Maintenance Manager

Southwest-Iowa-Renewable-Energy,-LL; Council Bluffs (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus up to $2,500

Job summary

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC seeks a Maintenance Manager in Council Bluffs, IA. This salaried, exempt role leads the maintenance department, driving reliability, maintenance planning, and cost control for a large ethanol facility.

You will work with Operations and Engineering to plan outages, manage contractors, and optimize the maintenance program while ensuring safe, compliant operations. A sign-on bonus is offered.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop a team.
• Strong communication across departments; able to work with operations and engineering.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical field preferred; minimum 5 years industrial maintenance experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, schedule, train and develop the maintenance team (mechanical, electrical/I&E/Utility and storeroom).
• Own the annual maintenance budget and forecast monthly.
• Oversee preventive and predictive maintenance programs to reduce unplanned downtime.
• Manage the CMMS; prioritize, plan, schedule and document work orders.
• Plan and run scheduled shutdowns and outages with scope, contractors, parts, schedule and budget.
• Track maintenance KPIs (uptime, PM compliance, backlog, MTBF, spending) and report results.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Verbal & written communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

High school diploma or GED; engineering bachelor preferred

Tools

CMMS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Description

Job Details

Position Title: Maintenance Manager

Supervisor Title: Chief of Operations

Employment Type: Full-Time – Salaried - Exempt

Location: Council Bluffs, IA (onsite)

Department: Maintenance

*Sign on Bonus* up to $2,500

Description

Do you want to work somewhere where your work truly matters? At SouthwestIowa Renewable Energy (SIRE), we are a high-energy, forward-looking powerhouse on a mission to engineer the smartest, cleanest energy on the planet! We are ambitious and refuse to stand still - we are constantly innovating, smashing goals, and unlocking cool new technologies that push our fast-paced operations to the absolute next level.

We don’t just build renewable energy - we build a team people want to be part of. If you are curious and crave an innovative environment where your hardworking spirit is celebrated, SIRE is exactly where you belong. We are a principled, world-class team that has been redefining renewable fuels since 2009, producing over 150 million gallons of ethanol annually. We lead with a people-centric culture that invests in its team to ensure you have a stable, high-impact career at the center of something big. Let’s fuel the future together!

What We Are Looking For

Leads the maintenance department and is responsible for the mechanical reliability, uptime and safe operation of the ethanol plant with the understanding this is the largest controllable cost center. The competing goal of this department is to maintain the highest level of operations while managing the costs of the department.

This is a management role, not a hands‑on maintenance role. The Maintenance Manager leads through supervisors, planners and contractors, makes decisions with data, and is accountable to plant leadership for the department’s financial and reliability performance. Works closely with Operations and Engineering to plan outages and projects.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Lead, schedule, train and develop the maintenance team (mechanical, electrical/I&E/Utility and storeroom), and manage outside contract labor as needed.
• Own the annual maintenance budget (labor, contract services, parts and materials, rentals and outage spending). Build the budget, forecast monthly, and explain variances to plant leadership.
• Own the preventive and predictive maintenance programs, including vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography and ultrasonic testing, to reduce unplanned downtime.
• Manage the CMMS. Review, prioritize and assign work orders every day, and make sure work is planned, scheduled, closed out and documented.
• Plan and run scheduled shutdowns and outages, including scope, contractors, parts, schedule and budget.
• Analyze spending by area, equipment, vendor and failure type to find and remove waste and repeat costs.
• Keep critical plant equipment and utility systems reliable. This includes grinding and hammermills, cook and liquefaction, fermentation, distillation, molecular sieves, evaporation, centrifuges, dryers/DDGS, boilers and steam, cooling towers, compressed air, CO2 and electrical distribution.
• Set the maintenance strategy and make sure preventive and predictive programs are focused on the equipment that matters most to production and cost.
• Build and manage the annual maintenance budget. Track spending and look for ways to lower maintenance cost per gallon.
• Oversee the storeroom, critical spares, inventory control and the plant’s tools and equipment.
• Coordinate regular inspections of plant assets, including pressure vessels, tanks, piping, rotating equipment and fire protection.
• Work with Engineering and the Project Manager on capital projects. Review designs for maintainability, support commissioning and plan handover into the PM program.
• Track and report maintenance KPIs, such as uptime, PM compliance, backlog, planned vs. reactive work, MTBF and spending.
• Manage relationships with key vendors and contractors.
• Exemplify SIRE’s core values of Curious Grower, Optimistic Honesty, Hardworking, and Organized.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop a team.
• Proficient with using CMMS and Microsoft Office.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work well across departments.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• Available for call-outs, nights, weekends and holidays as plant needs require.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED required. A bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of industrial maintenance experience, including at least 2 years in a supervisory role.
• Experience in ethanol, renewable fuels, or other plants preferred.
• Shutdown/turnaround planning experience preferred.

Compensation, Benefits & Career Growth

SIRE offers one of the most competitive compensation packages (salary and bonus) as well as a comprehensive, family-friendly benefits package designed to support employees and their families including:

• UP to $2,500 in new employee sign on bonuses
• Exceptional family medical, dental, and vision benefits (includes a 100% company paid premium option for medical & $0-copay telehealth)
• HSA and FSA options, with up to $1,000 annual company match
• Quarterly bonuses up to 15%
• Paid time off (PTO) accrual starting day one (up to 3 weeks in year one)
• 10 paid holidays
• Exceptional 401k fund contributions (up to 6%)
• Short- and long-term disability and life insurance
• Paid parental and bereavement leave
• Training, skill-based pay increases, and career development
• Strong culture with events, appreciation, and SIRE swag
• Clear opportunities for long-term career growth

Equal Opportunity Employer

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status.