Maintenance Manager

Pero Family Farms Food Company LLC; Benton Harbor (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Pero Family Farms Food Company LLC seeks an experienced Maintenance Manager to lead the maintenance function in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. This hands-on leadership role focuses on mechanical, electrical, automation, and industrial maintenance to ensure safe, reliable operations.

The ideal candidate will build preventive and predictive maintenance programs, reduce downtime, and develop a high-performing team while partnering with production leadership to keep lines running

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive industrial maintenance experience, preferably in food manufacturing.
• Experience leading or managing a maintenance team.
• Hands-on knowledge of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, refrigeration, controls, and industrial automation systems.
• Experience developing and managing preventive maintenance programs.
• Experience with CMMS and maintenance performance metrics.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience with root cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of OSHA, LOTO, HACCP, and food manufacturing safety requirements.
• Ability to lead technicians on the floor.
• Willingness to work extended hours and on-call rotations when needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of equipment maintenance, facility upkeep, and maintenance operations.
• Proactively identify maintenance requirements by monitoring equipment and facilities.
• Develop, implement, and improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Establish maintenance schedules to maximize reliability and minimize downtime.
• Troubleshoot failures and coordinate timely repairs with vendors and teams.
• Collaborate with Production leadership to schedule planned downtime with minimal disruption.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives for reliability, efficiency, safety, and cost reduction.
• Analyze maintenance history to identify recurring problems and improvement opportunities.
• Apply reliability best practices including RCA, RCM, TPM, CBM, and PdM.

Skills

Leadership

Troubleshooting

Root cause analysis

Preventive maintenance

Predictive maintenance

Equipment reliability

Industrial automation

CMMS

Safety leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

CMMS

Job description

We are looking for an experienced, hands‑on Maintenance Manager to lead the maintenance function within a fast‑paced food manufacturing and processing environment.

This is a leadership role for someone who understands that effective maintenance is more than fixing equipment when it breaks. The ideal candidate brings a strong background in mechanical, electrical, automation, and industrial maintenance, with a proven ability to build preventive and predictive maintenance programs, reduce downtime, improve equipment reliability, and develop a high-performing maintenance team.

The successful candidate will be equally comfortable leading from the floor, troubleshooting equipment, reviewing maintenance data, managing vendors, developing technicians, and partnering with production leadership to keep our operation running safely and efficiently.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Maintenance & Reliability Leadership

• Lead all aspects of equipment maintenance, facility upkeep, and maintenance operations.
• Monitor equipment and facility conditions and proactively identify maintenance requirements.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Establish maintenance schedules designed to maximize equipment reliability and minimize unplanned downtime.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, controls, and equipment failures and coordinate timely repairs.
• Partner with Production leadership to schedule planned downtime while minimizing disruption to operations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on equipment reliability, efficiency, safety, and cost reduction.
• Analyze equipment performance and maintenance history to identify recurring problems and opportunities for improvement.
• Apply reliability best practices, including Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM), and Predictive Maintenance (PdM).

Maintenance Systems & Performance

• Manage and maintain the department's CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System).
• Establish and monitor key maintenance metrics, including MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), MTTR (Mean Time to Repair/Recovery), equipment availability, and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
• Ensure accurate documentation of inspections, repairs, preventive maintenance, parts usage, and equipment history.
• Maintain an effective MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) inventory and parts management process.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment life, energy efficiency, labor utilization, and maintenance costs.
• Lead, supervise, and develop the maintenance team with a strong focus on accountability, safety, technical development, and teamwork.
• Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, training, and ongoing development of maintenance personnel.
• Establish clear expectations and work standards for maintenance activities.
• Foster a culture where technicians are encouraged to identify problems, suggest improvements, and take ownership of equipment reliability.
• Ensure maintenance employees have the training, tools, resources, and technical support necessary to perform their jobs effectively.
• Promote a proactive maintenance culture rather than a reactive 'break‑fix' environment.

Safety, Food Safety & Compliance

• Establish and enforce safe maintenance work practices and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with LOTO (Lockout/Tagout) and other applicable safety requirements.
• Ensure maintenance activities support food safety, sanitation, and HACCP requirements.
• Maintain compliance with applicable FDA, USDA, OSHA, and local and federal regulations.
• Ensure maintenance work is completed in a manner that protects product integrity and the food manufacturing environment.
• Maintain required maintenance, inspection, safety, and regulatory documentation.
• Oversee facility maintenance, including HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, electrical systems, lighting, structural repairs, and general building systems.
• Manage outside contractors, service providers, and specialized maintenance vendors.
• Evaluate vendors based on quality, responsiveness, safety, and cost.
• Develop and manage the maintenance department budget, including labor, parts, repairs, services, and capital requirements.
• Forecast maintenance needs and proactively plan for equipment replacement, upgrades, and capital improvements.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• 7+ years of progressive industrial maintenance experience, preferably within food manufacturing, food processing, packaging, distribution, or another highly regulated production environment.
• Previous experience leading or managing a maintenance team.
• Strong hands‑on knowledge of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, refrigeration, controls, and industrial automation systems.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing preventive maintenance programs.
• Experience working with a CMMS and maintenance performance metrics.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Experience with equipment reliability, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Working knowledge of OSHA, LOTO, HACCP, and food manufacturing safety requirements.
• Ability to work directly on equipment and effectively lead technicians in a hands‑on production environment.
• Willingness and ability to work extended hours, weekends, holidays, and participate in an on‑call rotation when operationally necessary.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Maintenance, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Strong technical education, certifications, or equivalent advanced industrial maintenance experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Maintenance management experience within a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience with automation, PLCs, VFDs, robotics, refrigeration, conveyors, packaging equipment, and production‑line systems.
• Experience implementing reliability‑centered maintenance or predictive maintenance programs.

THE RIGHT BACKGROUND

We’re looking for a maintenance leader who has built a career in the field, not someone whose experience is limited to managing from an office.

Strong candidates may have career histories that include roles such as:

or similar progressive technical leadership positions.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Hands‑on technical leadership
• Mechanical and electrical troubleshooting
• Equipment reliability
• Preventive and predictive maintenance
• Automation and controls
• Root cause analysis
• Planning and organization
• Problem analysis and resolution
• Decision‑making
• Budget management
• Team development and accountability
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Cross‑functional collaboration
• Safety and food safety leadership

WORKING CONDITIONS

This is a primarily onsite leadership position within a food production and processing environment.

The role combines office‑based planning, scheduling, reporting, budgeting, and administrative responsibilities with significant time on the production floor inspecting equipment, troubleshooting problems, supervising technicians, and supporting operations.

The position may involve exposure to:

• Production machinery and processing lines
• Electrical systems
• Refrigeration, HVAC, and ventilation equipment
• Warehouse, storage, and loading dock areas
• Heat, cold, humidity, and wet environments
• Machinery noise
• Dust, food particles, and cleaning chemicals
• Moving equipment and industrial systems

Required PPE may include gloves, safety glasses/goggles, hard hats, hearing protection, and other protective equipment appropriate to the work environment.

Extended hours, nights, weekends, holidays, and on‑call availability may be required during emergency breakdowns, planned maintenance, or critical production periods.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods while inspecting facilities and equipment.
• Frequent bending, stooping, reaching, climbing ladders, and using stairs.
• Manual dexterity to operate tools, equipment, controls, and machinery.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull moderate to heavy objects such as tools, parts, and equipment components.
• Ability to safely work around moving machinery, electrical systems, and industrial equipment.
• Visual acuity sufficient to inspect equipment, read gauges, identify defects, and review technical documentation.