Food Manufacturing | Plant Operations Leadership | Capital Projects & Reliability
A well-established manufacturing organization is seeking a Senior Engineering & Maintenance Leader to provide strategic and operational leadership for all engineering, maintenance, reliability, utilities, and capital project functions within a large-scale production facility. This role is responsible for driving plant performance through the effective management of equipment reliability, capital investments, maintenance systems, regulatory compliance, and technical team development.
This is a highly visible leadership position that partners closely with plant leadership and corporate stakeholders to develop and execute long-term capital strategies, improve manufacturing capabilities, modernize equipment, and ensure the facility operates safely, efficiently, and reliably. The successful candidate will be expected to influence decision-makers at multiple levels while leading a team responsible for maintaining critical production assets.
Base Salary: $120,000 - $140,000+ depending on experience, technical expertise, leadership background, and overall fit for the role.
In addition to base salary, the company offers:
- Annual performance-based bonus opportunity
- Restricted stock awards / long-term incentive compensation
- Generous paid time off package
- Relocation assistance for qualified candidates
- Career growth opportunities within a large manufacturing organization
The total compensation package extends well beyond base salary, making this an attractive opportunity for engineering leaders seeking both immediate earnings potential and long-term financial incentives.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering & Capital Project Leadership
- Lead all plant engineering activities with responsibility for facility infrastructure, equipment performance, utilities, and long-term asset management.
- Develop and execute multi-year capital investment plans that support safety, productivity, quality, reliability, and growth initiatives.
- Identify opportunities for equipment upgrades, modernization projects, automation improvements, and capacity expansions.
- Prepare capital appropriation requests and present project justifications to senior leadership and corporate stakeholders for approval.
- Manage project budgets, vendor selection, contractor relationships, implementation timelines, and project execution from concept through startup.
Maintenance & Reliability Leadership
- Direct all maintenance and reliability functions across the facility.
- Establish and continuously improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize equipment uptime and reduce unplanned downtime.
- Oversee maintenance planning, work order execution, spare parts strategies, and asset reliability initiatives.
- Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for recurring equipment failures and operational challenges.
- Support continuous improvement efforts focused on operational efficiency, equipment performance, and maintenance effectiveness.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and develop engineering and maintenance personnel, including managers, engineers, supervisors, and technical staff.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and performance management for direct reports.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, employee engagement, and continuous improvement.
- Build strong relationships with production, quality, safety, finance, and corporate leadership teams.
Compliance & Operational Excellence
- Ensure compliance with all safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain strong knowledge of OSHA, EPA, GMP, food safety, and manufacturing compliance standards.
- Support quality systems, operational audits, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Lead energy management, sustainability, and operational efficiency projects that improve plant performance and reduce costs.
Desired Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline required. Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or similar engineering backgrounds are strongly preferred.
- Proven engineering and maintenance leadership experience within a manufacturing environment.
- Strong background in capital project management, equipment installations, facility improvements, and major plant investments.
- Experience developing and managing maintenance strategies, reliability programs, and operating budgets.
- Demonstrated success leading technical teams and influencing stakeholders across multiple levels of an organization.
- Experience working in a unionized manufacturing environment is highly desirable.
- Manufacturing experience within food, beverage, dairy, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, or other highly regulated process industries is strongly preferred.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a plant engineering leader who combines strong technical expertise with strategic thinking and business acumen. This individual has successfully managed large-scale capital projects, led maintenance and reliability organizations, and partnered with executive leadership to drive operational improvements. Candidates should be comfortable presenting investment opportunities, managing multimillion-dollar projects, building high-performing teams, and creating long-term engineering strategies that improve plant performance.
This opportunity is particularly attractive for engineering leaders seeking a highly visible role with significant impact, strong compensation, long-term incentive potential, leadership responsibility, and a clear path for future advancement within a growing manufacturing organization.