Maintenance Director - Pet Food/Protein Conversion

JBS Foods; Sumter (SC); On-site; USD 149,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

401(k) match

Annual bonus

Job summary

Pilgrim’s is seeking a Director of Maintenance for our Protein Conversion and Pet Food unit with oversight across multiple locations in the South. You will lead maintenance operations, guide capital projects, and drive continuous improvement while ensuring safety and budget alignment.

The role requires 8–10 years of leadership in maintenance, strong communication skills, and willingness to travel 50–75%; relocation to near one facility is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred, but not required.
• 8-10 years of maintenance leadership experience, with a focus on process execution and measurement.
• Experience in the poultry processing and/or food manufacturing
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong troubleshooting skills.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to multitask.
• Travel 50%-75%.
• This person should live near or be willing to relocate to one of the facilities in this Business Unit.

Responsibilities

• Safety: Implements and enforces Company safety policy.
• Process Management: Manages and drives the maintenance process across the business unit, ensuring all procedures are executed efficiently and effectively.
• Team Building: Builds strong maintenance teams, fosters collaboration and ensuring team members are well-trained and motivated.
• Corporate Goals Support: Aligns maintenance activities with corporate goals, ensuring that maintenance efforts contribute to the overall success of the organization.
• Process Execution and Measurement: Oversees the execution of maintenance processes and measures their effectiveness to ensure continuous improvement.
• Budget Management: Manages the maintenance budget process, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals.
• Coaching and Development: Coaches maintenance managers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring they have the skills needed to lead their teams effectively.
• Intermediary Role: Acts as an intermediary between complex management and business unit leadership, ensuring clear communication and alignment of maintenance goals with business objectives.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Process execution

Troubleshooting

Communication

Time management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s Degree preferred

Job description

Description

Director of Maintenance – Protein Conversion & Pet Food

JOB PURPOSE

The Director of Maintenance will direct, support and manage a team of maintenance personnel for our Protein Conversion and Pet Food Business Unit of over 9 locations spread across the South to include wastewater, rendering and steam generation operation. Directs and Leads capital expenditures, projects and facility expansions while maintaining production efficiencies within budgetary parameters. Drives continuous improvement within the maintenance organization. This person should live near or be willing to relocate to one of the facilities within this Business Unit.

***There is ON E opening and the selected candidate can be located at Douglas, GA Rendering, Sumter, SC Rendering or Mt. Pleasant, TX Rendering/Pet Food.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Safety: Implements and enforces Company safety policy.


• Process Management: Manages and drives the maintenance process across the business unit, ensuring all procedures are executed efficiently and effectively.


• Team Building: Builds strong maintenance teams, fosters collaboration and ensuring team members are well-trained and motivated.


• Corporate Goals Support: Aligns maintenance activities with corporate goals, ensuring that maintenance efforts contribute to the overall success of the organization.


• Process Execution and Measurement: Oversees the execution of maintenance processes and measures their effectiveness to ensure continuous improvement.


• Budget Management: Manages the maintenance budget process, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals.


• Coaching and Development: Coaches maintenance managers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring they have the skills needed to lead their teams effectively.


• Intermediary Role: Acts as an intermediary between complex management and business unit leadership, ensuring clear communication and alignment of maintenance goals with business objectives.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred, but not required.


• 8-10 years of maintenance leadership experience, with a focus on process execution and measurement.


• Experience in the poultry processing and/or food manufacturing


• Excellent oral and written communication skills.


• Strong troubleshooting skills.


• Strong customer service skills.


• Strong time management and organizational skills.


• Ability to multitask.


• Travel 50%-75%.


• This person should live near or be willing to relocate to one of the facilities in this Business Unit.

Why Work for Pilgrim’s?

• Benefits: Vision, Medical, and Dental coverage begin after 60 days of employment;


• Paid Time Off: sick leave, vacation, and 6 company observed holidays;


• 401(k): company match begins after the first year of service and follows the company vesting schedule;


• Base Salary range of $148,818.00 - $180,813.60


• Incentive Pay: This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s annual bonus plan; the amount of bonus varies and is subject to the standard terms and conditions of the incentive program; and


• Career Development: Our company is dedicated to supporting professional growth by offering continuous learning opportunities and a focus on career growth through various learning and development programs;


• Better Futures

The Company is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our team members and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct drug, alcohol, and background checks for all new team members post-offer and prior to the start of employment. The Immigration Reform and Control Act requires that verification of employment eligibility be documented for all new employees by the end of the third day of work.

About us

Pilgrim’s is a leading global food company with more than 62,000 team members worldwide. The company processes, prepares, packages, and delivers fresh, frozen, and value-added food products for customers in more than 100 countries. Pilgrim’s operates protein processing plants and prepared foods facilities in 14 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K, the Republic of Ireland and continental Europe.

Our mission

To be the best in all that we do, completely focused on our business, ensuring the best products and services to our customers, a relationship of trust with our suppliers, profitability for our shareholders and the opportunity of a better future for all of our team members.

Our core values are

Availability, Determination, Discipline, Humility, Ownership, Simplicity, Sincerity

EOE, including disability/vets

Unsolicited Assistance: JBS and its companies do not accept unsolicited assistance from any recruitment vendors for any of our open jobs. All resumes or candidate profiles submitted by recruitment vendors or headhunters to any employee at JBS and its companies or via the applicant tracking system, in any form without a valid written request and search agreement previously approved by HR, will be solely owned by JBS and its companies. No fees will be paid should the candidate be hired by JBS and its companies because of an unsolicited referral.