Manager- Divisional Maintenance Excellence

SONOCO CANADA; Hartsville (SC); On-site; USD 138,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Wellbeing tools

Paid time off

Insurance plans

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Sonoco seeks a Division Maintenance Excellence & Reliability Leader to establish and drive a company-wide maintenance and reliability strategy across a multi-plant division. You will lead RC M, PdM, PM programs, while building capability in Reliability Engineers and Plant Engineers, ensuring asset optimization and sustained performance.

You will guide capital projects, optimize CMMS use, and align safety, cost, and reliability targets with senior leadership, creating measurable improvements in

Qualifications

• Leads division-wide maintenance and reliability strategies.
• Drives RC M, PdM & PM across multiple facilities.
• Develops capability in reliability engineers and plant engineers.

Responsibilities

• Develop division-wide maintenance and reliability strategy.
• Lead equipment reliability improvements and OEE enhancements.
• Establish KPIs, benchmarks, and maintenance cost performance.
• Develop talent through coaching and succession planning.
• Partner with engineering and operations on capital projects.
• Communicate results to senior leadership and drive ROI.

Skills

Reliability leadership

RCM

PdM

PM

RCA

Asset management

Continuous improvement

CMMS utilization

OEE optimization

Tools

CMMS

Job description

From a small family business to a multi-billion-dollar global company, Sonoco has been changing the face of products and packaging since 1899 — all while keeping the heart of “People Build Businesses” alive. Our talented people are at the core of our growth, constantly reinventing the Sonoco wheel with brilliant solutions every year. Today we are a world leader in global packaging solutions with diversified operations in over 34 countries. We're extremely proud of our portfolio of brands, our achievements in sustainability and industrialization and the groundbreaking work accomplished by our people.

The Division Maintenance Excellence & Reliability Leader is responsible for establishing, leading, and continuously improving maintenance and reliability strategies across a division representing approximately $2 billion in annual revenue and more than 50 manufacturing facilities. This role serves as the division's Maintenance Excellence Champion, providing strategic leadership, governance, and technical direction to improve asset reliability, maintenance productivity, equipment performance, and overall manufacturing effectiveness. Will develop and deploy standardized maintenance and reliability processes, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and build organizational capability across the maintenance and engineering functions. This position plays a critical role in developing current and future Reliability Engineers, Plant Engineers, and Maintenance Managers while partnering with mill leadership teams to improve operational performance and asset utilization. The role will manage multiple Reliability Engineers to be deployed as Plant Engineers/Maintenance Managers.

What you will be doing:

Maintenance and Reliability Strategy

Develop and lead the division-wide maintenance and reliability strategy to support business objectives, operational excellence, and long-term asset sustainability. Establish and maintain standardized maintenance excellence processes, systems, and best practices across all manufacturing facilities. Drive implementation of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), predictive maintenance (PdM), preventive maintenance (PM), root cause analysis (RCA), and asset management programs. Champion a culture of reliability and continuous improvement throughout the division.

Equipment Reliability Improvement

Lead initiatives to improve equipment reliability, asset performance, uptime, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) across the division. Analyze reliability performance metrics, identify improvement opportunities, and develop action plans to reduce failures and production losses. Partner with operations, engineering, and plant leadership teams to improve critical asset performance and eliminate systemic equipment issues. Ensure consistent application of reliability engineering principles and failure elimination methodologies.

Maintenance Productivity and Performance

Establish division-wide maintenance KPIs, benchmarks, and performance expectations. Drive improvements in maintenance productivity, work execution, planning and scheduling effectiveness, wrench time, and maintenance cost performance. Lead optimization of maintenance work management processes, CMMS utilization, and workforce effectiveness. Support facilities in achieving operational reliability targets while balancing cost, risk, and asset life cycle considerations.

Organizational Capability and Talent Development

Serve as the functional leader for Reliability Engineers, Plant Engineers, and Maintenance Managers across the division. Develop succession plans, competency models, career progression frameworks, and training programs for maintenance and reliability professionals. Coach, mentor, and develop technical leaders to strengthen division-wide maintenance and engineering capabilities. Establish communities of practice and knowledge-sharing forums to accelerate adoption of best practices.

Capital and Asset Management

Collaborate with engineering and operational leadership to ensure reliability and maintainability are incorporated into capital projects and equipment design standards. Support long-range asset management planning and replacement strategies for critical equipment. Provide technical guidance on major equipment failures, outage planning, and reliability improvement investments. Evaluate emerging technologies and maintenance tools that enhance operational performance and asset reliability.

Financial and Business Impact

Partner with plant and division leadership to improve financial performance through enhanced reliability, increased productivity, reduced downtime, and optimized maintenance spending. Develop business cases and prioritize reliability improvement opportunities to maximize return on investment. Monitor maintenance and reliability performance across the division and communicate results to senior leadership.

Safety and Compliance

Promote an uncompromising commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance. Ensure maintenance and reliability programs support safe operating conditions and effective risk management. Support implementation of maintenance standards that align with company safety and operational requirements.

Additional Information

Travel requirements include our paper mill, recycling and converting operations with 50%-75% likely travel. Additional duties as assigned.

Compensation:

Compensation: This is a progression position depending on experience and business needs. The annual base salary range for this role is as follows: Manager-Divisional Maintenance Excellence - $138,320 to $155,610 plus an annual target bonus of 12.5% of base salary. Senior Manager -Divisional Maintenance Excellence- $160,720- $180,810 plus an annual target bonus of 14.5% of base salary. #LI-CB1

Benefits

• Benefits Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, including FSA and HSA options


• 401(k) retirement plan with company match


• Wellbeing tools and resources to support holistic health, including an Employee Assistance Program with a variety of services


• Paid time off and holidays to recreate, rejuvenate and care for the health of yourself and family


• Variety of company paid and voluntary employee-paid insurance plans including life, personal accident, and disability insurance


• Tuition reimbursement

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.

Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a global leader in value-added, sustainable metal and fiber consumer and industrial packaging. The Company is now a multi-billion-dollar enterprise with approximately 22,500 employees working in 270 operations in 40 countries, serving some of the world’s best-known brands. Guided by our purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life., we strive to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and excellence to provide solutions that better serve all our stakeholders and support a more sustainable future. Sonoco was proudly named one of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek. Sonoco Privacy Policy