Maintenance Manager - Food Plant (builder/leader role!)

We’re partnered with a growing manufacturing operation (EMPWR Nutrition Group), in McMinnville, Oregon, to hire a Maintenance Manager. This is an on-site plant leadership role with real visibility and real influence in a busy, multi-shift manufacturing environment.

This is not a caretaker role, and it is not just a technical maintenance role. It is a leadership role for someone who wants to build, develop people, strengthen execution, and help shape how the maintenance function supports a growing operation.

The right person will need maintenance credibility, but success in this role will come down to people leadership as much as maintenance knowledge. This leader will need to build trust quickly, lead from the floor, develop leads and technicians, strengthen communication across shifts, and help create a maintenance team that operates with consistency, urgency, and accountability.

What this leader will do

• Lead a frontline maintenance team in a multi-shift manufacturing plant and bring strong structure, consistency, and accountability to the function
• Develop leads and technicians, coach performance, raise expectations, and build a stronger bench over time
• Handle people leadership situations directly and effectively, including coaching, performance management, and leading through change
• Help reinforce a maintenance culture that is disciplined, responsive, and aligned with plant priorities
• Improve communication and coordination across shifts so the team operates as one aligned function
• Be visible on the floor, build credibility with operators and plant leadership, and address issues directly instead of managing from a distance
• Bring the right balance of urgency and steadiness in a fast-paced production environment where downtime, priorities, and plant needs can shift quickly
• Partner closely with operations, production, quality, engineering, and site leadership as a true plant partner
• Strengthen preventive maintenance, planning, scheduling, and execution while improving follow-through on recurring equipment issues and plant priorities
• Help the function continue evolving toward an even more proactive, reliable, and well-led operation

What we’re looking for

• Maintenance leadership experience in a manufacturing plant environment
• Strong frontline people leadership experience, including coaching, performance management, team development, and raising standards
• Experience leading and implementing change in a plant maintenance function, with the ability to build on what is working and improve what is needed
• Experience leading in a multi-shift operation where leadership presence, communication, and consistency matter
• A track record of improving team performance, maintenance execution, equipment reliability, and plant support
• Experience with preventive maintenance programs, CMMS, root cause problem solving, and plant equipment troubleshooting
• The ability to lead through change, make tough calls when needed, and strengthen accountability while maintaining team trust and engagement
• A builder mindset. Someone who wants to develop the team, improve the function, and help the operation continue getting stronger

Why this is a compelling opportunity

This is a chance to step into an important plant leadership role at a growing operation where the work is visible and the impact is real. The right leader will have the opportunity to shape the team, strengthen how maintenance supports the plant, and help build a more capable and reliable operation over time.

For someone who wants more than just keeping things running, this role offers the chance to lead people, influence plant performance, and make a meaningful mark on how the function evolves.

If you are a plant maintenance leader who knows how to lead people, raise standards, develop teams, and improve plant performance, I’d welcome a conversation.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The company is committed to diversity and inclusivity.