Reliability Engineer

Socket.dev; South Holland (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

Discretionary bonus up to 18%

401(k) with matching

PTO 120 hours in first year

Job summary

Socket.dev seeks a Maintenance Manager to lead reliability initiatives in a meat processing environment. You will supervise technicians, plan preventive and predictive maintenance, and drive CAPA actions to minimize downtime. Strong leadership and analytical skills are required to ensure safety and production targets.

The role emphasizes compliance with OSHA and industry standards, with a focus on equipment reliability, cost control, and continuous improvement within a fast-paced facility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or electrical engineering (preferred).
• Certification in reliability engineering or maintenance management is a plus.
• 5–7 years manufacturing experience in a meat, poultry, or USDA-regulated facility preferred.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office; familiarity with ERP and statistical analysis tools.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot operation and equipment to maximize asset life and reliability.
• Conduct failure analyses to eliminate root causes and implement CAPA actions.
• Develop and oversee preventative maintenance programs to identify issues before failures.
• Utilize predictive maintenance to identify abnormalities and initiate corrective actions.
• Lead root cause analysis investigations to prevent recurrence.
• Oversee quality assurance during new builds and modifications.
• Monitor downtime and drive CAPA initiatives to reduce downtime.
• Manage spare parts inventory to ensure availability while minimizing costs.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Analytical thinking

Detail oriented

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical or electrical engineering

Reliability/maintenance certification

Tools

Microsoft Office

ERP systems

Statistical analysis software

Job description

Position Description

Developing maintenance strategies – collaborate with director of maintenance, maintenance manager, engineers, and other key stakeholders to develop and implement maintenance strategies aimed at enhancing equipment reliability and minimizing unplanned downtime.

Primary Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot operation and equipment to maximize asset service life, reliability, and efficiency.
• Conduct failure analysis on critical assets and equipment to eliminate root cause(s) of failure and develop improvements to prevent future occurrences through the utilization of CAPA (Corrective Action/Preventative Action).
• Preventative Maintenance – develop and oversee preventative maintenance programs to proactively identify and address potential issues before they lead to equipment failures.
• Predictive Maintenance – Utilize predictive maintenance techniques, to identify equipment abnormalities and initiate corrective actions.
• Root Cause Analysis – Lead root cause analysis investigations to determine the underlying reasons for equipment failures and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Participate in the quality assurance of new builds and modifications to assure adherence to functional specifications.
• Monitor any periods of downtime exceeding one hour and spearhead the Corrective and Preventative Actions (CAPA) initiatives.
• Spare Parts Management – Manage spare parts inventory to ensure availability of critical components while minimizing carrying costs and stockouts.
• Team Leadership – Supervise, mentor, fand foster a culture of reliability and accountability the team of maintenance technicians and provide guidance, training, and support to ensure high performance and adherence to safety and quality standards.
• Ensure department staff members and salaried team members have proper understanding and needed training to support and implement the methodology to reliability centered maintenance.
• Performance Monitoring – Monitor key performance indicators related to equipment reliability, maintenance effectiveness, and downtime reduction, and implement continuous improvement initiatives as needed.
• Compliance – Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and codes governing equipment maintenance and reliability.
• Proven experience in maintenance management, preferably in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Strong knowledge of reliability engineering principles, methodologies, and best practices.
• Proficiency in maintenance management software and tools for asset management, predictive maintenance, and performance monitoring.
• Performs other functions as assigned

Supervisory/Management Responsibilities

• Maintains staff by orienting and training employees on company rules, safety, and job functions
• Coaches, counsels, motivates, and disciplines
• Enforces systems, policies, and procedures consistently and fairly
• Monitors and processes employee attendance records/timecards and PTO in a timely manner
• Oversees employee participation and adherence to food safety and employee safety programs and policies
• Resolves personnel issues in accordance with company guidelines and policies

Requirements

• Effective communication and training skills
• Familiarity with meat processing equipment
• Detail oriented with strong analytical skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Usage in ERP and statistical analysis program highly recommended
• Understanding of OSHA and general safety guidelines
• 5- 7 years manufacturing experience in a meat, poultry, or USDA regulated facility preferred
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field (preferred).
• Certification in reliability engineering or maintenance management, certified reliability engineer, certified maintenance.

Physical Requirements

• Able to withstand walking and standing 40% of the time
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds daily, over 50 pounds occasionallyAbility to ascend and descend ladders
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, industrial environment
• Frequent exposure to fluctuating temperatures, including cold and heat, depending on the production environment.
• Frequent exposure to operational noise from machinery in the production environment.

The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position, provided such accommodations do not create an undue hardship on the Company. The Company reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description as business needs require. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position.

Competencies

• Communication: The ability to give and gather information and actively manage the communication process by asking questions, conveying complex information in plain language, listening and considering others’ views, state own views clearly and concisely, and address conflict in a professional and productive manner.
• Analytical Thinking: The ability to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic sequential approach.
• Detail Oriented: Thoroughness in accomplishing a task through concern for all the areas involved no matter how small; monitors and checks work or information; and plans and organizes time and resources efficiently.
• Results Orientation: The ability to focus on the desired result of one’s own or one’s unit’s work, setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them.
• Time Management: Able to make the most effective use of one’s own time and that of others; gets the job done without procrastinating or delaying; is constantly aware of what is the best use of time.

Benefits

• Medical
• vision
• dental
• discretionary bonus up to 18% (50% personal performance based & 50% company performance)
• 401(k) with matching up to a max of 4%
• 120 hours PTO in the 1st 12 months