Maintenance and Reliability Manager

Roquette; United States; On-site; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Comprehensive benefits

Wellness programs

Paid time off

Job summary

Roquette seeks a Maintenance & Reliability Leader for its Newark, Delaware site. This strategic leadership role influences maintenance, reliability, engineering, safety, and capital planning, serving as primary backup to the Site Leader.

The position impacts plant performance, asset lifecycle, and cost effectiveness across the site. The ideal candidate will lead a team of ~20 professionals, drive improvements in OEE and MTBF, and champion Roquette’s continuous improvement culture while ensuring

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; engineering degree preferred.
• Minimum 8+ years in manufacturing, maintenance, or reliability leadership.
• Experience leading technical teams and managing budgets and priorities.
• Experience in regulated environments (pharma/food/chemical) is a plus.
• Strong experience with maintenance and reliability systems and TPM/Lean is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high‑performing maintenance and reliability organization to maximize plant reliability.
• Drive safety, asset reliability, and productivity improvements across maintenance activities.
• Develop future leaders and model Roquette’s values.
• Own site maintenance and reliability strategy including OEE, MTBF, MTTR, and PM compliance.
• Coordinate maintenance turnarounds, shutdowns, and major activities safely and efficiently.
• Lead capital projects, infrastructure improvements, and contractor management.

Skills

Safety leadership

Root cause analysis

Leadership

Problem solving

Communication

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Engineering degree preferred

Tools

CMMS systems

Maintenance planning processes

MS Office

Job description

Position Overview

Roquette, a family‑owned global leader in plant‑based ingredients and pharmaceutical excipients, is seeking a Maintenance & Reliability Leader to join our Newark, Delaware site. This critical leadership role provides broad influence across maintenance, reliability, engineering, safety, capital planning, and operational performance, and serves as the primary backup to the Site Leader.

Compensation and Benefits

Estimated salary range: $125,000 – $175,000 plus performance‑based incentive compensation.

• Competitive pay and annual performance bonus
• Comprehensive benefits package
• 6.2% company retirement contribution
• Professional development opportunities
• Generous paid time off and 12 annual paid company holidays
• 12 weeks 100% paid maternity leave
• Up to 4 weeks 100% paid parental leave (including adoption, surrogacy, foster care leave) for non‑birthing parents
• Student loan repayment assistance and tuition reimbursement program for select roles
• Annual wellness benefit and wellness‑centered programs

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a high‑performing maintenance and reliability organization to achieve maximum plant reliability.
• Influence site strategy and operational performance in partnership with the Site Leader and Newark Management Team.
• Drive meaningful improvements in safety, asset reliability, and productivity across all maintenance activities.
• Develop future leaders and technical talent, and model Roquette’s values throughout the organization.
• Own and execute the site's maintenance and reliability strategy, including OEE, MTBF, MTTR, preventive maintenance compliance, and cost effectiveness.
• Lead maintenance, reliability engineering, utilities, facilities, and infrastructure engineering activities.
• Run preventive, predictive, precision, and reliability‑centered maintenance programs and implement asset management life‑cycle strategies.
• Own site asset criticality assessments and long‑term equipment replacement strategies.
• Ensure effective maintenance planning, scheduling, and work execution processes and champion the use of maintenance management systems and analytics.
• Coordinate and execute maintenance turnarounds, shutdowns, and major maintenance activities safely and efficiently.
• Support process automation, engineering, and operational teams through technical leadership and problem‑solving expertise.
• Partner with the Site Leader to achieve EHS&Q goals, maintain regulatory and permit compliance, and advocate Roquette’s Life‑Saving Rules.
• Maintain a strong field presence to coach employees, reinforce standards, identify risks, recognize positive behaviors, and understand operational challenges.
• Review maintenance work plans for safety, environmental, process safety, and quality requirements.
• Drive initiatives to eliminate hazards, lead investigations, corrective actions, and continuous learning efforts.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001, FSSC, EXCiPACT, and all applicable regulatory requirements.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of approximately 20 maintenance and technical professionals.
• Build and sustain a high‑performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, and continuous learning.
• Partner with Human Resources to recruit, develop, and retain top technical talent and conduct performance management activities.
• Manage employee relations and disciplinary matters consistently and fairly.
• Foster collaboration between Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, and support functions.
• Lead development of site capital improvement and infrastructure investment plans aligned with reliability, safety, sustainability, and business objectives.
• Oversee utilities, facilities engineering, maintenance contracts, and infrastructure programs and manage contractor performance.
• Own and manage the site maintenance budget in partnership with the Site Leader and Cost Accountant, and participate in COGS management.
• Drive improvements in maintenance cost effectiveness while maintaining reliability and compliance standards.
• Understand plant profitability drivers, support business decisions that maximize margin and EBITDA, and evaluate projects through ROI analysis.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, Root Cause Investigation, and continuous improvement methodologies and support cross‑functional improvement efforts.
• Develop strong partnerships across EHS, Operations, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Corporate functions.
• Measure success through continuous improvement in personal safety, process safety, environmental, and quality performance; increased equipment reliability, availability, and asset effectiveness; reduced unplanned downtime; and sustainable implementation of continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Engineering degree preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 8+ years manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, or reliability experience; 10+ years manufacturing leadership preferred.
• Leadership: Experience leading technical teams and managing maintenance budgets, resources, and priorities.
• Technical: Strong experience with maintenance and reliability systems, processes, and strategies; proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Preferable Experience: Experience in pharmaceutical, food, specialty chemical, or other regulated manufacturing environments; reliability engineering or asset management experience; leading maintenance turnarounds and shutdowns; expertise with CMMS systems and maintenance planning processes; Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, or other continuous improvement certifications; leading capital projects and infrastructure improvements.

Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, and quality.
• Strong technical problem‑solving and analytical capabilities.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to influence across all organizational levels.
• Root cause analysis and troubleshooting expertise.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Strong change management and continuous improvement leadership skills.
• Exceptional communication, coaching, and interpersonal skills.
• Financial acumen and business‑owner mindset.
• Ability to build trust, inspire teams, and drive accountability.
• Strong facilitation, collaboration, and cross‑functional leadership abilities.

Business Travel

Occasional domestic and international travel may be required.

Supervisory Responsibility

This role directly leads a team of approximately 20 maintenance, reliability, and technical professionals.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Approximately 70% office time and 30% manufacturing plant time.
• Visible field presence is expected to support safe operations, employee engagement, and effective leadership.
• Physical demands: Stand, walk, climb stairs, access industrial equipment areas, use hands and arms to handle tools, work in hot, cold, noisy, and industrial environments, wear required personal protective equipment.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

AAP/EEO Statement

Roquette is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. “AAP, EEO, Drug‑Free Workplace”