Maintenance Manager

Chicago Meat Authority; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) Employer Match

Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

On-site Fitness Center

Meat Purchase Program

Job summary

Chicago Meat Authority (CMA) in Chicago’s Stockyards seeks a Maintenance Manager to lead maintenance across all shifts, drive preventive and predictive programs, and minimize downtime in a fast-paced processing facility. Ideal candidates have a mechanical/industrial engineering degree, 5+ years in production maintenance, CMMS experience, and strong leadership with analytical skills.

CMA offers a competitive package including 401(k) match, paid holidays, an on-site gym, and a Meat Purchase

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or industrial engineering or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years’ experience with production maintenance in a related environment.
• Experience utilizing CMMS and peripheral systems (work orders, asset register, parts inventory, etc.).
• PC proficiency (Microsoft suite; PLC programming and CAD a plus).

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage all maintenance activities and staff across all shifts.
• Lead maintenance planning: preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance.
• Establish a 24/7 emergency maintenance response program to minimize downtime.
• Enforce safety and food-safety compliance and GMP/HACCP requirements.
• Manage maintenance budget, parts, and inventory to minimize downtime.
• Partner with Production Management to address equipment and production-flow issues.
• Oversee facilities infrastructure and utilities maintenance (refrigeration, electrical, HVAC, etc.).
• Coordinate with contractors for expansions and improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Prioritization

Multi-tasking

Communication

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or industrial engineering

Tools

CMMS

Microsoft Office

PLC programming

CAD

Job description

Chicago Meat Authority (CMA) is proud to have celebrated 34 years in the food industry. Located in Chicago’s historic Stockyards, CMA is a forward-thinking processor of value-added beef, pork, and poultry items with a strong focus on selling the Healthcare, Hotel, and Institutional Markets (HRI), meat purveyors, and multi-unit regional and national chains up to and including big box stores. In addition, CMA specializes in custom cuts for further processors including but not limited to grinding operations, deli manufacturers, and the prepared entrée market.

CMA is seeking a Maintenance Manager to be responsible for the on-going maintenance of the facility and equipment. The job requires a high level of expertise and strong leadership skills. This is a fast-paced environment that requires swift and strategic decisions to prevent downtime. The position also requires analytical skills to develop new ideas, systems, and technology, along with improving current ones.

What You Get to Do

• Direct and manage all maintenance activities and staff across all shifts, ensuring timely response to equipment issues, effective staffing, and reliable support of production operations.
• Lead maintenance planning, including preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance, to maximize the availability, reliability, and performance of processing equipment, building systems, and facility infrastructure.
• Establish and maintain an effective 24/7 emergency maintenance response program to minimize equipment downtime, production disruption, and product loss.
• Monitor, promote, teach, support, and champion safety processes and culture within the Maintenance Department, including ownership and enforcement of the facility’s Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) and machine-guarding programs, required training, inspections, and safe work practices.
• Enforce and champion all CMA policies and procedures to protect employees, company property, tools, equipment, raw materials, and finished products.
• Establish and maintain systems to continuously monitor equipment condition and reliability, utilizing the CMMS to manage preventive-maintenance schedules, work orders, equipment histories, maintenance backlog, and performance metrics to identify recurring failures, improve equipment uptime, and drive continuous improvement.
• Manage the maintenance budget and ensure cost-effective decisions regarding equipment repairs, capital purchases, critical spare parts, and maintenance supplies while maintaining appropriate inventory levels to minimize production downtime.
• Partner with Production Management to develop proactive solutions to equipment and production-flow issues, including preventive engineering, equipment improvements, layout alterations, and daily plant setups.
• Lead maintenance of critical facility infrastructure and utilities, including refrigeration, electrical, HVAC, compressed air, boilers, water/wastewater, building systems, and processing equipment, as applicable.
• Coordinate the company’s fire protection and safety control programs and support compliance with applicable OSHA, EPA, USDA/FSIS, and other regulatory requirements. Partner with Quality Assurance and Sanitation to ensure all maintenance activities meet food safety, sanitation, GMP, HACCP, and USDA/FSIS requirements and do not create product contamination or foreign-material risks.
• Coordinate, manage, design, price, and schedule work with contractors and service providers for expansion, remodeling, equipment installation, and continuous improvement projects while ensuring compliance with company safety, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Where applicable, oversee the safe operation, preventive maintenance, and regulatory compliance of refrigeration systems, including ammonia refrigeration and applicable Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support organizational and business needs.

What We Want from You

• Ability to prioritize and multi-task, organizing own workload to maintain high quality and output while achieving set deadlines and targets.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or industrial engineering or equivalent experience.
• 5 years’ experience with production maintenance in a related environment.
• Experience utilizing and developing CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) and peripheral systems (work order, requisition, asset register, parts inventory, labor and equip trending and forecasting, etc.).
• PC proficiency (Microsoft suite, PLC programming and CAD would be a plus).

What We Value

• Ability to perform effectively within ambiguous situations.
• Ability to foster an atmosphere of collaboration and accountability.
• Proactive and hands-on leadership.
• Demonstrate personal resiliency in actions.
• Excellent analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills.

Compensation

• The base salary range for this position is $100,000 to $150,000 annually, with starting compensation typically positioned around the midpoint of the range. The final offer will be based on factors including education, skills, relevant experience, qualifications, and internal compensation considerations.
• 401(k) Employer Match 50% of your first 6%
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• On-site Fitness Center
• Meat Purchase Program

We Are Winning When

We follow and are guided by our mission, and we demonstrate our values every day!

"To be the preferred supplier of our customers, the preferred customer of our strategic suppliers, and a model employer in our industry."

Chicago Meat Authority, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.