Maintenance Manager - 1st Shift

Simulacra; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base compensation

Annual bonus

Medical and health benefits

Job summary

Simulacra, a leading Food & Beverage manufacturer in Chicago, seeks a Maintenance Manager to drive equipment reliability and process excellence in a fast-paced production environment.

The role leads TPM, 5S, and Lean Six Sigma in maintenance, develops preventive plans, mentors technicians, and partners with reliability engineering to reduce breakdowns. A strong engineering degree and 5+ years in maintenance leadership are required, with union experience preferred.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in maintenance management within food manufacturing or related industry.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent technical degree preferably in food manufacturing.
• Strong operational and maintenance leadership with TPM, 5S and Lean Six Sigma knowledge.
• Advanced knowledge of autonomous and progressive maintenance systems and standards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop maintenance technicians.
• Strong financial and business acumen, project management skills.
• Experience leading in a union-labor environment preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and team-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Partner with line leadership to hit safety, quality, cost, delivery, sustainability, and morale targets.
• Own technology, process, and centerline settings for assigned equipment.
• Own maintenance systems and budget; manage line performance indicators.
• Develop and execute preventive and time-based maintenance plans.
• Build hands-on technical and maintenance capabilities within the shift team.
• Collaborate with reliability engineering on system improvements and tasks.
• Manage spare parts localization and breakdown analysis to reduce costs.
• Represent the department as a maintenance SME in broader forums.
• Support new initiatives and benchmarking; train others on best practices.

Skills

Maintenance management

TPM

5S

Lean Six Sigma

Leadership

Project management

Financial acumen

Communication

Career development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

Join one of the top Food & Beverage manufacturers! This industry leader is seeking a skilled and experienced Maintenance Manager to drive equipment reliability and process excellence within a fast-paced production environment.

Position Overview

Job Title: Maintenance Manager

Location: Chicago, IL

Shift: 1st (Monday - Friday, weekend overtime as needed)

Status: Full-time

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with line leadership to deliver key performance targets across safety, quality, cost, delivery, sustainability, and morale, ensuring process stability; participate in daily management system meetings at the shift and line level
• Own the technology, process, and centerline settings for assigned equipment, maintaining deep technical mastery of the process and machinery
• Own progressive maintenance systems, work processes, and related performance indicators for the line(s), along with centerline management systems and the repairs & maintenance budget
• Develop, own, and execute preventive and time-based maintenance plans for the line(s); build technical and maintenance capability within the shift team so technicians can operate and maintain their own equipment
• Spend the majority of time building hands-on technical and maintenance skills among line technicians
• Partner with the reliability engineering team on system improvements and execution of specialized maintenance tasks
• Own change management, spare parts localization, and breakdown analysis for the line(s), driving maintenance cost reduction
• Represent the department as a technology subject matter expert in broader technical forums
• Support new initiative rollouts and assist leadership with internal and external benchmarking
• Serve as a subject matter expert on a maintenance-related component category and act as an internal trainer on maintenance best practices

Key Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in maintenance management within food manufacturing or a related industry
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or an equivalent technical degree, preferably within the food industry
• Strong operational and maintenance leadership experience with hands-on knowledge of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), 5S, and Lean Six Sigma tools and concepts
• Advanced knowledge of autonomous and progressive maintenance systems and standards, including breakdown and planned maintenance execution on dedicated equipment
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop maintenance technicians and team members, including performance management and career development planning
• Strong financial and business acumen, project management skills, and knowledge of industrial maintenance and manufacturing equipment
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to influence people at all levels of an organization
• Preventive maintenance knowledge required
• Experience working in a union-labor environment preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication, coaching, and team-building skills
• Competitive base compensation
• Annual bonus
• Medical and health benefits
• Dynamic and collaborative work environment
• Professional development and growth opportunities within a forward-thinking organization