Plant Engineering & Maintenance Manager

Maintenance & Engineering Manager

Alsip, IL Manufacturing Facility

A well-established industrial manufacturer is seeking a Maintenance & Engineering Manager to lead reliability, maintenance, engineering, and continuous improvement efforts at a key production site. This is a highly visible leadership position reporting directly to the Plant Manager and partnering closely with operations, quality, logistics, and EHS teams.

What You'll Be Doing

Lead Plant Reliability & Maintenance

• Direct the site's maintenance organization with a focus on safety, equipment uptime, reliability, and cost control.
• Manage maintenance technicians, contractors, and outside service providers.
• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance strategies while improving overall asset performance.
• Analyze equipment failures, identify root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Oversee maintenance budgets, spare parts programs, and contractor performance.
• Plan and execute major outages, shutdowns, and turnaround activities.

Drive Mechanical Integrity Programs

• Take ownership of the site's equipment integrity and inspection programs.
• Coordinate internal and third-party inspections for critical assets.
• Maintain compliance records and ensure regulatory inspection requirements are completed on schedule.
• Monitor the condition of plant equipment and develop long-term reliability plans.

Lead Engineering & Continuous Improvement Initiatives

• Manage a small engineering team responsible for process optimization, quality improvements, and production support.
• Support automation, controls, and manufacturing technology initiatives.
• Lead technical efforts tied to capacity expansion, productivity improvements, and operational excellence projects.
• Provide engineering guidance for plant systems, process equipment, and facility upgrades.
• Assist with new product launches, process changes, and scale-up activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve throughput, reduce downtime, and increase operational efficiency.

Capital Projects & Technical Leadership

• Develop project scopes, budgets, schedules, and business justifications.
• Oversee capital improvements from concept through startup.
• Coordinate engineering resources to ensure projects meet safety, quality, and financial objectives.
• Support facility modernization and infrastructure improvement efforts.

Process Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead Management of Change (MOC) and Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR) processes.
• Participate in Process Hazard Analyses (PHA) and incident investigations.
• Support Process Safety Management (PSM) programs and compliance audits.
• Ensure maintenance and engineering activities align with environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements.

Team Development & Culture

• Coach, mentor, and develop maintenance and engineering personnel.
• Create training plans and technical development programs.
• Foster a strong safety culture and continuous improvement mindset throughout the organization.
• Work cross-functionally to improve communication, accountability, and plant performance.

Preferred Background

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience leading maintenance, reliability, engineering, or technical teams within a manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of process equipment, utilities, and industrial maintenance systems.
• Experience with capital project management, mechanical integrity programs, and process safety initiatives.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Ability to balance day-to-day plant support with long-term strategic improvement efforts.