Maintenance & Reliability Engineer

Job Juncture; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Job Juncture seeks an experienced maintenance leader for a key role in Chicago, IL. You will own maintenance, reliability, and stores performance in a fast-paced chemical manufacturing setting, setting the M&R strategy and building team capability to boost equipment performance and safety.

The ideal candidate has hands-on leadership, strong technical judgment, and the ability to collaborate with Production, Engineering, and R&D on capital projects, with a focus on cost effectiveness and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering required.
• 7–10 years of chemical plant maintenance experience, or 10+ years with maintenance ownership.
• Proven success in maintenance and reliability strategies to boost equipment performance and efficiency.
• Strong leadership directing mechanical, electrical, welding, planning, scheduling, and stores teams.
• Hands-on with predictive and preventive maintenance, plant troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Safety-focused leadership ensuring EHSS expectations across activities and contractors.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Production, Engineering, and R&D on capital projects or new products.
• Experience with budgets, monthly reporting, and spend-versus-budget reviews preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own maintenance, reliability, and stores performance in a fast-paced chemical manufacturing environment.
• Set and execute maintenance & reliability (M&R) strategy to improve equipment performance.
• Strengthen team capability across mechanical, electrical, welding, planning, scheduling, and stores.
• Support safe, efficient operations by ensuring compliance and best practices.
• Provide hands-on leadership with strong technical judgment and site-wide trust-building.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Reliability engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Predictive maintenance

Preventive maintenance

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering required.
• Approximately 7 to 10 years of experience in a chemical plant environment, or 10+ years of plant experience with direct responsibility for maintenance, reliability, and predictive/preventive maintenance programs.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing maintenance and reliability strategies that improve equipment performance, operational efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
• Strong leadership background with the ability to lead and mentor mechanical, electrical, welding, planning, scheduling, supervision, reliability engineering, and stores personnel.
• Hands-on experience with predictive and preventive maintenance, plant troubleshooting, engineering best practices, and continuous improvement.
• Safety-focused leader who can ensure EHSS expectations are met across departmental activities, site work, and third-party contractor performance.
• Strong cross-functional communication skills and experience partnering with Production, Engineering, and Research and Development on capital projects, new processes, or new product development.
• Experience developing and managing budgets, monthly reporting, and spend-versus-budget reviews is preferred.

About the Role

This replacement opening reports to the Site Manager and serves on the site leadership team. This person will own maintenance, reliability, and stores performance within a fast-paced chemical manufacturing environment. The role will set and execute M&R strategy, strengthen team capability, improve equipment performance, and support safe, efficient operations. The ideal candidate will be a hands-on, safety-focused leader with strong technical judgment and the ability to build trust across the site.