Head of Maintenance

Foster Farms; Fresno (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Foster Farms seeks a Head of Maintenance to lead planning, organizing, and directing maintenance across nine processing plants. You will develop asset management strategies to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations in line with Foster Farms' mission and ACTION principles.

Responsibilities include implementing TPM/Lean, managing budgets, and driving KPI performance while ensuring safety and food safety compliance across sites.

Qualifications

• BSME or equivalent experience in maintenance leadership.
• 7–10 years in food processing maintenance leadership.
• Multi-site experience preferred.
• Knowledge of safety codes (OSHA, USDA).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement maintenance and reliability strategies across nine plants.
• Create preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize uptime and food safety.
• Prepare and manage maintenance budget and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Monitor and report Maintenance KPIs to meet cost, productivity, quality, and safety targets.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, quality, safety, and supply chain to meet project objectives.
• Lead adoption of TPM/Lean and digital tools in maintenance operations.
• Ensure compliance with USDA, OSHA, PSM and internal safety standards.
• Provide training and mentorship to maintenance staff.
• Oversee capital planning for reliability improvements and asset lifecycle management.
• Drive data-driven decision making through digital tools.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance leadership

Budget management

Safety compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Project management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Digital tools

Job description

Salary Range: $175,000-$275,000 per year DOE

About Foster Farms

At Foster Farms, our mission is creating great food and serving great moments. Our vision is to be the best and most trusted food company, empowering and nourishing the lives of those we serve. We measure our success by how well we protect and care for our team, our consumers, our animals, and our environment, while delivering operational excellence and exceptional value to our customers.

Position Summary

The Head of Maintenance is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all aspects of the maintenance and reliability function across nine processing plants. This leader develops and executes asset management strategies that ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations, supporting Foster Farms' mission, vision, and ACTION guiding principles: Accountability, Collaboration, Truth-Seeking, Initiative, Ownership, and Nimbleness.

Essential Functions

• Develop and implement maintenance and reliability strategies and programs to ensure efficient operation, asset optimization, and enhanced operational efficiency.
• Create and execute preventive and predictive maintenance programs, including corrective measures, to maximize equipment uptime and food safety.
• Prepare and manage the maintenance budget, identifying and delivering cost‑saving opportunities while supporting EBITDA performance.
• Manage and report on Maintenance KPIs, consistently attaining department goals for cost, productivity, quality, and safety.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (operations, engineering, quality, safety, and supply chain) to ensure project objectives are met and operational gaps are closed.
• Lead the adoption of best practices in maintenance operations, including TPM/Lean, reliability‑centered maintenance, and digital tools.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and industry standards (USDA, OSHA, PSM), as well as Foster Farms' internal standards for safety, food safety, and environmental stewardship.
• Implement and enforce safety protocols to maintain a safe work environment for all team members.
• Provide professional development, training, and mentorship for departmental personnel, fostering a culture of continual improvement and internal promotion.
• Oversee capital planning for reliability improvements, obsolescence mitigation, and asset lifecycle management.
• Integrate digital tools and analytics to enable predictive maintenance and data‑driven decision making.
• Build and lead a high‑performing, diverse team of maintenance and reliability professionals, modeling Foster Farms' ACTION principles in every decision and interaction.

Success Measures

• Safety: FSQA audit scores, safety rates, and environmental compliance.
• Reliability: OEE, unplanned downtime, PM/PdM compliance, planned vs. reactive work ratio.
• Financial: Maintenance cost savings, CapEx ROI.
• People: Retention, internal promotions, training, and team engagement.
• Customer: Key customer growth, perfect order rates, household penetration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering preferred, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 7‑10 years of maintenance and reliability leadership experience in the food processing (poultry) industry, with multi‑site responsibility preferred.
• Strong knowledge of building systems, relevant codes and standards, safety regulations, compliance, and risk management.
• Proven leadership, communication, organizational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Budget management and cost control skills.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and execute tasks in a changing and demanding work environment.
• Demonstrated alignment with Foster Farms' ACTION principles.

Foster Farms ACTION Guiding Principles

• Accountability: Deliver on commitments.
• Collaboration: Achieve more by working as a team.
• Truth‑Seeking: Be open‑minded and act with humility.
• Initiative: Be proactive and lead with a growth mindset.
• Ownership: Take responsibility for results.
• Nimble: Operate with speed and agility.

Why Join Foster Farms?

This is a high‑impact opportunity to shape the future of maintenance and reliability at a leading food company, directly supporting our mission, vision, and values. You will play a critical role in delivering safe, high‑quality food and great moments for millions of families.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities. This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.