Head of Maintenance

Chicken of the Sea International; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Chicken of the Sea International is seeking a hands-on Head of Maintenance to lead our maintenance team and ensure reliability, safety, and efficiency of plant equipment in our Kentucky area operations. You will partner with Production, Quality, and Engineering to support continuous improvement and high-performing operations.

The role focuses on preventive/corrective maintenance, KPI tracking, safety compliance, and capital project support, with a clear path to optimize uptime and cost

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• 5+ years of maintenance leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and process controls.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the maintenance team; oversee daily task assignments and performance.
• Manage preventive and corrective maintenance programs to maximize equipment uptime.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and process control issues.
• Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, and new technology implementation.
• Track and improve KPIs (OEE, downtime, work order completion).
• Ensure compliance with all safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Manage budgets, purchase requisitions, and maintenance planning schedules.
• Partner with Production teams to support availability, changeovers, and operational priorities.
• Lead weekly maintenance review meetings covering OEE trends, downtime drivers, project updates, and open corrective actions.
• Ensure accurate documentation of JTAs, work instructions, PM procedures, and maintenance records.
• Drive continuous improvement through Lean tools (GEMBA walks, 5 Whys, RCA, Failure Analysis, Kaizen events).
• Support shutdown planning, including schedules, parts preparation, and coordination with production.
• Monitor spare parts inventory and optimize usage for reliability and cost efficiency.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Mechanical knowledge

Electrical knowledge

Problem solving

Lean/CI tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

CMMS

Oracle

Packtrax

Lean tools

Job description

Chicken of the Sea is an iconic American brand that was founded in 1930. Today, Chicken of the Sea enjoys broad distribution across all major retail channels, with growth opportunities in foodservice and outside the U.S. Besides its eponymous brand, Chicken of the Sea also sells Genova and King Oscar premium seafood products.

Chicken of the Sea International (COSI) has been wholly owned since 2000 by Thai Union (TU), the largest global producer of ambient seafood. Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods is a sister U.S. company that focuses on frozen and chilled seafood sales. Other iconic seafood brands in the TU Global portfolio include John West, Mareblu, and King Oscar. Under the leadership of CEO Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union has more than tripled its revenue to over $4 billion annually and has an aggressive growth agenda.

Chicken of the Sea International operates under the common corporate vision, mission and values of Thai Union, an industry leader in sustainable fishing practices and manufacturing processes that capture the freshness, nutritional value, and sensorial experience of seafood. The global organization lives by the 6 deeply held values: Passionate, Humble, Respectful, Responsible, Collaborative, and Innovative.

COSI is an organization that is very proud of its heritage. First established as VanCamp seafood company more than 100 years ago (1914), the company celebrates its story as one of the oldest food companies in the country that is still in operation.The company is currently undergoing a significant business transformation aimed at accelerating business growth.

Overview of the Role

We are seeking a hands-on, results-driven Head of Maintenance to lead our maintenance team and ensure the reliability, safety, and efficiency of all plant equipment. This role partners closely with Production, Quality, and Engineering to support continuous improvement and high-performing operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the maintenance team; oversee daily task assignments and performance.
• Manage preventive and corrective maintenance programs to maximize equipment uptime.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and process control issues.
• Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, and new technology implementation.
• Track and improve KPIs (OEE, downtime, work order completion).
• Ensure compliance with all safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Manage budgets, purchase requisitions, and maintenance planning schedules.
• Partner with Production teams to support availability, changeovers, and operational priorities.
• Lead weekly maintenance review meetings covering OEE trends, downtime drivers, project updates, and open corrective actions.
• Ensure accurate documentation of JTAs, work instructions, PM procedures, and maintenance records.
• Drive continuous improvement through Lean tools (GEMBA walks, 5 Whys, RCA, Failure Analysis, Kaizen events).
• Support shutdown planning, including schedules, parts preparation, and coordination with production.
• Monitor spare parts inventory and optimize usage for reliability and cost efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• 5+ years of maintenance leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and process controls.
• Proven ability to lead teams, prioritize tasks, and drive results.
• Experience with CMMS systems and Lean/continuous improvement tools.
• Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Packtrax, Oracle, or similar systems.

Lean Manufacturing certifications (5S, TPM, Kaizen).

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, communicate (typically by talking, listening, writing, and typing), move around the office to various locations for meetings and in-person gatherings, and reach or carry materials with arms and hands.

Moreover, the employee is required to operate telephones, computers and other standard office equipment. Employee may, on occasion, be required to lift up to 35 lbs.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

Thai Union / Chicken of the Sea International is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally recognized basis, including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniformed service member status, marital status, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex (including pregnancy), age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline and termination.