Senior maintenance leader responsible for directing maintenance activities within a high-volume industrial bakery. Provides daily leadership, direction, and mentorship to maintenance supervisors, mechanics, and electricians, including union hourly personnel. Ensures safe, efficient, and reliable operation of bakery production and packaging equipment through effective corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance practices. Supports the Maintenance Planner, oversees contractors, drives equipment reliability, and partners with production to minimize downtime. Experience with industrial ammonia refrigeration and boiler systems is strongly preferred.
Leadership & Workforce Management
Provide direct oversight of all Maintenance Supervisors, ensuring effective management of daily work assignments, labor coordination, and technician performance.
Hold Maintenance Supervisors accountable for safety compliance, work quality, documentation accuracy, and adherence to maintenance processes.
Conduct regular coaching, performance feedback, and skill-development sessions with Maintenance Supervisors to strengthen leadership capability.
Ensure supervisors properly direct union technicians and electricians in accordance with collective bargaining agreements and company policies.
Mentor and develop maintenance supervisors, mechanics, and electricians to strengthen technical capability and teamwork.
Promote professionalism, teamwork, and respectful conduct across all maintenance personnel.
Participate in hiring, onboarding, and performance evaluations for non-union staff.
Maintenance Operations
Oversee corrective maintenance activities, ensuring timely troubleshooting and repair of mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, refrigeration, boiler, and automated systems.
Provide technical guidance on industrial ammonia refrigeration systems and steam boiler systems, including operation, safety controls, water-treatment requirements, and regulatory compliance.
Ensure compliance with OSHA, NEC, GMPs, HACCP, IIAR standards, boiler codes, and internal food-safety policies.
Verify proper Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures are followed.
Ensure accurate documentation of work orders and maintenance activities in the CMMS.
Collaborate with supervisors to balance corrective work with preventive and predictive maintenance schedules.
Effectively define, communicate, and drive KPIs related to safety, equipment reliability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, cost control, work management, and workforce development.
Preventive & Predictive Maintenance
Lead execution of PM and PdM programs for bakery equipment including mixers, ovens, proofers, conveyors, packaging lines, refrigeration systems, and steam boilers.
Utilize predictive tools such as vibration analysis, thermography, and condition monitoring.
Identify recurring issues and implement long-term corrective actions.
Support for Maintenance Planning
Partner with the Maintenance Planner to ensure accurate job scoping, parts identification, and labor estimates.
Review backlog, validate job plans, and align scheduling with production needs.
Ensure technicians provide feedback to improve planning accuracy and CMMS data quality.
Reliability & Continuous Improvement
Lead root-cause analysis and implement engineering-based solutions to eliminate chronic failures.
Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, and long-term asset strategies, including refrigeration and boiler system improvements.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance OEE and reduce downtime.
Collaboration & Communication
Work closely with Production, Quality, Sanitation, and Engineering to support operational goals.
Communicate equipment status, downtime events, and maintenance priorities to plant leadership.
Maintain shop organization, tools, and equipment cleanliness.
Contractor Oversight
Provide oversight of all on-site contractors, ensuring work is performed safely, in compliance with plant policies, and according to scope, timelines, and quality expectations.
Verify contractor qualifications, monitor performance, and ensure adherence to safety, GMP, and LOTO requirements.
Coordinate contractor activities with Maintenance Supervisors and the Maintenance Planner to avoid conflicts with production or internal maintenance work.
Ensure contractor work is properly documented and integrated into CMMS records.
Other Duties
Perform other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
Minimum 10+ years of progressive maintenance experience in manufacturing; bakery or food processing strongly preferred.
Minimum 5 years of leadership experience supervising maintenance teams.
Advanced technical expertise in mechanical systems, industrial electrical systems (up to 480V), PLCs, automation, pneumatics, hydraulics, industrial ammonia refrigeration, and steam boiler systems.
Strong proficiency with CMMS systems and maintenance planning workflows.
High school diploma or GED required; technical degree or certified apprenticeship strongly preferred.
Professional certifications (CMRP, CRL, PMP, RETA CARO/CIRO, boiler operator license) preferred.
Physically capable of lifting up to 50 lbs, climbing, and working in high-heat, noisy, or tight spaces.
Working Conditions
Fast-paced industrial baking facility with exposure to high temperatures, noise, ammonia refrigeration equipment, steam boilers, and moving machinery.
Supervises union hourly technicians and electricians; must work within collective bargaining guidelines.
May require overtime or off-shift availability during breakdowns or peak production periods.
Requires walking, climbing, standing, and working in elevated or confined areas.