Engineering Maintenance Manager

Ucore Rare Metals Inc.; Alexandria (LA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. in Louisiana seeks an Engineering Maintenance Manager to oversee preventive, predictive, and breakdown maintenance, ensuring safe, compliant plant operations and uptime.

You will lead maintenance and reliability staff, monitor processes, troubleshoot equipment, and support commissioning of new equipment, while aligning with corporate goals. Based in Alexandria with travel to Kingston, Ontario, you will manage budgets, spares, and capital projects, enforce PSM, OSHA, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related technical field.
• 5–10 years of industrial plant maintenance experience, with 2–5 years in a supervisory or management role in chemical/oil&gas/heavy processing.
• Proficiency with CMMS/SAP, RCA, and predictive maintenance technologies; familiarity with Allen Bradley PLC controls.
• Proven track record of leadership in an industrial setting.
• Experience with solvent extraction metallurgy is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Oversee maintenance of specialized RapidSX extraction units, piping, pumps, recovery systems, and support equipment to maintain >95% uptime; lead root cause analysis of downtime.
• Enforce Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, and EPA regulations due to hazardous solvents.
• Manage and schedule multi-shift Maintenance Technicians and the Reliability Engineer/Maintenance Planner.
• Manage annual repair budgets, capital projects, and critical spare parts inventory.

Skills

Leadership

Root Cause Analysis

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

CMMS/SAP

Root Cause Analysis tools

Allen-Bradley PLCs

Predictive maintenance

Job description

The Engineering Maintenance Manager, reporting to the Plant Manager, will work independently and with other plant personnel to provide oversight and manage preventive, predictive, and break down maintenance. This role will ensure the safe, efficient and compliant operation of the plant, including the oversight of plant maintenance and reliability staff, monitoring production processes, and troubleshooting equipment issues, while safely meeting production goals, minimizing downtime, and maintaining high-quality standards. Selected candidates will be involved with equipment installations, startup and the commissioning of manufacturing and facilities equipment. All tasks will be performed while supporting the policies, goals, and objectives of the organization.

Shift Leader: The role will be based in Alexandria, Louisiana, with frequent travel to Kingston, Ontario.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Process & Equipment Reliability: Oversight of the maintenance of specialized RapidSX extraction units, piping, pumps, recovery systems, and all associated support equipment to maintain scheduled uptime at greater than 95%. Lead root cause analysis of any unscheduled downtime and time to recovery.
2. Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Enforce strict adherence to Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, and EPA regulations due to volatile or hazardous solvent usage such as concentrated acid, concentrated bases, and organic extractants.
3. Team Leadership: Manage, train, and schedule multi-shift Maintenance Technicians and the Reliability Engineer/Maintenance Planner.
4. Budget & Inventory Control: Manage annual repair budgets, capital improvement projects, and critical spare parts inventory.

Qualifications

1. Education: Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field.
2. Experience: 5-10 years of industrial plant maintenance experience, with at least 2-5 years in a supervisory or management role within a chemical, oil/gas, or heavy processing environment.
3. Technical Skills: Proficiency with Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS/SAP), Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and predictive maintenance technologies, including familiarity with Allen Bradley PLC controls.
4. Leadership: Proven track record of leadership in an industrial setting.
5. Experience with solvent extraction metallurgy is considered an asset.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to walk and stand for extended periods throughout an industrial plant.
• Ability to climb stairs, platforms, and access elevated or restricted areas.
• Ability to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach as needed for inspections.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 lbs. occasionally.
• Ability to visually inspect equipment, systems, drawings, gauges, and work areas.
• Ability to hear alarms, equipment sounds, and communications in a noisy environment.
• Ability to work safely around machinery, dust, noise, vibration, and temperature extremes.
• Ability to wear required PPE and comply with all plant safety requirements.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Ucore is a TSX-listed company commercializing its patent-pending RapidSX™ rare earth element (REE) separation technology through the advancement of its first commercial REE processing and rare earth oxide (REO) production facility in Alexandria, Louisiana. This facility, the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex (SMC), is currently under development with engineering underway as of August 2026. Ucore also continues to enhance and demonstrate its technology at its RapidSX™ Commercialization and Demonstration Facility (CDF) in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The company consists of a small team, with resources located globally and seeks to appoint an Engineering Maintenance Manager to join its team. This role will contribute to leading the implementation of corporate initiatives. Regular travel within the USA and Canada will be required.