Maintenance and Reliability Manager

AAK AB; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 126,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Health Savings Account

401(k) match

Life and Disability Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

AAK AB, a global leader in plant-based oils, seeks a Maintenance & Reliability Manager in Louisville, KY. This role leads maintenance and reliability to maximize equipment uptime, reduce costs, and ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

The position supervises the maintenance team, plans budgets, and implements TPM and continuous improvement programs. Ideal candidates have 7–10+ years in industrial maintenance, 5–7 years in supervision, and a strong background in CMMS, RCA, and reliability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Chemical, Manufacturing, or Reliability Engineering.
• 7-10+ years industrial/manufacturing maintenance experience.
• 5-7 years maintenance supervisory/management experience.
• Optional certifications: CMRP, CRL, CPE, PMP, Lean Six Sigma

Responsibilities

• Lead maintenance and reliability activities for plant equipment, utilities, facilities, and infrastructure.
• Develop and execute preventive, predictive, and proactive maintenance programs.
• Establish maintenance strategies based on criticality, failure history, risk and impact.
• Monitor maintenance KPIs: downtime, PM compliance, MTBF/MTTR, costs.
• Lead RCA and failure investigations to improve MTTR/MTBF.
• Develop reliability initiatives including condition monitoring and TPM.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Maintenance planning

Reliability engineering

Root cause analysis

OEE improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

CMMS (E-Maint)

PLC controls

Instrumentation

Spare parts management

Job description

Making Better Happen
Our story goes back more than 150 years, tothe windy coast where Sweden and Denmark meet.
From our success in Scandinavia, we've growninto the world's leading specialist producer of plant-based oils, employingmore than 4000 people all across the globe.
We work with our customers to make theproducts you love even better. The oils we produce go into making yourchocolate extra creamy or putting the crunch into your croissant. And it'snot just food - we work across industries to make products that are higherquality, healthier and better for the planet.
Every one of us works towards our sharedpurpose: Making Better Happen™.
Everything we do is about Making BetterHappen together.
Join nearly 4,000 like-minded colleagues globally and build abetter future with us.
Build a better future as a Maintenance & Reliability Manager in Louisville, KY
Compensation Range: $126,000 - $140,000
Possible Bonus: 10%

About the role

To leadthe maintenance and reliability function of the manufacturing plant by ensuringsafe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of all equipment and facilities.The role is responsible for maximizing equipment availability and productionuptime through preventive and predictive maintenance, effective planning andexecution, root-cause analysis, reliability improvement initiatives, andcontinuous improvement. The manager will develop and lead the maintenance team,optimize maintenance resources and costs, and establish systems that reduceunplanned downtime, improve asset performance, and extend equipment life whilemaintaining compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all maintenance and reliability activities for plant equipment, machinery, utilities,facilities, and infrastructure.
• Develop and execute preventive,predictive, and proactive maintenance programs to maximize equipmentreliability, availability, and operating life.
• Establish maintenance strategies based onequipment criticality, failure history, risk, and business impact.
• Monitor equipment performance andmaintenance KPIs, including unplanned downtime, planned vs. unplannedwork, PM compliance, MTBF, MTTR, maintenance cost, and equipmentavailability.
• Partner with Production, Engineering,Quality, Safety, and Operations leadership to improve plant performanceand eliminate recurring equipment issues.
• Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) and failureinvestigations for significant equipment failures, recurring breakdowns,and chronic losses to improve MTTR and MTBF KPIs.
• Develop and implement reliabilityimprovement initiatives, including condition monitoring, predictivemaintenance, precision maintenance, and failure prevention.
• Ensure maintenance work is properlyplanned, scheduled, prioritized, executed, and documented through theplant's CMMS/EAM system and establish procedures and systems for PMs andMRO setup.
• Manage the maintenance backlog andestablish appropriate priorities based on safety, production requirements,equipment criticality, and available resources.
• Develop annual maintenance plans,shutdown/turnaround plans, and maintenance budgets; monitor spending andidentify cost-reduction opportunities.
• Manage maintenance contractors, serviceproviders, and vendors to ensure work is completed safely, effectively,and in accordance with plant requirements.
• Ensure adequate availability and controlof critical spare parts, maintenance materials, tools, and equipment.
• Lead the maintenance team throuheffective staffing, training, coaching, performance management, anddevelopment of technical capabilities.
• Establish clear maintenance procedures,standards, work instructions, and equipment care practices.
• Ensure compliance with all applicablesafety, environmental, regulatory, and company requirements, includingsafe work practices, lockout/tagout, and permit requirements.
• Participate in equipment selection,capital projects, equipment installation, commissioning, and start-up toensure maintainability and reliability are incorporated into new assets.
• Conduct equipment and maintenanceassessments to identify reliability risks and opportunities forimprovement.
• Implement Total Productive Maintenance(TPM), Lean Maintenance, or other continuous improvement methodologies asappropriate.
• Analyze maintenance data and trends toidentify opportunities to reduce failures, downtime, labor costs, energyconsumption, and maintenance expenses.
• Maintain accurate equipment records,maintenance history, asset information, bills of material, preventivemaintenance tasks, and technical documentation.
• Ensure maintenance activities areperformed in accordance with established quality standards and supportplant quality objectives.
• Develop and maintain emergency responseand equipment recovery plans to minimize the impact of critical failures.
• Coordinate planned outages and majormaintenance activities with Production and other plant functions tominimize operational disruption.
• Identify opportunities to improveequipment design, maintainability, spare parts strategy, and lifecyclecost.
• Support continuous improvement projectsfocused on throughput, OEE, asset utilization, and overall plantperformance.
• Prepare and present maintenance andreliability performance reports, including trends, risks, action plans,and improvement results, to plant leadership.
• Promote a proactive reliability culturefocused on preventing failures rather than reacting to breakdowns.
• Perform other duties and responsibilitiesas assigned by plant or operations leadership.Work with EHSS Site Lead tocreate world class procedures around Construction Management and HighHazard Work Permitting - embed in site work, for all people working at thefacility.

About you

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferably in Mechanical/Electrical/Chemical, Manufacturing,or Reliability Engineering degree or related.
• 7-10+ years of industrial/manufacturing maintenance experience
• 5-7 years of maintenance supervisory or management experience
• Demonstrated success improving equipment uptime, OEE, MTBF, MTTR,and maintenance costs.
• Optional certifications: CMRP, CRL, CPE, PMP, and Lean Six Sigma

Technical Knowledge

• Mechanicaland electrical systems
• Motors,pumps, gearboxes, and pneumatics
• PLCs,controls, instrumentation, and automation
• CMMSsystems (preferably E-Maint)
• Refrigerationsystems including ammonia and propylene glycol
• Root causeanalysis (RCA)
• Spareparts and inventory management
• OSHA,electrical safety, LOTO, and other applicable safety requirements

Leadership and Management

• Ability tolead maintenance and utilities organization and set priorities
• Strongcommunication and conflict resolution skills
• Ability todevelop technicians and maintenance associates
• Budgeting, staffing, contractor management, and capitalproject experience

In return AAK offer

• Career paths, training and development,e-learning and tuition reimbursement programs offer potential for you to progress your future career
• Comprehensive health insurance (medical,dental and vision) starting date of hire
• Health Savings Account with AAK annualcontribution of $1,000-$1,500
• Wematch 100% of the first 3% you contribute to your 401(k), and 50% of thenext 3%
• Free Life and Disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Supplemental Pet Insurance, IdentityTheft Protection and Legal Insurance Plans
• Discounts on travel, amusement parks,concerts, movies, and more
• Celebrations, events, and activities onsite and supporting our communities
• Recognition incentives for service andpeer to peer recognition

About AAK

Everything AAK does is aboutMaking Better Happen™. We specialize in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. We make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable. At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development, combining our desire to understand what better means for each customer, with the unique flexibility of our production assets, and a deep knowledge of many products and industries, including Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice and Personal Care. Our4,000employees support our close collaboration with customers through 25 regional sales offices, 15 dedicated Customer Innovation Centers, and with the support of more than 20 production facilities. Listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has been Making Better Happen™ for more than 150 years.

AAKprohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation,age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status,and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state orfederal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of studentsin its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment.