Maintenance Manager

Welch Packaging; Elkhart (IN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Welch Packaging, an Indiana corrugated packaging facility, is seeking a hands-on Maintenance Manager to lead maintenance operations on the production floor. You will own the preventive maintenance program, manage the UpKeep CMMS, and build a capable, engaged team that supports uptime and safety.

The role requires coaching technicians across mechanical, electrical, and controls disciplines, prioritizing downtime reduction, RCA analytics, and continuous improvement in reliability.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of maintenance leadership experience in corrugated, packaging, or heavy manufacturing.
• Strong technical understanding of converting equipment.
• Demonstrated success building preventive maintenance programs.
• CMMS experience required (UpKeep preferred).
• Knowledge of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.
• Proven people leadership and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a strong daily presence on the production floor, reviewing equipment status, downtime, backlog, PM execution, and production priorities.
• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance technicians across mechanical, electrical, and controls disciplines.
• Establish and reinforce a safety-first maintenance culture focused on craftsmanship, urgency, and equipment reliability.
• Own and continuously improve the preventive maintenance and reliability strategy for corrugated converting equipment.
• Serve as site owner of the UpKeep CMMS, ensuring work orders, PMs, inspections, and breakdowns are properly prioritized, executed, and closed.
• Drive high PM compliance and audit PM quality to reduce repeat failures and unplanned downtime.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, and Safety to support production schedules, customer commitments, and downtime response.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions for chronic downtime, quality defects, and safety incidents.
• Coordinate maintenance windows, shutdowns, contractor activity, and capital or reliability improvement projects.
• Oversee maintenance of electrical systems, PLCs, controls, hydraulics, pneumatics, dust collection, utilities, and facility systems.
• Improve spare parts management, critical spares availability, and maintenance cost control while supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Time management

Systems analysis

Mathematical reasoning

Active learning

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Tools

UpKeep CMMS

Job description

We are seeking a hands-on, people-centered Maintenance Manager to lead maintenance operations in a converting-focused corrugated packaging facility. This role is responsible not only for establishing and sustaining a strong preventive maintenance and reliability program, but for building a capable, disciplined, and engaged maintenance team that can reliably support production.

The Maintenance Manager is a floor-present leader who coaches, guides, and supports technicians daily. This leader sets priorities, removes obstacles, develops technical capability, and ensures the team has the systems, training, and resources needed to succeed. While this role owns the preventive maintenance program and the UpKeep CMMS, success is defined by more than compliance metrics, it is measured by the strength of the team, the stability of the equipment, and the partnership built with Operations.

This position leads from the front: supporting troubleshooting, developing people, driving standards, and building a maintenance organization that is proactive rather than reactive.

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Key Responsibilities

Maintain a strong daily presence on the production floor, reviewing equipment status, downtime, backlog, PM execution, and production priorities.

• Set clear daily maintenance priorities to support converting and corrugator uptime, safety, and throughput.
• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance technicians across mechanical, electrical, and controls disciplines.
• Establish and reinforce a safety-first maintenance culture focused on craftsmanship, urgency, and equipment reliability.
• Own and continuously improve the preventive maintenance and reliability strategy for corrugated converting equipment, including FFGs, specialty gluers, RDCs, flatbeds, bundlers, strappers, palletizers, and material handling systems.
• Serve as site owner of the UpKeep CMMS, ensuring work orders, PMs, inspections, and breakdowns are properly prioritized, executed, and closed.
• Drive high PM compliance and audit PM quality to reduce repeat failures and unplanned downtime.
• Partner closely with Operations, Quality, and Safety to support production schedules, customer commitments, and downtime response.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions for chronic downtime, quality defects, and safety incidents.
• Coordinate maintenance windows, shutdowns, contractor activity, and capital or reliability improvement projects.
• Oversee maintenance of electrical systems, PLCs, controls, hydraulics, pneumatics, dust collection, utilities, and facility systems.
• Improve spare parts management, critical spares availability, and maintenance cost control while supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

** Duties may vary depending on location

Requirements/Qualifications

Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent.

Experience

5+ years of maintenance leadership experience in corrugated, packaging, or heavy manufacturing.

Strong technical understanding of converting equipment.

Demonstrated success building preventive maintenance programs.

CMMS experience required (UpKeep preferred).

Knowledge of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.

Proven people leadership and organizational skills.

Specific Knowledge, Skills or Abilities

• Strong written and oral communication.
• Organization and attention to detail.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Time management.
• Systems analysis.
• Mathematical and deductive reasoning.
• Critical thinking.
• Active learning.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the functions of this job.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to perform maintenance on machinery

Ability to lift up to 50 pounds on a regular consistent basis.

Must be able to wear personal protective equipment.

Exposure to moving mechanical parts.

Wet and or humid conditions

Office Setting, sitting for long periods of time.

Occasionally exposed to high, precarious places, fumes or airborne particles and vibration.

Noise level in the work environment is usually loud.

Welch Packaging is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran.