Maintenance Manager - AUG

Socket.dev; Augusta (GA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

FPL Food, LLC in Augusta, GA, is seeking an experienced Maintenance Manager to lead plant-wide maintenance operations for slaughter and processing facilities. You will supervise maintenance staff, manage preventive programs, and oversee capital projects to ensure safe, compliant, and reliable equipment performance.

The role partners with Operations, Safety, and Quality teams to minimize downtime, optimize reliability, and control maintenance costs in a fast-paced food processing environment.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in maintenance management or supervision.
• Experience in meat processing or similar industrial environment preferred.
• Strong mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to read schematics, blueprints, and equipment documentation.

Responsibilities

• Direct the daily activities of the Maintenance Department to support operations.
• Establish preventive and predictive maintenance programs to reduce downtime.
• Plan and manage capital projects from planning to completion.
• Oversee contractors, vendors, and work orders across the facility.
• Ensure safety, food-safety, and quality policies are followed.

Skills

Leadership

Troubleshooting

Preventive maintenance

Equipment reliability

Safety compliance

Education

Associate degree in Industrial Maintenance

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Tools

CMMS/EAM

CAD software

MS Office

Job description

Summary of Position

The Maintenance Manager provides plant-wide leadership for maintenance operations at FPL Food, LLC's Augusta facility. The position ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of slaughter and fabrication equipment, refrigeration, rendering, utilities, wastewater systems, and facility infrastructure.

This role leads maintenance employees, preventive maintenance programs, emergency repairs, work orders, spare-parts controls, contractors, budgets, and teams with our Project Engineer on capital projects. The Maintenance Manager partners with Operations, Safety, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Sanitation, and Engineering to reduce downtime, improve equipment reliability, and maintain regulatory compliance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Follow and support all company safety, food-safety, animal-welfare, quality, sanitation, environmental, security, and regulatory policies and procedures applicable to the role.
• Direct the daily activities of the Maintenance Department to support safe and efficient beef slaughter, fabrication, rendering, hide-processing, and cold-storage operations.
• Oversee the inspection, troubleshooting, repair, installation, and maintenance of production equipment, refrigeration systems, utilities, wastewater systems, and facility infrastructure.
• Establish and maintain preventive and predictive maintenance programs to improve equipment reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Prioritize and assign work orders based on safety, food-safety risk, equipment condition, production needs, and operational priorities.
• Monitor recurring equipment failures and implement corrective actions and long-term reliability improvements.
• Maintain accurate equipment records, maintenance histories, technical documentation, and work-order information.
• Manage critical spare parts, maintenance tools, equipment, and supplies while maintaining appropriate inventory levels and controlling costs.
• Lead, schedule, train, and develop maintenance employees while establishing clear expectations for safety, performance, productivity, attendance, and accountability.
• Review employee time records, manage overtime, conduct performance evaluations, and address performance or disciplinary matters in partnership with Human Resources.
• Plan and manage capital projects, equipment installations, facility improvements, and major repairs from initial planning through completion.
• Develop project schedules and cost estimates, coordinate resources, and ensure projects are completed safely, on time, and within budget.
• Review technical drawings, equipment specifications, and proposed designs to confirm operational suitability.
• Coordinate and oversee contractors and vendors performing repairs, inspections, installations, and other work throughout the facility.
• Ensure contractors comply with company safety, food-safety, sanitation, security, and project requirements.
• Enforce safe work practices, including lockout/tagout, confined-space entry, hot-work requirements, fall protection, and machine guarding.
• Ensure maintenance work does not create contamination, foreign-material, or product-integrity risks in slaughter, processing, cooler, or product-handling areas.
• Coordinate maintenance activities with Operations, Sanitation, and Food Safety and Quality Assurance to protect product integrity and minimize production interruptions.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe maintenance shop and work environment.
• Support emergency response and after-hours maintenance needs when required by business conditions.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Key Performance Indicators

• Equipment uptime and production downtime
• Preventive maintenance completion rate
• Work-order completion and backlog
• Repeat equipment failures and emergency repairs
• Maintenance labor, overtime, and budget performance
• Spare-parts availability and inventory accuracy
• Capital-project completion, cost, and schedule performance
• Safety performance and corrective-action completion
• Regulatory, food-safety, and audit compliance
• Employee training, development, and retention

Required Qualifications

Education

• Associate degree in Industrial Maintenance, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
• An equivalent combination of relevant education, technical training, and progressively responsible experience may be considered.

Experience

• Minimum of three years of maintenance management or supervisory experience in food processing, meat processing, or a similar industrial manufacturing environment.
• Experience in a beef slaughter or meat-processing facility is strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

• Demonstrated leadership ability, sound judgment, accountability, integrity, and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic troubleshooting skills.
• Knowledge of industrial production equipment, utilities, preventive maintenance, and equipment-reliability practices.
• Ability to read and interpret technical manuals, schematics, blueprints, and equipment documentation.
• Knowledge of applicable safety requirements, including lockout/tagout and machine guarding.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, project-management, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to respond effectively to equipment failures and operational emergencies in a fast-paced production environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS/EAM) and CAD software preferred.
• Ability to work effectively with employees at all organizational levels, contractors, vendors, and regulatory representatives.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Work is performed in both office and plant environments. Plant exposure may include hot or cold temperatures, wet or humid conditions, noise, odors, blood and animal byproducts, moving equipment, industrial chemicals, and areas requiring personal protective equipment.
• Must be able to safely enter and move through slaughter, fabrication, rendering, hide-processing, cold-storage, wastewater, and maintenance areas.
• Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods, including on wet or concrete floors, and to bend, climb, reach, and access equipment and facility systems.
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule and respond to equipment failures or operational emergencies outside normal business hours.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Travel Requirements

Less than 10%, including occasional vendor visits, training, or travel to other company locations as needed.

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, qualifications, or working conditions. FPL Food, LLC may modify responsibilities and assignments based on business needs. Employment is subject to applicable company policies and law.