Engineering And Maintenance Manager

LHH; Waukegan (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3 weeks vacation

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401K

Job summary

LHH Recruitment Solutions is partnering with a growing manufacturing organization in search of an Engineering & Maintenance Manager. This role leads plant engineering, maintenance, reliability, and CI initiatives to elevate performance in a fast-paced production environment.

The ideal candidate brings a Bachelor's in Engineering and proven experience leading both maintenance and engineering in manufacturing, driving improvements and capital projects while advancing Lean and Six Sigma programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required.
• Demonstrated leadership of maintenance and engineering teams.
• Strong background in Lean, 5S, Six Sigma, or related improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead maintenance, engineering, and technical teams for safe, reliable operations.
• Oversee maintenance activities including preventive and predictive maintenance.
• Drive engineering projects to improve layouts, flow, and equipment utilization.
• Champion Lean, 5S, and Six Sigma across functions.
• Partner with production leadership to remove bottlenecks and improve throughput.
• Lead root-cause analyses and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Kaizen

Predictive maintenance

Root cause analysis

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering

Tools

CMMS

Job description

LHH Recruitment Solutions has partnered with a growing organization, and they are seeking a motivated Engineering & Maintenance Manager - Manufacturing Industry to join their team. You will lead plant engineering, maintenance, equipment reliability, and continuous improvement initiatives across a fast-paced production environment. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on technical leader who enjoys improving plant performance, developing high-performing teams, and driving meaningful operational change. This role is ideal for a manufacturing professional who brings the ability to lead both maintenance operations and engineering-driven improvement projects. The successful candidate will not only ensure equipment is running reliably but will also evaluate plant layouts, identify process inefficiencies, improve workflow, support capital projects, and help modernize the operation through Lean manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives. Reporting into senior operations leadership, this individual will serve as a key technical and operational partner to production, quality, safety, and plant leadership. The position offers visibility, impact, and the opportunity to influence the long-term reliability, efficiency, and scalability of the manufacturing operation.

The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and demonstrated experience leading both maintenance and engineering functions in a manufacturing environment. This person should bring a balance of hands-on plant experience, strategic project leadership, and the ability to identify and implement improvements that create measurable operational impact. Someone who can evaluate how the plant operates, recommend improvements, lead engineering projects, optimize equipment performance, and help create a more efficient, scalable, and reliable manufacturing operation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance, engineering, and technical team members to support safe, reliable, and efficient manufacturing operations.
• Oversee plant engineering and maintenance activities, including equipment reliability, preventative maintenance, predictive maintenance, troubleshooting, and process improvement.
• Drive engineering projects that improve plant layouts, production flow, equipment utilization, labor efficiency, safety, and overall operational performance.
• Champion Lean manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives across engineering and maintenance functions.
• Partner closely with production and operations leaders to identify bottlenecks, reduce downtime, improve throughput, and support consistent, high-quality output.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action efforts to resolve recurring equipment, maintenance, process, and reliability issues.
• Develop and improve preventative and predictive maintenance programs to maximize uptime and extend equipment life.
• Evaluate opportunities for automation, equipment upgrades, tooling improvements, process changes, and technology enhancements.
• Support capital planning, equipment installation, facility improvements, and expansion-related projects.
• Establish, maintain, and improve maintenance procedures, technical documentation, equipment standards, spare parts strategies, and work order practices.
• Manage engineering and maintenance priorities while balancing production needs, safety requirements, cost objectives, and long-term operational goals.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with production, quality, supply chain, safety, and leadership teams to ensure plant performance objectives are achieved.
• Build a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, problem solving, and proactive maintenance.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering.
• Progressive manufacturing experience in engineering, maintenance, reliability, plant engineering, or related technical leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading maintenance and engineering teams in a production or plant environment.
• Strong background in Lean manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, Kaizen, continuous improvement, or related operational excellence methodologies.
• Experience improving plant layouts, production flow, equipment reliability, uptime, throughput, and process efficiency.
• Proven ability to lead preventative maintenance, predictive maintenance, root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and equipment optimization initiatives.
• Experience managing capital projects, equipment installations, facility improvements, or technical project execution.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to develop teams, set priorities, communicate expectations, and drive accountability.
• Ability to partner effectively with production, operations, quality, safety, and senior leadership.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment with shifting priorities and high operational visibility.
• Experience leading engineering and maintenance within a high-volume manufacturing, converting, packaging, consumer products, industrial products, food manufacturing, plastics, chemicals, or related production environment.
• Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, Lean certification, or formal continuous improvement training.
• Experience with CMMS systems, preventative maintenance systems, maintenance KPIs, downtime analysis, and reliability metrics.
• Exposure to automation, equipment modernization, process redesign, facility expansion, or plant optimization projects.

Compensation Range:

$120,000 - $150,000 + 10% Bonus

Benefits Offered:

3 weeks of vacation, paid sick leave where applicable by state law, Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance Vision Insurance, 401K, and Life Insurance.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

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