Maintenance Manager

Salary: $95,000 - $125,000
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Company Profile:

A leading food manufacturing organization dedicated to quality, safety, and operational excellence is seeking a Maintenance Manager. This is a key leadership role responsible for driving reliability, managing maintenance operations, and overseeing capital projects. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with strong technical expertise, proven project management experience, and a passion for continuous improvement in a lean manufacturing environment.

The Maintenance Manager Will Be Responsible for the Following:

• Lead the Maintenance and Project Management teams to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable plant operations.
• Own Progressive Maintenance (PM) systems, including Maintenance Planning & Scheduling, Preventive, Predictive, and Precision Maintenance programs, Breakdown Analysis (BDA), and Defect Handling (DH).
• Monitor and report on maintenance metrics, ensuring timely completion of corrective actions and system health checks.
• Manage CapEx projects in collaboration with Corporate Engineering, including contractor oversight, timeline adherence, cost control, equipment commissioning, and punch-list closure.
• Assess current maintenance systems and execute improvement plans with clear objectives, timelines, and KPIs.
• Train and coach teams on Lean Continuous Improvement tools related to maintenance and reliability.
• Analyze downtime data to identify root causes and lead cross-functional teams in implementing corrective actions.
• Define skill requirements for critical equipment maintenance, conduct gap assessments, and develop training plans.
• Oversee building and grounds maintenance to ensure GMP compliance and professional standards.
• Direct PLC technicians, reliability technicians, and mechanics to meet plant objectives in safety, quality, cost, and customer service.
• Collaborate with Finance to develop and manage maintenance and capital budgets, ensuring cost control and identifying savings opportunities.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels for replacement parts.
• Drive employee engagement, training, and development to achieve operational goals.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, quality standards (SQF/BRC), and regulatory requirements (OSHA, FDA, EPA).

The Maintenance Manager Should Have the Following Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Management, Manufacturing, or related field required.
• Minimum 7 years of maintenance management experience in a manufacturing environment (food industry preferred).
• Demonstrated project management experience with proven ability to deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing systems and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with CMMS (SAP preferred) and optimizing maintenance processes.
• Solid mechanical aptitude and working knowledge of electrical systems, PLCs, utilities, and boilers.
• Ability to interpret technical information and regulatory guidelines; AutoCAD experience preferred.
• Strong leadership competencies including decision-making, team building, and strategic agility.
• Knowledge of food safety and quality standards; experience with FDA and SQF/BRC a plus.