Senior Maintenance Manager

Senior Maintenance Manager

Santa Fe Springs, California, United States

Compensation

$140,000-$150,000 base salary

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Maintenance Manager to lead maintenance and reliability operations at a dairy manufacturing facility in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who understands the demands of a high-volume dairy manufacturing environment and knows that effective maintenance leadership goes beyond fixing equipment. You will lead the maintenance team, drive preventive and predictive maintenance, improve equipment reliability, and work closely with Production, Quality, Engineering, and Plant Leadership to keep the operation running safely and efficiently.

The ideal candidate will bring direct dairy manufacturing experience along with a strong track record of leading maintenance teams in a production environment.

Team & Scope

• Function: Maintenance and Reliability
• Facility: Dairy manufacturing and processing operation
• Environment: High-volume manufacturing with production equipment, utilities, and plant infrastructure
• Leadership Scope: Responsible for leading, developing, and holding the maintenance team accountable for plant reliability and uptime
• Cross-Functional Support: Production, Quality, Engineering, Operations, and Plant Leadership

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the maintenance organization, including coaching, performance management, training, and skill development
• Own preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs to maximize equipment uptime and reliability
• Plan and prioritize maintenance activities around production schedules and planned downtime
• Troubleshoot and resolve mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, refrigeration, and other equipment issues
• Monitor equipment performance, identify recurring failures, and drive root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Partner closely with Production and Operations to minimize unplanned downtime and improve overall plant efficiency
• Manage maintenance projects, equipment upgrades, installations, repairs, and capital improvements
• Manage maintenance spending, parts inventory, outside contractors, and vendor relationships
• Utilize the plant CMMS to manage work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, equipment history, and maintenance performance
• Develop and maintain maintenance procedures and standards to improve consistency and reliability
• Ensure maintenance activities comply with GMP, food safety, environmental, and plant safety requirements
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, productivity, safety, and cost reduction
• Support emergency breakdowns and provide leadership during critical equipment failures
• Build a proactive maintenance culture focused on preventing failures rather than simply reacting to them

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Direct dairy manufacturing experience is required
• 7+ years of maintenance leadership experience in a manufacturing environment
• Previous experience as a Senior Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance & Reliability Manager, Engineering/Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Superintendent, or similar leadership role
• Proven experience leading, coaching, and developing maintenance technicians and other maintenance personnel
• Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting experience
• Experience with preventive and predictive maintenance programs
• Experience using a CMMS to manage maintenance activities and equipment history
• Experience working with production equipment in a high-volume dairy processing or manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of industrial utilities, refrigeration, compressed air, steam, and other plant infrastructure is a plus
• Understanding of GMP, food safety, and industrial safety requirements
• Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving skills
• Experience managing maintenance budgets, contractors, vendors, spare parts, and projects
• Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills
• Ability to work on-site in Santa Fe Springs, CA

The Right Fit

This opportunity is ideal for a dairy maintenance leader who combines strong technical knowledge with proven people leadership.

You should be comfortable leading a maintenance organization, driving accountability, improving preventive maintenance, identifying the root causes of equipment failures, and partnering closely with Production and Engineering to keep a dairy manufacturing operation running reliably.

The strongest fit will be someone who has spent meaningful time in a dairy processing, milk bottling, yogurt, cheese, creamery, or other dairy manufacturing environment and understands the pace, equipment, food safety requirements, and reliability demands of the industry.