Processing Maintenance Manager

Processing Maintenance Manager

The processing maintenance manager oversees all maintenance activities within a dairy processing facility, ensuring equipment reliability, regulatory compliance, and continuous production uptime. The role combines hands-on technical work with strategic planning, team leadership, and cross-department collaboration to support safe, efficient, and high-quality dairy manufacturing. The individual will possess a strong technical background and proven history to lead a talented group of mechanics, ICTs, planners, and parts procurement.

Responsibilities include:

• Leading preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance for dairy processing equipment such as pasteurizers, separators, homogenizers, CIP systems, pneumatic equipment, and PMO valves.
• Developing and maintaining a comprehensive preventive maintenance (PM) program to reduce downtime and extend asset life.
• Troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic issues to restore production quickly.
• Ensuring all maintenance activities comply with FDA, USDA, OSHA, PMO, and food-safety regulations.
• Maintaining documentation for audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews.
• Supervising, training, and developing maintenance technicians across multiple shifts.
• Creating staffing schedules, assigning work orders, and managing contractor activities.
• Managing maintenance budgets, spare parts inventory, and vendor relationships.
• Using CMMS systems to track work orders, equipment history, and KPIs.
• Leading reliability initiatives such as root-cause analysis, equipment upgrades, and process optimization.
• Collaborating with production, quality, and engineering teams to support operational goals.
• Demonstrated success establishing and applying TPM and reliability-based principles to create both short-term and long-term value.

Skills/qualifications required include:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or relevant experience required.
• 5+ years of maintenance experience in food, beverage, or dairy processing environments.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing maintenance teams.
• Strong knowledge of dairy processing equipment and sanitary design principles.
• Experience with CMMS systems and maintenance planning.
• Proficiency in mechanical, electrical, and controls troubleshooting.
• Understanding of PMO, HACCP, GMPs, and food-safety requirements.

Food safety requirements include:

• Notifying supervision of any repairs or adjustments required that may affect product quality or food safety.
• Understanding, observing, and complying with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas.
• Performing all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer, and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company.
• Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system.
• Identifying and recording any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system.
• Controlling further processing or delivery of nonconforming product in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
• In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required.

Position location: Goodyear, AZ

Reports to: Sr. Processing Manager

Travel requirements: < 10%

Exempt/nonexempt: Exempt

Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Base pay range: $110,000 - $120,000 USD

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email View email address on click.appcast.io.