Maintenance Reliability Manager

Jobtailor; Rochelle (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Rochelle, IL is seeking a Maintenance Manager to lead the site maintenance and reliability program, developing and executing strategies to improve equipment uptime and reduce costs. You will drive preventive and predictive maintenance, guide root-cause analysis, and align maintenance with production goals.

You will lead a team of maintenance planners, storeroom staff, and mechanics, collaborating with operations and engineering to ensure safe, reliable equipment and continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Maintenance, Reliability, Industrial Technology, Manufacturing, or related field.
• 5–8 years of maintenance, reliability experience in a food manufacturing or industrial environment
• Knowledge of preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance principles
• Experience with CMMS systems (SAP) and maintenance planning
• Strong leadership and communication skills

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the site maintenance and reliability strategy for the Rochelle facility
• Establish maintenance programs that improve equipment uptime, reduce breakdowns, and lower maintenance costs
• Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective actions
• Collaborate with production, engineering, and operations leaders to align maintenance priorities with business goals
• Provide leadership to Maintenance Planner/Scheduler, Storeroom Clerk, and Maintenance Mechanics/Electrician functions

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Root cause analysis

Reliability engineering

Predictive maintenance

Data analysis

Lean / TPM

SAP experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/related field

Tools

SAP

CMMS

Job description

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the site maintenance and reliability strategy for the Rochelle facility
• Establish maintenance programs that improve equipment uptime, reduce breakdowns, and lower overall maintenance costs
• Develop, maintain, and improve preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, and reliability-centered maintenance programs
• Lead efforts to improve overall asset reliability, extend equipment life, and reduce emergency maintenance work
• Create and implement site maintenance standards, equipment care expectations, and reliability best practices
• Partner with production, engineering, and operations leaders to align maintenance priorities with business needs and production goals
• Provide leadership and direction on reliability initiatives, equipment strategy, and maintenance planning activities
• Analyze equipment failures, downtime trends, maintenance history, and reliability data to identify recurring issues and opportunities for improvement
• Lead root cause analysis efforts for major failures, chronic downtime issues, and high-cost maintenance events
• Validate corrective actions through data, maintenance history, and equipment performance results
• Use reliability data and maintenance metrics to identify failure patterns, improve PM programs, and reduce repeat issues
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities related to maintenance processes, labor utilization, spare parts, equipment performance, and downtime reduction
• Actively participate in the Maintenance & Reliability (M&R) Steering Committee with the other Maintenance leaders across the company to design, pilot, and validate our M&R program
• Implement the M&R program at the Rochelle site and coach/mentor the Rochelle site on the Maintenance & Reliability program
• Evaluate equipment performance data to determine where maintenance can improve reliability and reduce failures
• Support troubleshooting efforts for complex equipment issues and provide technical guidance to maintenance and operations teams
• Provide technical expertise on equipment upgrades, modifications, maintenance procedures, and asset replacement decisions
• Support development of maintenance procedures, troubleshooting guides, work instructions, and technical documentation
• Stay current on new maintenance technologies, industry best practices, and reliability methodologies to support ongoing site improvements
• Lead, manage and develop a team of Maintenance Planner/Scheduler, Storeroom Clerk, and Maintenance Mechanics/Electrician functions to support effective maintenance execution and spare parts management
• Build strong working relationships with maintenance technicians, production teams, engineers, quality, safety, procurement, and contractors
• Collaborate with operations leaders to balance maintenance needs with production demands and plant priorities
• Present maintenance performance, reliability metrics, downtime trends, and improvement plan to site leadership
• Lead maintenance-related projects, audits, and continuous improvement efforts across the site
• Support compliance with all company safety policies, GMPs, environmental requirements, and food safety standards
• Maintain responsibility for safe maintenance practices, lockout/tagout compliance, contractor safety, and equipment-related risk reduction
• Lead maintenance readiness for audits, inspections, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Maintenance, Reliability, Industrial Technology, Manufacturing, or a related field required
• Minimum of 5–8 years of maintenance, reliability, engineering, or manufacturing experience in a food manufacturing or industrial environment
• SAP super user experience preferred
• Knowledge of predictive maintenance technologies and condition-monitoring tools
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, root cause analysis, asset management, and reliability principles
• Experience with TPM, OEE improvement, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement initiatives
• CMRP, CMRP-related training, PdM certifications, vibration analysis certifications, or other maintenance reliability certifications
• Experience supporting capital projects, equipment installations, and maintenance process improvements preferred
• Knowledge of storeroom management, spare parts optimization, and inventory control
• Prior leadership experience within maintenance, reliability, engineering, planning, or asset management functions required
• Experience with CMMS systems, SAP, maintenance planning systems, and work order management processes
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Ability to interpret maintenance data, equipment trends, downtime reports, and performance metrics
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, lead projects, and work effectively across departments
• Working knowledge of food safety requirements, GMPs, OSHA standards, and maintenance compliance expectations
• Strong Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and reporting skills.
• Equivalent combinations of education, certifications, military experience, technical training, maintenance leadership experience, and reliability expertise that provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered.