Head of Engineering and Maintenance 3461167

Wetalentia; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Annual bonus

Job summary

A leading manufacturing company in Pennsylvania is seeking an Engineering & Maintenance Manager to oversee all engineering and maintenance activities in a food production facility. The ideal candidate will bring at least 10-12 years of experience combining maintenance and engineering expertise, ensuring reliability and efficiency of equipment, while driving improvements. Responsibilities include managing daily operations, compliance, and budget, as well as developing a high-performing maintenance team. Competitive salary and annual bonus are offered.

Qualifications

• Experience in food or pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
• Hands-on and plant-oriented, with a combination of technical and operational skills.
• Experience leading teams and driving performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily maintenance operations to ensure maximum uptime and reliability.
• Develop and optimize maintenance programs using a CMMS and data-driven approaches.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives among cross-functional teams.
• Partner with Production, Quality, and Engineering teams.
• Lead CapEx projects, equipment installations, and facility expansions.
• Manage contractors, vendors, and external partners.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP.
• Own maintenance budget and KPIs (OEE, cost, efficiency).
• Build and develop a high-performing maintenance team.

Skills

Maintenance expertise

Engineering knowledge

Project management

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Electrical Schematics

Cross-functional Leadership

Quality & Safety

Education

10-12 years in Maintenance and Engineering

Tools

Automation systems

CAD

Predictive maintenance systems

Job description

Location: Freeland, PA. This job is FT - On Site (NO hybrid or remote)

PLEASE, APPLY ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE SKILLS AND THE SENIORITY TO RUN THIS ROLE! AND EXPERIENCE IN A FOOD or PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING FACILITY

The Engineering & Maintenance Manager is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing all maintenance and engineering activities within the food production facility.

This role ensures the reliability, safety, and efficiency of all equipment, utilities, and infrastructure, while driving continuous improvement through preventive maintenance, CapEx initiatives, facility expansions, and operational excellence programs.

The ideal candidate combines hands-on maintenance expertise, engineering knowledge, and strong project management capabilities, with the ability to connect strategy and execution on the plant floor.

What You’ll Do

• Lead daily maintenance operations, ensuring maximum uptime, reliability, and performance
• Develop and optimize preventive and predictive maintenance programs (CMMS, data-driven approach, RCA)
• Drive a culture of breakdown elimination and continuous improvement
• Partner cross-functionally with Production, Quality, and Engineering teams
• Lead CapEx projects, equipment installations, and facility expansions, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery
• Manage contractors, vendors, and external partners
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP
• Own and manage maintenance budget, KPIs (OEE, cost, efficiency), and sustainability initiatives
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing maintenance team

What We’re Looking For

Core Experience (MANDATORY)

• Strong combined background in both Maintenance AND Engineering
• Candidates with only maintenance or only engineering experience will not be considered
• Proven experience in industrial/manufacturing environments (food preferred, pharma also highly relevant)

Project Management

• Solid experience managing CapEx, installations, expansions, or complex plant projects
• Ability to manage the “big picture”, not just technical execution
• Preferred profiles:
• Engineering + Project Management + some maintenance exposure → good fit
• Pure project managers without maintenance exposure are not suitable

Seniority & Profile Flexibility

• ~10–12 years experience if well-balanced across maintenance & engineering
• More senior profiles (15–20+ years)

Technical Skills

• Experience with automation systems, utilities (HVAC, refrigeration, boilers, compressors)
• Strong understanding of preventive/predictive maintenance systems
• Ability to read CAD drawings and electrical diagrams

Leadership

• Experience managing teams and driving performance
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

What Makes a Strong Candidate

• Hands-on and plant-oriented, not purely theoretical
• Comfortable balancing technical depth + operational execution
• Experienced in project ownership and cross-functional coordination
• Able to operate in a fast-paced, sometimes unstructured environment
• Solutions-driven with strong accountability

Additional Considerations

• Industry: Food or pharma
• International profiles (e.g., TN visa) considered only if already experienced in the U.S.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary + annual bonus