Director of Maintenance

One of our client is currently seeking a Director of Maintenance for their facility located just outside of Plant City FL. Theyare seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Maintenance to lead all maintenance, engineering, and reliability functions within a highly automated, high-volume distribution center. This leader will be responsible for maximizing equipment uptime, driving reliability improvements, and ensuring the safe and efficient operation of advanced material handling systems, including automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), conveyors, sortation systems, robotics, controls, and facility infrastructure. The Director of Maintenance will oversee maintenance strategy, capital projects, vendor relationships, team development, and continuous improvement initiatives while fostering a culture of safety, accountability, and operational excellence. This role requires a hands-on leader who can balance strategic planning with day-to-day execution in a 24/7 operation supporting critical customer service and distribution goals. Key ResponsibilitiesMaintenance & Reliability Leadership Develop and execute a comprehensive maintenance and reliability strategy for a large-scale automated distribution center. Ensure maximum equipment availability and minimize downtime through effective preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance programs. Lead maintenance operations across all automation systems, material handling equipment, building systems, and facility infrastructure. Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) including uptime, mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), maintenance costs, and technician productivity. Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions to improve system performance and reliability. Automation & Engineering Oversee maintenance of automated material handling systems, robotics, conveyors, sortation equipment, PLC-controlled systems, and warehouse control systems. Partner with operations and engineering teams to optimize system throughput and performance. Lead equipment upgrades, automation enhancements, and technology implementation projects. Ensure compliance with all manufacturer recommendations and maintenance standards. Leadership & Talent Development Lead, coach, and develop a team of maintenance managers, supervisors, planners, engineers, and technicians. Build a high-performance culture focused on safety, accountability, reliability, and continuous improvement. Develop workforce planning strategies to support current and future operational needs. Establish training programs to enhance technical capabilities and leadership development. Financial & Capital Management Develop and manage annual maintenance operating and capital budgets. Identify opportunities to reduce costs while improving equipment reliability and performance. Lead capital planning, facility improvements, equipment replacements, and expansion projects. Manage contractor, vendor, and service provider relationships to ensure performance and value. Safety & Compliance Champion a world-class safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, and corporate safety standards. Ensure safe maintenance practices including lockout/tagout, electrical safety, machine guarding, and contractor management. Support facility audits and drive corrective actions as needed. Maintain compliance with all regulatory requirements and company policies. QualificationsRequired Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, Maintenance Management, or a related field. 10+ years of progressive maintenance leadership experience in a distribution, manufacturing, logistics, or automated warehouse environment. 5+ years of leadership experience managing managers and large technical teams. Strong experience supporting highly automated material handling systems and distribution center operations. Proven track record of improving equipment reliability, uptime, and maintenance performance. Experience managing multimillion-dollar maintenance budgets and capital projects. Strong knowledge of PLCs, controls systems, electrical systems, mechanical systems, and reliability best practices. Excellent leadership, communication, project management, and problem-solving skills. Preferred Experience in retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), food and beverage, e-commerce, or third-party logistics operations. Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) certification. Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, or similar continuous improvement certification. Experience with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). Experience leading maintenance operations in facilities exceeding 500,000 square feet. #J-18808-Ljbffr