Maintenance Unit Leader

campbellsoup; Kentucky; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

On-site daycare

Job summary

Campbell's is seeking a Maintenance Unit Leader to drive the maintenance function in a unionized facility, focusing on reliability, budgeting, and safety. You will partner with operations and engineering to maximize equipment uptime and ensure adherence to safety and labor agreements.

Responsibilities include leading maintenance teams, managing preventive and predictive programs, and overseeing budgeting and capital project support while maintaining strong labor relations.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and coaching abilities in a unionized manufacturing setting.
• Experience managing maintenance programs, budgets, and workforce planning.
• Proficiency with CMMS and data-driven reliability improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead maintenance teams across all shifts to ensure reliability and uptime.
• Oversee preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Safety, and Union Leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Labor relations

Maintenance management

Root cause analysis

Budgeting

Tools

CMMS

ERP system

Job description

Since 1869, we've connected people through food they love. We're proud to be stewards of amazing brands that people trust. Our portfolio includes the iconic Campbell's brand, as well as Cape Cod, Chunky, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Lance, Late July, Pacific Foods, Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Pace, Rao's Homemade, Snack Factory, Snyder's of Hanover. Swanson, and V8.

Here, you will make a difference every day. You will be supported to build a rewarding career with opportunities to grow, innovate and inspire. Make history with us.

Why Campbell's...

Benefits begin on day one and include medical, dental, short and long-term disability, AD&D, and life insurance (for individual, families, and domestic partners).

Employees are eligible for our matching 401(k) plan and can enroll on the first day of employment with immediate vesting.

Campbell's offers unlimited sick time along with paid time off and holiday pay.

If in WHQ - free access to the fitness center. Access to on-site day care (operated by Bright Horizons) and company store.

Giving back to the communities where our employees work and live is very important to Campbell's. Our "Campbell's Cares" program matches employee donations and/or volunteer activity up to $1,500 annually.

Campbell's has a variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to support employees.

General Summary

The Maintenance Unit Leader is responsible for leading the maintenance function within a unionized manufacturing facility. This role oversees maintenance operations, reliability initiatives, workforce development, labor relations, capital project support, and maintenance budgeting. The Maintenance Unit Leader partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Safety, Quality, and Union Leadership to maximize equipment reliability, plant efficiency, employee engagement, and operational performance while ensuring compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and all safety requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership & Labor Relations

• Provide leadership and direction to Maintenance Team Leaders and maintenance personnel.
• Foster a safe, accountable, and engaged work environment.
• Ensure consistent application of company policies, work rules, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Participate in labor-management meetings, grievance discussions, investigations, and contract administration activities.
• Develop succession plans and employee development strategies for maintenance personnel.
• Lead performance management, coaching, and talent development efforts.

Maintenance Operations

• Oversee daily maintenance activities across all shifts.
• Ensure effective execution of preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Establish maintenance priorities to support production and business objectives.
• Monitor work order completion, backlog management, and maintenance effectiveness through CMMS systems.
• Coordinate maintenance resources to support planned outages, major repairs, and capital projects.
• Ensure proper staffing levels and overtime administration in accordance with contractual requirements.

Reliability & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and execute long-term equipment reliability and asset care strategies.
• Analyze downtime, maintenance costs, and equipment performance metrics.
• Lead root cause analysis investigations and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment uptime, productivity, and maintenance effectiveness.
• Support implementation of predictive maintenance technologies and reliability-centered maintenance practices.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, cost, and operational excellence.

Financial & Strategic Management

• Develop and manage departmental maintenance budgets.
• Control maintenance spending while ensuring reliability and operational requirements are achieved.
• Review contractor utilization and maintenance service agreements.
• Assist in developing capital expenditure plans and maintenance-related business cases.
• Track key performance indicators including downtime, PM compliance, maintenance costs, and workforce productivity.

Safety, Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, and company safety programs.
• Promote a culture of zero injuries through visible leadership and accountability.
• Oversee compliance with Lockout/Tagout, Machine Guarding, Arc Flash, Confined Space Entry, and other critical safety programs.
• Ensure maintenance activities support food safety, quality, GMP, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead safety investigations and corrective action implementation as necessary.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Operations leadership to support production goals.
• Collaborate with Engineering on equipment upgrades and capital projects.
• Support plant startup, shutdown, and major maintenance planning activities.
• Serve as a key stakeholder in site-wide continuous improvement initiatives.
• Build strong working relationships with union l