Maintenance Manager (Manufacturing Plant)

About the role

AAF International offers the most comprehensive clean air solutions across the globe. Selling under the American Air Filter® and the AAF International® brand names, AAF International has been an industry pioneer since 1921 with manufacturing operations in 22 countries and over 6000 employees globally. Its products are industry benchmarks for quality and performance, serving commercial, industrial, and residential applications—from home filters to critical cleanroom and power generation systems. AAF International is a member of the Daikin Group, the world’s largest air‑conditioning provider with $30 billion in revenue and over 75,000 employees worldwide. Founded in 1924, Daikin has diversified into clean air, air conditioning, refrigeration, chemicals, oil hydraulics, defense systems, and electronics. The company’s culture of continuous improvement, safety, and world‑class operations is driven by a people‑centered management philosophy built around mutual selection: AAF seeks top talent while ensuring each team member finds job satisfaction, growth, development, and long‑term happiness. This philosophy emphasizes treating people, supply partners, customers, and the environment with trust and respect, and giving back to the community. Read more about our philosophy at: http://www.daikin.com/about/corporate/philosophy/index.html.

Position Objective

The Maintenance Manager will lead the maintenance department with a strong focus on project management, application of advanced technologies, automation systems, and the optimization of preventive maintenance strategies. This role will ensure maximum equipment uptime, enhance overall equipment efficiency (OEE), and deliver world‑class maintenance support for both routine operations and long‑term capital improvement projects.

Key Accountabilities

• Plan, manage, and execute maintenance and engineering projects, including capital improvement and facility upgrade initiatives.
• Develop project scopes, budgets, timelines, and resource plans.
• Coordinate with cross‑functional teams including Engineering, Operations, and EHS to ensure timely and efficient project delivery.
• Track project milestones, manage risks, and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Lead the selection, implementation, and optimization of automated systems, including PLCs, SCADA, robotics, and IoT‑enabled equipment.
• Work with internal and external partners to ensure seamless integration of automation technologies into existing infrastructure.
• Train and support the maintenance team on new technologies and automation platforms.
• Develop and implement comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance programs to minimize downtime and extend asset life.
• Utilize CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to schedule, track, and report on maintenance activities.
• Analyze maintenance trends and historical data to enhance equipment reliability and maintenance planning.
• Monitor and report on OEE metrics; identify causes of equipment inefficiencies and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with production and quality teams to drive root cause analysis and implement long‑term solutions.
• Champion lean maintenance practices to reduce waste and improve machine performance.
• Supervise daily maintenance activities to ensure safe, timely, and high‑quality execution.
• Manage a team of skilled technicians and contractors, including hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluations.
• Ensure compliance with safety regulations, company policies, and industry standards.
• Maintain inventory of critical spare parts, tools, and supplies to prevent downtime.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering, or related technical field preferred or equivalent experience considered.
• 5+ years of maintenance management experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Exceptional leadership, organizational, and communication skills.
• Solid understanding of OSHA regulations, safety protocols, and environmental compliance.
• Maintains responsibility for the maintenance needs over two plants approximately 1.5 miles from one another.
• Strong experience in managing capital projects and maintenance‑related automation initiatives.
• In‑depth knowledge of CMMS systems, reliability engineering, and maintenance best practices.
• Proficient in analyzing OEE and implementing improvement strategies.