Director of Maintenance

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Maintenance leads all maintenance operations across the plant, ensuring equipment reliability, safety, and efficiency. This role oversees preventive and predictive maintenance programs, capital projects, and maintenance staff development, while ensuring compliance with PSM, OSHA, and company policies.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Oversee maintenance operations, including resource planning, project oversight, and performance analysis.
• Responsible for the company’s compliance with all PSM policies, paperwork, and refrigeration maintenance.
• Ensure effective equipment maintenance by optimizing uptime, repair times, reliability, and overall performance, while regularly tracking and reviewing key maintenance KPIs with the team.
• Document best practices for preventive maintenance, repairs, and production processes through work instructions. 
• Direct maintenance team and standardize processes for MRO purchasing, preventive maintenance, scheduling, inventory, asset management, and training across all facilities.
• Work with the operations team to establish production line operating metrics such as efficiencies, uptime, and reliability.
• Drives plant asset integrity and reliability programs, including predictive and preventive maintenance, TPM, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Optimize cost through effective budget planning and management. Identify and implement cost-saving ideas for facility maintenance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide technical support and implement new processes, technology, or strategies. 
• Develop and implement maintenance strategies and maintenance programs.
• Responsible for leading direct reports, including performance and compensation management, training, coaching, discipline, and career development.
• Other duties may be assigned due to business needs or special circumstances which may require reassignment to other departments or other job duties.

QUALIFICATIONS (Knowledge, Skills, and Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Engineering, or related field (preferred). 
• 7–10 years of experience in maintenance leadership, preferably in meat processing, food manufacturing, or heavy industrial operations.
• Proven experience managing preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Experience with capital projects, equipment upgrades, and reliability improvement initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of PSM (Process Safety Management) and OSHA regulations.
• Expertise in maintenance KPIs, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), root cause analysis, and Lean Six Sigma principles.
• Budget management and cost optimization experience.
• Leadership and team development skills, including coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and project management skills.
• Ability to read, write, and communicate in English with strong verbal communication skills. Knowledge of Spanish is helpful but not required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. 

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to have a full range of body motion including twisting, bending, reaching outward, pushing, pulling, intensive hand/wrist movement and lifting to meet the NSP minimum required pounds per day which is up to 50 pounds (unassisted). The employee must be able to walk and stand for a significant amount of time on even concrete surfaces, which may at times be slippery due to marinades, water, and other liquids associated with the production process. 

Due to noise levels in the work environment, the use of hearing protection is required.  The employee must have good, corrected vision to see details at close range or at a distance. The employee will be working in a climate-controlled environment of -40ºF to -45ºF. The employee may be exposed to strong odors such as raw meat and marinades from seasoned meat.               

While in the production area, the employee is required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to include hair and beard nets, rubber soled shoes, smocks, hearing protection and hard hats.