiting, we provide complete recruiting services, from sourcing candidates to organizing the interview process. Finding both long-term employees and rewarding careers across manufacturing and supply chain positions has never been easier.

Company Description

The team at JSK Recruiting, Inc. prides itself on providing boutique-level services combined with the resources of a larger recruiting firm. We forgo the traditional nine-to-five workday model in favor of complete accessibility. We are here for our clients and candidates when they need us most.\r\n\r\nWith 12 years of experience in the field of supply chain and manufacturing recruiting, we maintain the relationships that employers are looking for in a recruiting firm as well as those that talented professionals need when they are ready to make a career change.\r\n\r\nAt JSK Recruiting, we provide complete recruiting services, from sourcing candidates to organizing the interview process. Finding both long-term employees and rewarding careers across manufacturing and supply chain positions has never been easier.