Maintenance Manager

Cavendish Farms; Prince Edward Island; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Cavendish Farms seeks a Maintenance Manager to lead their Maintenance and Stores department in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The role focuses on developing maintenance protocols, overseeing budgets, and ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards while promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Candidates should have a strong background in engineering, food manufacturing experience, and excellent interpersonal skills.

Benefits

Health plans

Wellness programs

RRSP matching

Training opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years maintenance experience, preferably in food manufacturing.
• At least 2 years in a supervisory or managerial role.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee preventative and predictive maintenance programs for critical equipment.
• Manage asset requirements for operational needs throughout the lifecycle.
• Lead the team daily, including hiring, development, and performance management.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor of Engineering Degree

College Diploma

Job description

This position reports directly to the Plant Manager. You will lead the Maintenance and Stores department to ensure that all policies and procedures are developed, implemented, and followed regarding customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and Food Safety & Quality requirements. Maintain contractor and vendor relationships.

Work Environment

• Fast-paced manufacturing environment with exposure to loud noise, heat, oil, cold storage, and moving machinery.
• Physical expectations: light to medium.
• Availability for after-hours support and emergency maintenance situations.
• Occasional weekend and holiday work required.

Responsibilities

• Attend departmental and plant Daily Management meetings to identify focus areas for the Reliability team.
• Develop and oversee preventative and predictive maintenance programs for all critical equipment.
• Ensure equipment and systems operate safely, efficiently, and in compliance with our Quality Assurance programs.
• Improve processes and implement reliability systems to optimize resource costs while meeting expectations.
• Organize, direct, and control maintenance operations to meet plant objectives effectively and efficiently.
• Manage asset requirements for operational needs throughout the lifecycle.
• Develop implementation plans, including budgets and resource plans for Reliability/Maintenance projects.
• Collaborate with Plant & Corporate Engineering Teams to optimize equipment availability.
• Provide accurate forecasting and adhere to departmental budgets.
• Lead the team daily, including hiring, development, and performance management.
• Participate in site audits (safety and Safe Quality Foods), ensuring timely and budget-compliant completion of action items.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives, equipment upgrades, and capital projects.

Essential Job Functions

Maintenance: Aim for 87% uptime of plant process equipment including potato receiving, front-end production, packaging, boiler, refrigeration, high voltage power distribution, water systems, etc. Oversee the spare parts and consumables stockroom. Focus on preventative and proactive maintenance systems rather than reactive maintenance.

General: Responsible for overhead budgets and capital projects. As a senior management member, lead initiatives for cost reduction, safety, employee engagement, future planning, risk reduction, and leadership development for the site.

Qualifications

• College Diploma or University Degree required.
• Bachelor of Engineering Degree or Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) designation required.
• Minimum of 5 years maintenance experience, preferably in food manufacturing.
• At least 2 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
• Strong team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Adherence to all company policies and safety standards.
• Maintain a clean, GMP-compliant work area.
• Workplace safety commitment is essential; all employees are responsible for safety.

About Us

Founded in 1882, J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) operates in Canada and the US with 20,000 employees. We foster an inclusive, talent-nurturing culture that encourages career growth across divisions. We are committed to accessible environments for all colleagues, candidates, and customers. Please inform us of any accommodation needs during the application process.

We encourage applicants who may not meet all criteria to apply, promoting an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

About The Team

Cavendish Farms is a leading producer of frozen food products with processing plants in PEI, Lethbridge, AB, and Jamestown, ND. Headquartered in Dieppe, NB, with additional facilities and sales offices across North America. Cavendish Farms offers a competitive salary and benefits, including health plans, wellness programs, RRSP matching, training opportunities, and career growth within the J.D. Irving group.