Ironwood Plant - Maintenance Manager

Milliken & Company; Portage (WI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal opportunity employer

Supportive company culture

Job summary

Milliken & Company in Portage, Wisconsin is seeking a Maintenance Manager to oversee the maintenance department and ensure production equipment operates efficiently. The successful candidate will manage preventive maintenance and lead initiatives for continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include minimizing equipment down-time, leading maintenance teams, and managing budgets and resources effectively. Applicants should have a four-year engineering degree and substantial experience in maintenance management.

Qualifications

• Experience managing maintenance strategies effectively.
• Ability to engage teams for project success.
• Knowledge of predictive maintenance technologies.

Responsibilities

• Minimize down-time of plant equipment for production.
• Lead activities for performance improvements in maintenance.
• Implement preventive maintenance programs.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Excellent prioritization

Interpersonal and communication skills

Leadership skills

Chemical processing knowledge

CAD experience

Education

Four-year engineering degree

Job description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Maintenance Manager position is responsible for the maintenance department at the plant to ensure production equipment is operating as designed and producing products on time for our customers. This position is also responsible for scope of work, schedule, budget, and resources to be able to execute the daily maintenance and allow plant success. This position is also expected to advance upon preventive and predictive maintenance programs and help enhance a culture of Continuous Improvement. This position is strategic to support site running reliably to allow growth and meet customer demands.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Minimize down-time of plant equipment to ensure production demands are met.
• Use CMMS system to allow effective planning of preventive maintenance needs within the plant.
• Identify safety issues (e.g. Industry Safe) requiring engineering controls at the plant and address them.
• Lead the plant maintenance teams to drive performance improvements of our capital assets.
• Manage performance and development of the plant maintenance team.
• Lead Kaizen activities and adapt a continuous improvement mindset.
• Encourage and provide opportunities for team members to learn new skills and grow professionally.
• Hire, mentor and train new engineers and support staff at the Portage plant.
• Work closely with the business development teams and process design team to develop effective engineering solutions for new high‑quality products.
• Create cost‑effective designs that ensure project goals are met and EHS principles are followed.
• Ensure the maintenance team follows SOPs and safety protocols and holds daily pre‑work “safety tailgate” meetings.
• Develop and improve maintenance strategies for the site, including new equipment coming in the next few months.
• Coordinate and work closely with contractors to prioritize work and ensure activities are completed on time and within budget.
• Assess and implement engineering controls required to eliminate identified safety issues at the plant.
• Ensure plant drawings (layouts, P&IDs, etc.) are created and kept up to date as changes occur.
• Interface with internal customers to communicate status concerning timelines and spending profiles.
• Help develop and improve Encapsys maintenance policies and procedures.
• Ensure that the maintenance teams complete all assigned training.
• Optimize spare‑part management, review asset classification and strategy, and align maintenance strategy accordingly.
• Maintain the Portage equipment maintenance records.
• Provide repair cost estimates and timelines.
• Identify risks, opportunities and create counter‑measures.
• Maintain Engineering and Maintenance files to ensure accuracy of drawings and information.
• Be able to wear a respirator as required by the task or chemical safety data sheets.
• Be visible to production associates on the plant floor daily; walk the area multiple times daily to communicate, observe, and address at‑risk behaviors and hazardous conditions.

ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, SAFETY & SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Understand relevant requirements of the Responsible Care Management System (RCMS) and RC‑14001 certification.
• Understand importance of conformance to Environmental, Safety and Responsible Care Policies and procedures.
• Recognize significant environmental impacts of work activities and help ensure controls are in place to reduce or eliminate negative impacts.
• Understand potential consequences of deviation from specified operating procedures.
• Immediately report any accidents and releases per the company escalation protocol.
• Comply with all environmental, health, safety, and security rules; policies and programs established by the company.
• Recognize that adhering to job responsibilities and procedures regarding environmental, safety, security, and health is a condition of employment.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of the plant Environmental, Health, Safety, Security, and Responsible Care performance and programs.

QUALIFICATIONS – REQUIRED

• Previous supervisory experience.
• Proven ability to maintain high standards aligned with corporate values; hold people accountable and engage in crucial conversations.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively managing maintenance strategies.
• Excellent prioritization, resource allocation, and business analytics.
• Superior interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills and strong team orientation.
• Leadership that can develop, energize, and empower others.
• Desire to walk the floor and work closely with plant personnel to solve problems and implement improvements.
• Sense of urgency and ability to engage people positively to move projects forward on an expedited timeframe.
• In‑depth knowledge of various process technologies, e.g. chemical processing and environmental compliance equipment.
• CAD experience desired.
• Previous experience in performing equipment reliability studies, preventive maintenance programs, and making recommendations for long‑term improvements.

QUALIFICATIONS – PREFERRED

• Previous experience with predictive maintenance such as ultrasound, vibration monitoring, thermal imaging.
• Data historian usage.
• Ability to read, understand, and modify PLC ladder logic (a plus).

The successful candidate will have strengths in the following:

• A four‑year engineering degree.
• Experience in maintenance and reliability engineering.
• At least 5 years of related experience in a chemical manufacturing environment.
• 3–5 years of people management experience.

Milliken is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre‑employment testing, a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact [e-mail].