Maintenance Manager

Company Description Fernlea Flowers Ltd. is an owner-operated North American grower and supplier of high-quality garden and potted plants. The company provides a wide range of bedding plants alongside innovative branded product lines such as Rio Dipladenias, Harvesthyme Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers, Awesome Accents, and Icicle Pansies. Fernlea Flowers also offers key products including Boston Fern hangers, Blooming Tropicals, and the popular Red Star Spikes. Applicants can expect to join a business focused on quality, innovation, and a diverse product portfolio within the horticulture industry.

Role Description The Maintenance Manager is a full-time, on-site role based in Stuart, FL, responsible for overseeing the maintenance operations across the facility. This role includes supervising maintenance staff, planning and coordinating preventive maintenance schedules, and ensuring equipment and systems are kept in optimal working condition. The Maintenance Manager will diagnose mechanical and electrical issues, coordinate repairs, and manage vendor relationships for parts and services. Daily tasks also involve maintaining safety standards, keeping accurate maintenance records, optimizing downtime, and collaborating with operations leadership to support production and greenhouse activities.

Key Responsibilities

1. Maintenance Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, supervise, and develop the maintenance team.

• Establish clear priorities, responsibilities, and performance expectations.

• Train mechanics on troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, equipment operation, and safety procedures.

• Build technical capabilities within the team and reduce dependency on outside support.

• Coordinate maintenance activities with Production and Operations to minimize disruption to production.

2. Equipment Reliability & Troubleshooting

• Take ownership of the reliability and uptime of production equipment, farm equipment, irrigation and pumping systems, and facility infrastructure.

• Diagnose and resolve electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic problems.

• Troubleshoot motors, pumps, sensors, VFDs, controls, conveyors, production lines, and other automated equipment.

• Work directly with mechanics during complex breakdowns and critical equipment failures.

• Identify recurring failures and implement permanent corrective actions rather than relying on repeated temporary repairs.

3. Preventive Maintenance

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs.

• Establish PM schedules based on equipment criticality, manufacturer recommendations, operating conditions, and maintenance history.

• Ensure preventive maintenance is completed on schedule and properly documented.

• Track equipment downtime, recurring failures, repair history, and PM completion.

• Use a CMMS or equivalent maintenance tracking system to manage maintenance activities and equipment history.

4. Spare Parts & Maintenance Inventory

• Establish and maintain an appropriate inventory of critical spare parts.

• Identify long-lead and high-risk components for critical equipment.

• Maintain appropriate minimum/maximum inventory levels while controlling unnecessary inventory.

• Coordinate with Purchasing, vendors, and equipment manufacturers to ensure parts availability.

5. New Equipment Installation & Commissioning

• Lead and support the installation, commissioning, and startup of new production and farm equipment.

• Coordinate with equipment manufacturers, contractors, Production, Operations, and other internal teams.

• Ensure utilities, electrical, compressed air, networking, foundations, and other site requirements are ready before installation.

• Ensure maintenance personnel receive appropriate technical training and documentation before equipment is placed into production.

• Develop preventive maintenance plans and spare-parts requirements for new equipment.

6. Continuous Improvement & Root-Cause Analysis

• Investigate significant or recurring equipment failures and identify root causes.

• Implement corrective actions to improve reliability, safety, and equipment performance.

• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for maintenance activities.

• Identify opportunities to improve equipment design, maintenance practices, labor efficiency, and overall equipment reliability.

7. Safety & Compliance

• Ensure maintenance activities are performed safely and in accordance with company policies and applicable regulations.

• Work with HR, Operations, and Safety personnel to develop and maintain appropriate safety procedures.

• Ensure proper lockout/tagout and other equipment-specific safety procedures are followed.

• Promote a strong safety culture within the maintenance team.

8. Vendor & Manufacturer Support

• Maintain effective relationships with equipment manufacturers, vendors, contractors, and technical support teams.

• Work remotely with manufacturers to diagnose equipment and controls issues when required.

• Manage outside contractors and ensure work is completed safely, correctly, on time, and within budget.

9. Projects & Capital Improvements

• Lead and support maintenance and equipment-related projects from planning through completion.

• Develop scopes of work, coordinate contractors and internal resources, and track schedules and costs.

• Support equipment upgrades, automation projects, facility improvements, and capital projects.

• Ensure projects are properly transitioned to the maintenance team after completion.

• Previous experience in industrial, agricultural, or greenhouse facility maintenance is preferred; trade certification or technical diploma in a related field is an asset.
• Proficiency with maintenance management software, basic computer skills, and the ability to interpret technical manuals and drawings is beneficial

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in industrial, manufacturing, agricultural, or automated-equipment maintenance, with demonstrated experience leading maintenance personnel.

• Strong hands-on troubleshooting skills in electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.

• Experience troubleshooting motors, pumps, sensors, VFDs, electrical controls, and automated equipment.

• Demonstrated experience developing and executing preventive maintenance programs.

• Experience with CMMS or other maintenance-management systems preferred.

• Experience performing root-cause analysis and correcting recurring equipment failures.

• Experience managing critical spare-parts inventory.

• Experience installing, commissioning, and supporting new equipment.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to train and develop maintenance personnel.

• Ability to work effectively with Production, Operations, vendors, contractors, and equipment manufacturers.

• Strong organizational and communication skills.

• English required; Spanish is an asset for communication with staff.

• Relevant mechanical, electrical, industrial maintenance, or similar technical certifications are preferred.

• Project-management experience is preferred, particularly involving equipment installations, facility improvements, or automation projects.

• Agricultural or greenhouse experience is an asset but not required.

Physical & Work Requirements

• Ability to work in outdoor, greenhouse, agricultural, and industrial environments.

• Ability to inspect and troubleshoot equipment throughout the facility and farm.

• Ability to stand, walk, kneel, bend, climb, and perform physical tasks as required.

• Ability to lift and move equipment components and parts as required.

• Availability to respond to critical equipment failures or production-related maintenance issues when necessary.

• Ability to travel to other company locations when required

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