Traveling Bakery Maintenance Manager - GA or IL

The Bread Bakers Guild of America; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Life insurance

Job summary

Turano Baking Company is seeking a hands-on Traveling Bakery Maintenance Manager to lead engineering, capital projects, and maintenance strategy across multiple bakery locations with extensive travel.

The role requires strong mechanical, electrical and PLC expertise, bakery industry experience, and the ability to drive reliability, safety, and plant performance through cross-functional leadership and rigorous project management.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of bakery engineering leadership.
• Experience managing capital projects, plant construction or equipment installations.
• Strong mechanical, electrical and PLC skills.
• Experience in GMP and food-safe manufacturing environments.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Strong vendor management, budgeting, and project planning skills.
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities.
• Willingness for multi-site travel between facilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-site engineering and capital improvement projects from planning through implementation.
• Manage construction, facility upgrades, equipment installations, and line expansions.
• Develop project scopes, budgets, timelines, and vendor requirements.
• Coordinate contractors and internal teams for successful project execution.
• Evaluate processes and propose operational improvements.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Capital projects

Plant construction

Equipment installations

Mechanical skills

Electrical skills

PLC skills

GMP experience

Food safety

Vendor management

Budgeting

Project planning

Communication

Leadership

Travel readiness

Job description

• Traveling Bakery Maintenance Manager - GA or IL

Travel to Multiple Bakery Locations | 100% Travel | Hands-On Leadership

Turano Baking Company is a family-owned bakery with over 60 years of experience producing high-quality breads and rolls for foodservice, retail, and national customers across the United States.

We are seeking a HANDS-ON, solutions-driven Traveling Bakery Maintenance Manager to lead engineering, capital projects, maintenance strategy, and facility improvements across multiple manufacturing operations.

This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for driving operational reliability, supporting plant performance, and managing major engineering and construction initiatives throughout the organization.

The ideal candidate MUST HAVE bakery engineering experience, practical project leadership skills, and the ability to work effectively across operations, maintenance, sanitation, quality, and executive leadership teams.

Position Overview

This role oversees major engineering and facility projects across the organization, including line installations, equipment upgrades, plant improvements, and infrastructure initiatives.

This role works closely with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, and Executive Leadership to improve operational efficiency, equipment reliability, food safety compliance, and long-term manufacturing capability.

This is a hands-on manufacturing leadership position — not a desk-only engineering role. Candidates must have strong mechanical, electrical and PLC experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead multi-site engineering and capital improvement projects from planning through implementation
• Manage construction, facility upgrades, equipment installations, and production line expansions
• Develop project scopes, budgets, timelines, and vendor requirements
• Coordinate contractors, suppliers, and internal teams to ensure successful project execution
• Evaluate manufacturing processes and recommend operational improvements

Manufacturing & Operational Support

• Partner with Plant Engineers and Maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability and operational performance
• Assist facilities in developing and strengthening preventive maintenance (PM) programs, maintenance procedures, and equipment lifecycle planning
• Support the development of breakdown analysis and root cause corrective action programs to reduce downtime and improve operational efficiency
• Assist plants in improving maintenance inventory control and critical spare parts management
• Support troubleshooting and resolution of major mechanical, electrical, and PLC-related equipment issues
• Recommend and implement equipment upgrades and modernization initiatives to improve reliability, safety, efficiency, and production capability
• Work with plant leadership to evaluate aging equipment and support both mechanical and electrical improvement projects across facilities
• Analyze equipment failures and implement long-term corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives

Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure engineering and maintenance activities comply with GMPs, food safety standards, and company sanitation requirements
• Coordinate maintenance activities in food handling areas to minimize operational and product safety risk
• Ensure proper communication and cleanup procedures following maintenance or repair work
• Support compliance with applicable OSHA, environmental, and regulatory requirements

Leadership & Communication

• Present project updates, budgets, and recommendations to Leadership
• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Sanitation, and Purchasing teams
• Support long-term facility planning and operational growth initiatives
• Assist in developing engineering standards and best practices across facilities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience in bakery
• Prior experience managing capital projects, plant construction, or equipment installations
• Strong mechanical, electrical and PLC skills
• Experience working in GMP and food-safe manufacturing environments
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• Strong vendor management, budgeting, and project planning skills
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities
• Multi-site manufacturing support role
• Frequent plant-floor presence in active production environments
• Occasional off-hours support may be required during major projects or operational emergencies
• Travel between facilities required as business needs dictate

Why Join Turano?

• Established 60+ year family-owned company
• National manufacturing footprint with continued growth
• High-visibility leadership role with direct operational impact
• Opportunity to lead major projects and modernization initiatives
• Competitive compensation and benefits package including:
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Life insurance

Compensation commensurate with experience

Important

This role requires strong manufacturing leadership, project execution skills, and the ability to operate effectively in fast-paced production environments. Candidates without relevant experience may not be considered.