Associate Maintenance Manager

Unilever; Independence (MO); On-site; USD 89,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

Unilever is seeking an Associate Maintenance Manager to lead planning, reliability activities, and daily execution in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. You will guide maintenance technicians and planners to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable operations across shifts, driving continuous improvement and alignment with company standards.

The role emphasizes developing long‑term maintenance plans, partnering with vendors, and implementing root‑cause analysis to prevent recurring issues, with

Qualifications

• 2 year degree in a technical field and at least two years of experience as a maintenance supervisor/coordinator in fast paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to coordinate and communicate with teams working different shifts across a 24/7 schedule.
• Experience leading a team of maintenance technicians toward a common goal.
• Must be capable of working independently and in a team environment.
• Experience making reliability/maintenance decisions to meet needs.
• Proven track record of implementing improvement ideas.
• Experience using a CMMS system.
• Controls/Automation experience with a strong preference to Allen Bradley controls.

Responsibilities

• Continuously strive to increase the efficiency and reliability of equipment in their area.
• Communicate with all shifts of the maintenance team to ensure a consistent message and consistent application of all company policies, programs, rules and regulations.
• Support maintenance team in troubleshooting, finding/procuring parts, or escalating issues as required.
• Carries out periodic audits to ensure depth of work order material is adequate and works with lead and planner to ensure gaps are addressed.
• Ensure maintenance, quality and safety audits are carried out by the team to ensure compliance with internal requirements.
• Work with the maintenance & buildings planner to track breakdowns, identify chronic issues, conduct root-cause analysis, and implement sustainable countermeasures.
• Review short and medium-term plans for equipment maintenance with the maintenance manager and planners and operations team. Develop long term plans with input from the managers, supervisors and operations team and ensure execution of the plans.
• Working as a team with Supervisors, Maintenance team members, and Operations to plan, procure and document activities for the enhancement of machines in the assigned area.
• Engage vendors and OEMs for technical support, project execution, reliability improvements, and complex troubleshooting.
• Participate in safety and quality reviews; ensure corrective actions are implemented promptly and effectively.
• Support the development and execution of reliability-centered maintenance strategies, including predictive and preventive maintenance improvements.

Skills

Strong troubleshooting skills

Excellent communication skills

Team coordination across shifts

Leadership of maintenance technicians

Independent work capability

Reliability/maintenance decisions

Proven improvement ideas

Education

Two year degree in a technical field

Tools

CMMS

Allen Bradley controls

Job description

The Associate Maintenance Manager plays a key role in driving long‑term asset health by coordinating maintenance planning, reliability activities, and daily execution. This role supports the Sr. Maintenance Manager by providing direct leadership to the Maintenance & Building Planners, while also guiding maintenance technicians within the assigned area. The Associate Maintenance Manager is responsible for ensuring effective planning, execution, and continuous improvement of all maintenance and reliability activities. This includes ensuring maintenance tasks are completed to standard, resources are properly allocated, and issues are escalated promptly to maintain safe, efficient, and reliable operations.

You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.

Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger.

Key Responsibilities

• Continuously strive to increase the efficiency and reliability of equipment in their area of focus.
• Communicate with all shifts of the maintenance team to ensure a consistent message and consistent application of all company policies, programs, rules and regulations.
• Support maintenance team in troubleshooting, finding/procuring parts, or escalating issues as required.
• Carries out periodic audits to ensure depth of work order material is adequate and works with lead and planner to ensure gaps are addressed.
• Ensure maintenance, quality and safety audits are carried out by the team to ensure compliance with internal requirements.
• Work with the maintenance & buildings planner to track breakdowns, identify chronic issues, conduct root-cause analysis, and implement sustainable countermeasures.
• Review short and medium-term plans for equipment maintenance with the maintenance manager and planners and operations team. Develop long term plans with input from the managers, supervisors and operations team and ensure execution of the plans.
• Working as a team with Supervisors, Maintenance team members, and Operations to plan, procure and document activities for the enhancement of machines in the assigned area.
• Engage vendors and OEMs for technical support, project execution, reliability improvements, and complex troubleshooting.
• Participate in safety and quality reviews; ensure corrective actions are implemented promptly and effectively.
• Support the development and execution of reliability‑centered maintenance strategies, including predictive and preventive maintenance improvements.

Bias for Action. By providing consistent and near real time information, decisions can be taken quickly which leverage our resources.

Building Talent & Teams. Our vision is to move to semi-autonomous teams and we require Maintenance Reliability Engineer’s with a passion for achieving results through great teamwork, an ability to teach new tools and methodologies and ensuring that you and your colleagues are fully aligned, and drawing on one another’s strengths.

Accountability & Responsibility. Taking responsibility for building your team’s performance and sharing your best interventions to help support other lines’ in their improvements.

Process and Organizational Design. Leverage technical knowledge and a systems approach to ensure factory lines and processes are optimally resourced (e.g. manpower ratios are efficient and sustainable).

Analytical capability. Collect and analyze complex data to penetrate problems’ phenomena and understand root causes.

Required Qualifications

• 2 year degree in a technical field and at least two (2) years of experience as a maintenance supervisor/coordinator in fast paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong troubleshooting skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to coordinate and communicate with teams working different shifts across a 24/7 schedule.
• Experience leading a team of maintenance technicians toward a common goal
• Must be capable of working independently and in a team environment
• Experience making reliability/maintenance decisions to meet needs
• Proven track record of implementing improvement ideas
• Experience using a CMMS system
• Controls/Automation experience with a strong preference to Allen Bradley controls

Preferred Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience as a maintenance supervisor/coordinator in fast paced manufacturing environment.
• Foods industry experience is preferred.

Pay:

The pay range for this position is $88,600 to $133,000. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus:

This position is bonus eligible.

Long-Term Incentive (LTI):

This position is LTI eligible.

At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do

We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.

Unilever Is An Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons With Disabilities.

For more information on your federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.