Plant Engineering & Maintenance Manager

DSJ Global; Alsip (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

DSJ Global is seeking a Maintenance & Engineering Manager at a major production site to lead reliability, maintenance, engineering, and continuous improvement initiatives. You will report to the Plant Manager and partner with operations, quality, logistics, and EHS to improve asset uptime, safety, and cost control through preventive and predictive strategies and capital projects.

This visible leadership role requires strong technical, problem-solving, and people-management skills to develop

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or chemical engineering.
• Experience leading maintenance, reliability, and engineering teams in manufacturing.
• Knowledge of process equipment, utilities, and industrial maintenance systems.

Responsibilities

• Direct the site's maintenance organization with a focus on safety, uptime, reliability, and cost control.
• Lead engineering & continuous improvement initiatives to optimize processes.
• Oversee capital projects from concept through startup and manage budgets.
• Drive mechanical integrity programs and regulatory compliance.
• Coach and develop maintenance and engineering personnel.
• Work cross-functionally with operations, quality, logistics, and EHS.

Skills

Maintenance leadership

Reliability engineering

Preventive & predictive maintenance

Capital project oversight

Process safety

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering

Job description

A well-established industrial manufacturer is seeking a Maintenance & Engineering Manager to lead reliability, maintenance, engineering, and continuous improvement efforts at a key production site. This is a highly visible leadership position reporting directly to the Plant Manager and partnering closely with operations, quality, logistics, and EHS teams.

What You'll Be Doing

Lead Plant Reliability & Maintenance

• Direct the site's maintenance organization with a focus on safety, equipment uptime, reliability, and cost control.
• Manage maintenance technicians, contractors, and outside service providers.
• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance strategies while improving overall asset performance.
• Analyze equipment failures, identify root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Oversee maintenance budgets, spare parts programs, and contractor performance.
• Plan and execute major outages, shutdowns, and turnaround activities.

Drive Mechanical Integrity Programs

• Take ownership of the site's equipment integrity and inspection programs.
• Coordinate internal and third-party inspections for critical assets.
• Maintain compliance records and ensure regulatory inspection requirements are completed on schedule.
• Monitor the condition of plant equipment and develop long-term reliability plans.

Lead Engineering & Continuous Improvement Initiatives

• Manage a small engineering team responsible for process optimization, quality improvements, and production support.
• Support automation, controls, and manufacturing technology initiatives.
• Lead technical efforts tied to capacity expansion, productivity improvements, and operational excellence projects.
• Provide engineering guidance for plant systems, process equipment, and facility upgrades.
• Assist with new product launches, process changes, and scale-up activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve throughput, reduce downtime, and increase operational efficiency.

Capital Projects & Technical Leadership

• Develop project scopes, budgets, schedules, and business justifications.
• Oversee capital improvements from concept through startup.
• Coordinate engineering resources to ensure projects meet safety, quality, and financial objectives.
• Support facility modernization and infrastructure improvement efforts.

Process Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead Management of Change (MOC) and Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR) processes.
• Participate in Process Hazard Analyses (PHA) and incident investigations.
• Support Process Safety Management (PSM) programs and compliance audits.
• Ensure maintenance and engineering activities align with environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements.

Team Development & Culture

• Coach, mentor, and develop maintenance and engineering personnel.
• Create training plans and technical development programs.
• Foster a strong safety culture and continuous improvement mindset throughout the organization.
• Work cross-functionally to improve communication, accountability, and plant performance.

Preferred Background

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience leading maintenance, reliability, engineering, or technical teams within a manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of process equipment, utilities, and industrial maintenance systems.
• Experience with capital project management, mechanical integrity programs, and process safety initiatives.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Ability to balance day-to-day plant support with long-term strategic improvement efforts.