Director of Maintenance and Engineering

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the Maintenance, Engineering and Facilities, ensuring alignment with plant and company objectives.
• Lead, develop, and manage the engineering team, establishing clear priorities, accountability, and execution discipline across all capital and improvement initiatives.
• Oversee all maintenance operations, ensuring equipment reliability, uptime, and effective execution of daily and long-term maintenance strategies.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve a comprehensive Preventive Maintenance (PM) program to drive asset reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Establish and manage a structured spare parts program, including critical spare identification, inventory optimization, and cost control, to mitigate operational risk.
• Own facility management, ensuring building systems, utilities, and infrastructure are maintained to support safe and efficient operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define comprehensive project scopes and develop accurate cost estimates.
• Develop and manage detailed project timelines (Gantt charts), adapting to complex project requirements.
• Lead and oversee large and complex capital projects, ensuring all technical, budgetary, and timeline objectives are met.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional project teams and external contractors, ensuring clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability throughout the project lifecycle.
• Upon successful project startup and operator training, ensure effective handoff to operations and provide support during transition to stable production.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet or exceed safety, quality, and operational performance expectations.
• Drive structured risk management, including change control and contingency planning, to minimize project disruptions and ensure timely decision-making.
• Oversee procurement timelines, maintaining consistent follow-up with vendors to ensure on-time delivery of materials, equipment, and services in line with project milestones.
• Hold suppliers and contractors accountable for scope, quality, safety, and schedule performance through proactive communication, contract enforcement, and strong field oversight.
• Maintain a consistent on-site presence to ensure effective coordination between engineering plans and field execution, resolve issues in real time, and support team alignment.
• Lead commissioning and startup efforts, providing hands-on troubleshooting and problem-solving support to ensure a smooth transition to operational ownership.
• Drive continuous improvement across assets and systems by partnering with operations and maintenance teams to eliminate root causes of downtime and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Electrical, or related field).
• 8–12+ years of experience in engineering, maintenance, or technical services leadership within food manufacturing or a related industry.
• Proven experience leading maintenance and facilities functions, including reliability programs and asset management.
• Strong experience developing and implementing Preventive Maintenance (PM) systems and spare parts management programs.
• Experience managing capital projects from concept through commissioning and startup.
• Solid understanding of industrial electrical systems, automation, mechanical systems, pneumatics, and fluid handling.
• Experience interpreting P&IDs, electrical schematics, and mechanical drawings.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, equipment reliability, and continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, TPM preferred).
• Familiarity with food safety regulations and quality standards (e.g., FDA, USDA, SQF, GMP).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage external vendors, and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.